Ermelo ECWC Endurance 2021

A look back at the event

Written by Eric Lamsma, organiser of the FEI Endurance World (YJ) & European Championship 2021.

“A week after the end of the two Endurance championships, we as an organization can look back on the event with satisfaction. Organizing it in a relatively short period of time was only possible with the commitment of many people from within our Endurance sport. Everyone involved showed the world how the Netherlands can do these kinds of things together. In my role as initiator, I can still enjoy this in full emotion. So many people have given a lot of time and energy and were also walking around with a big smile all day long. Participants, officials and visitors have given us many compliments in return.

For me it is important that we have been able to lay down a fair route with a technical basis in which we have tried to bring the sport back to its origins. I am convinced that all participating countries, both European and non-European, have made an important contribution to this.

We have been able to lay down a fair route with a technical basis in which we have tried to bring the sport back to its origins

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Photo by: Murielle Mulder

Although we are still in the process of completing the last things, I am very grateful. With the help of the Province of Gelderland, the municipality of Ermelo and also the various land owners, we have been able to enjoy the beautiful routes in the most beautiful part of the Netherlands, the Veluwe, from a more than fantastic National Equestrian Center in Ermelo with a very good collaboration with the KNHS and the FEI. Safety was of paramount importance to us, partly with the help of traffic control, we succeeded well here. We are not yet finished with our event, a veterinary congress will follow, as well as a school project at primary education in Gelderland and a large business event.

We are very happy with the fantastic field of participants for both competitions, for us it was a pleasure to hear how much enthusiasm there was about the tracks with the blooming heather. The coming weeks will mainly be dominated by the debriefings, both with our National Federation and the FEI. Later we will publish an extensive report that also includes possible improvements for a future championship.