COMMUNICATION FROM THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE
It is with great disappointment that the Organising Committee of the International Eventing of Le Pouget decided to cancel the 2020 edition of “Les Internationaux du Coeur d’Herault” which were to take place from the 11th to the 15th of November 2020.
For a few weeks now, the difficulties have been multiplying : the impossibility for some foreign officials to come, the prohibition of catering to riders, volunteers and officials, the obligation to organize the event without public, implementation of one way zones and circuits to avoid contact...
Nonetheless, we have done everything possible to overcome these constraints and we believed we could make it happen. Unfortunately, on Thursday, facing the very rapid growth of the pandemic, the Prime Minister decided to put the Hérault department in the maximum health emergency zone.
The new constraints linked to this situation make the organization of the event really difficult and we do not think we will be able to overcome all of them.
We are also forced to ask for new administrative authorizations to validate our health organization, but nothing makes us think we will have them.
On the other hand, the ministerial decree placing our department in the maximum health emergency zone, authorizes the Prefect to strengthen the constraints even more, such as limitating movements within an area of 100 kilometers, expending the hours of the actual curfew or again prohibiting all major sportive event such as ours.
Today, we have already engaged a lot of money in the organization of this event and we can not continue, taking the risk of new directives prohibiting the event at last moment. It is the economic survival of our structure that is at stake.There is eventually, the importance we give to everyone’s health and security. The pandemic is growing really fast in our department. There is a real risk of people, riders, volunteers, officials and therefore their family to catch the virus on our event. We chose not to take the risk and want to protect everyone from this virus.
Our thought goes to the riders. They had a reduced and restricted competitive season, many of them were waiting for this event to come, for others, it was the occasion to qualify for championships. More than 200 riders already trusted us and asked for participation.
We also think about our volunteers for whom this competition is a real time of pleasure, of sharing, of exchange but also a time of real dedication. We think about our officials : some of them have been faithful for many years and we were waiting impatiently to see them again.
Finally, we think of our partners who bring us a precise and indispensable help, and mainly the Occitania Region, the Hérault Department and the Community of Communes of the Hérault Valley.
Within the Organization Committee, the employee team is particularly saddened by the cancellation of this competition. Every year they give all their energy to organize this competition as well as possible and it is a challenge and a joy for them to welcome the riders.
Taking this decision was very difficult but necessary. We now want to look to the future and to be part of the dynamic to have a very beautiful edition in 2021.