2017 Longines FEI European Championships underway in Sweden

After last weekend’s European Eventing Championships in Strzegom, Poland, Gothenburg’s central Ullevi Stadium, Heden Arena and other locations in the city like the Slottsskogen City Park are welcoming elite athletes to town, including 96 riders and 129 horses from 26 nations in Show Jumping. Great Britain’s contingent at the event is small this year, just Michael and William Whitaker, and Michael Whitaker has reportedly now pulled out due to an injury to his horse. And while Britain’s decision to not send a full team to Gothenburg surprised many, officials said they were also faced with the individual objectives and plans of riders like Scott Brash and Ben Maher, who are also focused on events like the Global Champions Tour and potentially the upcoming Nations Cup Final in Barcelona at the end of September.

Ireland, by contrast, does have a full squad in Sweden in the sport: Bertram Allen (Hector van d’Abdijhoeve); Denis Lynch (All Star 5); Mark Mcauly (Miebello); Cian O’Connor (Good Luck); Shane Sweetnam (Chaqui Z). And it is the same case for other nations, such as Switzerland (led by Steve Guerdat), the Netherlands (Harrie Smolders), Italy (Lorenzo de Luca), Germany (Marcus Ehning), France (Kevin Staut), and hosts Sweden (Peder Fredricson).

In Dressage, Britain’s Carl Hester (Nip Tuck) is leading a team of four combinations among the group of 67 athletes and 67 horses on hand from 20 nations, including Germany’s Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD. And in Para-Dressage, British riders got the competition off to a strong start with medals from riders like Julie Payne and Suzanna Hext, with Athene Lindebjerg and Abira respectively. Results from the competition can be followed as they happen, here.

Gothenburg itself, which will mark its 400th anniversary in 2021, has been described as a city that has moved to transform itself from an industrial seaside town to an innovative modern centre, although traditional activities such as fishing are still a major local activity today.