THE world famous CHIO Aachen has been cancelled due to Covid-19, and so too has the five-star Sopot CSIO5* which was due to host a leg of the Division 1 Longines FEI Nations Cup series.

Initially postponed to a later date, the organisers of CHIO Aachen today announced their 10-day World Equestrian Festival would not take place due to the virus. “People’s health takes top priority,” said Frank Kemperman, Chairman of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein (ALRV).

This is the first time that the CHIO Aachen has ever been cancelled since its inception in 1898. Other international equestrian events have been staged in Aachen since the 1920s and the only time the event didn’t take place was during the WWII, from 1940 to 1945.

The Sopot cancellation is the fifth of seven Division 1 Nations Cup shows to be cancelled, following the decision from the Dublin Horse Show on Monday.

“Unfortunately this year has been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under these circumstances we have to take responsibility of health and safety of riders and their teams, fans, volunteers and everyone involved in organisation of our show. Current situation in Poland and other countries makes next few months very uncertain, which makes us focus all our strength on fighting the virus,” a statement from the organising committee said.