The deadline for applicants for the finale to the indoor season expired yesterday with the trio of contenders putting themselves in the frame.

American city Las Vegas and Swedish city Gothenburg are regular hosts of FEI World Cup finals but this is the first time that a bid has come in from Paris.

The French capital is also in the race to host the 2024 Summer Olympics and could see hosting the dual FEI events as part of its preparations.

If successful, they would host the 2018 finals in the newly refurbished Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy.

Las Vegas, which hosted this year's FEI World Cup finals at the Thomas & Mack Center has proposed the same venue as part of its bid while Gothenburg has put forward the Scandinavium Arena which hosted the first FEI World Cup jumping final back in 1979.

The city has hosted the event a further 21 times since then.

The events are already booked to return to Gothenburg next year, and the city is also the host for the FEI European Championships in 2017.

“We are delighted to have three global cities bidding to host the Longines FEI World Cup jumping final and FEI World Cup dressage final in 2018," FEI Secretary General Sabrina Zeender said.

“The FEI has a long-standing partnership with both Gothenburg and Las Vegas, but it is also very exciting to see Paris entering a bid.

"We look forward to announcing the successful host city next month.”

The bid process for the 2018 Finals was reopened in August to allow the Las Vegas bid to come back with a revised proposal, although attempts to find an alternative venue to the Thomas & Mack, which they had thought would be too small for dressage competition, proved unsuccessful.

Bidders will present to the FEI Evaluation Commission later this month, and an announcement on the successful host city will be made after the FEI Bureau meeting during their General Assembly in Puerto Rico on November 10.



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