Opening Ceremonies in Jerez

Source :  Official 2002 WEG Website

The 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez opened Tuesday evening, 10.September , with a colourful equestrian extravaganza which captured the imagination of the capacity crowd of 22,000 spectators in the Chapin Stadium.

Declared officially open by King JUAN CARLOS I, greetings were also given by the President of the Organising Committee, Pedro PACHECO, who is also Mayor of the City of Jerez and HRH Doña Pilar de Borbon, President of the FEI (and sister of the King).

Designed to show the enthusiasm of the city of Jerez for the Games, the ceremony began with a warm welcome to all the competitors from around the world.



Without volunteers an event of this size would be impossible to stage and the work of the huge number of people from the city of Jerez who are working as volunteers at the Games, was acknowledged by the presence of 300 of them in the arena. Joined by acrobats the volunteers played their parts in the activities that followed.

Having paid tribute to the sport and the volunteers, what unfolded was a spectacular display of Spanish horse power. Carriages circled in a flurry of activity and to the joy of the crowd an impressive selection of horses from across the region leapt, jumped and literally danced around the arena to a soundtrack which evoked the mood of the occasion.

Horses from the Royal Guard, the National Association of PRE (Pure Spanish Horse) Breeders, Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art, the Jerez Military Stud and the Cartuja-Hierro del Brocado Stud were all represented.

Once the horses had departed 400 flamenco dancers entered the arena providing a blaze of colour and a festival atmosphere. As the ladies danced to the music of local artist Jose MERCE the crowd clapped rhythmically in appreciation.

The dancers were followed by two young girls aged just six and seven, who rode side saddle into the arena dressed in the typical costume of the ‘Amazons’. Their presence embodied the future of the horse in Jerez.

Just as the activities on the ground paused for a moment out of the sky, parachuting directly into the arena came the daring members of the Spanish Air Force’s Acrobatic Parachute Team.

With Fino, the official mascot of the Games now in the arena the ceremony reached its climax, with all the riders, participants, horses, volunteers and dancers returning to the arena for the final fiesta. The finishing touch was provided by 21 classic carriages from a previous era which circled the arena, showing the depth of the history of horses in this region.

With the arena full and alive with the festivities, it was clear that the organisers had truly achieved their goal - to stage an event that would capture the spirit of the Games and the heart and soul of the people of Jerez.