North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said that the 2018 World Equestrian Games will be held at the Tryon Int'l Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, about 80 miles west of Charlotte, according to Katherine Peralta of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. It is "being touted as potentially North Carolina’s biggest-ever sports event." As one of the "closest gubernatorial races in the nation" nears the finish line, the "arguably most divisive issue of the campaign" has been House Bill 2, a law that has led to to the cancellation of business expansions and sporting events such as the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte.
McCrory: "This is bigger, with all due respect, than the All-Star Game, a football game, a basketball game -- combined, times two. This economic impact is huge." McCrory and Tryon Int'l officials said that the 2018 World Equestrian Games "could provide an economic impact" of more than $400M -- four times the projected impact of the All-Star weekend -- and draw more than 500,000 spectators from 72 different countries to the region.
The games "will require 60,000 room nights at hotels throughout the region." Equestrian Center CEO Mark Bellissimo said that "the project requires only a small amount of public financing, including marketing and security." He anticipates his group’s budget will be between $50M-$60M (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/4).