The FEI have announced that five countries are confirmed as bidders to stage the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2018. The five bid cities that have now taken on Official Candidate status are Rabat (MAR); Bromont (CAN); Budapest (HUN); Vienna (AUT) and Wellington (USA).

Under the new bidding process put in place last year by the FEI for the FEI World Equestrian Games™, eight signed Expression of Interest documents were received from the National Federations of Australia, Austria, Canada, Hungary, Morocco, Sweden, Russia and the USA in November 2011.

The Australian, Russian and Swedish applications were withdrawn prior to the start of the official Candidate Phase earlier this year, but the five remaining applicants have moved ahead with their bids.

The five Candidate cities all met the 30 April deadline for receipt of the official Applicant Questionnaire. The five Bid Applications and Questionnaires have now been validated by FEI Headquarters. Details of the five bid cities were formally presented to the FEI Bureau at its meeting in Lausanne (SUI) last week.

An FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 presentation will be made to the five Candidates at FEI Headquarters in Lausanne on 11 July to explain the FEI's expectations and procedures concerning the Games. Legal Documentation will also be given to Candidates during that meeting. Completed Legal Documentation, including a signed Host Agreement, must be submitted to the FEI by 15 December 2012.

 "It is fantastic to have five really strong bids for hosting the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2018 and there could be no better endorsement of the FEI's flagship event", FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos said. "The new bidding process that we put in place last year for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ has generated a huge amount of interest and we now look forward to welcoming the 2018 bidders to FEI Headquarters next month."

As the final stage in the bidding process, the Candidates will formally present their bids to the FEI Bureau at its Spring 2013 meeting, after which the official announcement of the host organisers of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 will be made.

The FEI Championships Bid Guide can be accessed here.