The World Championships in 2028 will take place in the motherland of Agility sports. This has been announced by the FCI and the British Kennel Club. The application for 2028 is no coincidence. In addition to a special anniversary, the World Championship will also be a premiere for the FCI.
When the first team will run at the World Championship in 2028, it will be 50 years since the first Agility show at Crufts in 1978. While Agility has been around for a little longer, 1978 is considered the year in which the success story took its course. The 2028 World Championship will be dedicated to the 50th anniversary. The British FCI representative Steve Croxford played a large part in the final decision of the FCI.
The award is special in that Great Britain is not a full FCI member. For the first time in the history of the Agility World Championship since the first event in 1996, the tournament will be held in a non-FCI member country. The fact that the two associations have recently come closer was already evident with the allocation of the European Open 2020 and next year the Junior Open Agility World Championship. At that time, the European Open fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The location is of course not known 6 years in advance. But these will be announced in due time before the tournament. The Chairman of The Kennel Club, Tony Allcock, was also pleased with the premiere: «We are extremely proud to have been confirmed by the FCI as the hosts for the Agility World Championships in 2028, during such a historic year for the discipline.
Holding the Championships in Great Britain will bring nostalgia and celebration in a milestone year for agility, as the 2028 Agility World Championships will mark the 50th anniversary of the first ever Agility Dog Demonstration at the 1978 Crufts. We are honoured to be holding them to mark this very special anniversary.
I would like to thank Steve Croxford, The Kennel Club FCI representative, who played a significant role in applying for this honour and achieving this successful outcome».
Source: https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/2028FCIAgilityWorldChampionships