Lexington, Ky – The American athletes who had been set to compete in the FEI Driving World Championship for Singles have made the decision to withdraw from the competition, which is scheduled to take place in Pau, France, October 21-26.

Three horse-and-athlete pairs had qualified to travel to France to represent the U.S. in the team competition along with three alternate pairs.

“Following careful consideration by our athletes, the six U.S. athletes entered on the Nominated Entry List have made the very difficult decision not to travel to Pau for the FEI Driving World Championships for Singles,” said Will Connell, Director of Sport for US Equestrian. “This was not a decision they made lightly. It is very expensive to fly horses and equipment from the U.S. to France, and there remain many uncertainties and a risk that the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions could change in Europe or the U.S. All the athletes have worked extremely hard to reach selection for these Championships and we hope to see them back challenging for selection to the U.S. Team in the future.”

“We are very grateful to the organizers, the French National Federation and the FEI for their help and hard work to make it possible for U.S. athletes to compete,” said Connell. “We wish Pau a successful, enjoyable and safe Driving World Championships.”