8 September 2014, Normandy, France ~ FEI President HRH Princess Haya was visibly moved as she thanked Normandy and France for two weeks of incredible sport before declaring the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 officially closed. (Leanjo de Koster/FEI).
“This is the final time that I will stand before you at a World Equestrian Games as President of the FEI,” she said. “This is a hugely poignant moment in my life. And I will leave this stadium tonight truly knowing the measure of the gift that you have given the sport I love. Thanks to Normandy and thanks to France, I now know our beloved sport is where it should be,” she said.
“At the end of her speech, a visibly emotional Princess Haya, with tears running down her face, gave the final words of the Games: “And now, it is my duty to declare the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy. . . .closed.”
The seventh FEI World Equestrian Games™ broke records across the board, with 74 participating nations, an increase of 25% on the last Games in 2010, a record 12 nations making their FEI World Equestrian Games™ debut, and record coverage of the Games across all media platforms.
~ end