Saudi Arabia’s AlUla to Host World Endurance Championship 2026

The event will be held in the AlUla Governorate under the supervision of the Saudi Equestrian Federation and the Royal Commission for AlUla. SPA
The event will be held in the AlUla Governorate under the supervision of the Saudi Equestrian Federation and the Royal Commission for AlUla. SPA
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Saudi Arabia’s AlUla to Host World Endurance Championship 2026

The event will be held in the AlUla Governorate under the supervision of the Saudi Equestrian Federation and the Royal Commission for AlUla. SPA
The event will be held in the AlUla Governorate under the supervision of the Saudi Equestrian Federation and the Royal Commission for AlUla. SPA

The World Endurance Championship 2026 will be hosted by Saudi Arabia, according to an announcement made by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (Fédération Equestre Internationale 'FEI') on Sunday.

The Kingdom submitted its hosting bid in September, and the event will be held in the AlUla Governorate under the supervision of the Saudi Equestrian Federation and the Royal Commission for AlUla.

The International Equestrian Federation and the members of the General Assembly praised the federation for its efforts. The Kingdom's hosting of the World Endurance Championship is yet another success for Saudi equestrianism, which has previously hosted major events.

The Horseback Archery World Cup will be held in AlUla Governorate in December, while the World Cup for Show Jumping and Dressage will be hosted in Riyadh in April 2024.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.