Ingmar De Vos was today re-elected unopposed as President of the FEI at the General Assembly in Manama (BRN), where he pledged to build on the success of his first term in office. The Belgian native received unanimous support for a second four-year term from delegates representing the FEI’s 133 National Federations. It is the […]
via Unanimous Support For Re-Election Of Ingmar De Vos As FEI President — finixsportsblog
The final day of the FEI General Assembly 2015 took place in San Juan (PUR) today, and FEI President Ingmar De Vos opened the day’s proceedings with thanks to the Puerto Rican Equestrian Federation, its President Rosana Roig and her team for the wonderful welcome. This is the second time that the FEI General Assembly has been in Puerto Rico, which previously hosted the annual meeting 18 years ago.
“I believe also this might be the first time an FEI General Assembly has been held on a Friday the 13th, unless anyone else can remember such an occasion”, the FEI President said in his opening address, “but I am not superstitious so I can only assume all will go smoothly and according to plan!”
During the all-day meeting, member National Federations voted on a wide range of topics, which are detailed here. A total of 100 of the 134 member National Federations were represented, 75 in-person and 25 by proxy.
Rodrigo Garcia, Rio 2016 Sports Director, gave delegates an update on developments at the Deodoro Olympic Park, the second largest Rio 2016 Games cluster, and home to the Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Centre. Details included the proximity of the Equestrian Centre to the other sports at Deodoro, Games-time accommodation including the Athletes’ Village, the competition schedule and the success of the Test Event.
Martin Atock of Peden Bloodstock then updated National Federations on biosecurity measures in Rio and the equestrian freight manual.
Delegates were also given the latest information on progress with the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Bromont/Montreal (CAN), and heard a presentation from Roly Owers, Chief Executive of the equine charity World Horse Welfare, the FEI’s welfare advisor for more than 30 years.
Once business had been concluded, the FEI President welcomed two new member Federations into the FEI Family by presenting the FEI flag to Angola and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The President also made a special presentation to outgoing Chair of the Vaulting Committee, Emma Seely (USA), in recognition of her dedication to the discipline during her eight-year term in office. Sergey Buikevich (KAZ), outgoing Chair of FEI Regional Group III, was also honoured for his eight years on the FEI Bureau.
FEI Badges of Honour for National Federation representatives that have attended 15 or more FEI General Assemblies were then presented to six individuals by the FEI President. Recipients of FEI Badges of Honour were Michael Cherry (BER); Robert Fekar (SVK); Andrew Finding (GBR); Sadyr Mamytov (KGZ); Fred Sundwall (FIN) and Betty Wates (JAM).
The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final and the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final 2018 will be held in Paris (FRA), marking the first occasion that the French capital has had the opportunity to stage equestrian sport’s most prestigious double indoor Finals.
The decision was taken today by the FEI Bureau at its in-person meeting held in San Juan (PUR) at this year’s FEI General Assembly.
Gothenburg (SWE) and Las Vegas (USA) had also submitted bids to host the double Finals.
“We are delighted that the FEI World Cup Finals will be taking place in the vibrant French capital,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez (previously Zeender) said. “This will be the first time the dual Finals have been held in Paris, although the Finals were held separately in 1987 for Jumping and 1991 for Dressage, so the time is right to return to this wonderful international city.
“Last year France hosted the largest Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to date, and we are confident that GL Events, the team that organised brilliant double Finals in Lyon in 2014, will take the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final and the FEI World Cup Dressage Final 2018 to a new level of excellence.”
The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final and the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final 2018 will take place from 10 to 15 April at the AccorHotels Arena, formerly known as Paris Bercy Arena, located on the Boulevard de Bercy in central Paris.
The indoor arena, known for its pyramidal shape and walls covered with sloping lawn, is one of France’s biggest concert venue and has hosted global megastars such as Madonna, Céline Dion, Tina Turner, Kylie Minogue, and U2 among many others. Major sporting events, including the ATP Tour tennis tournament Paris Masters, have also been held at this venue.
The Bureau also allocated 14 FEI Championships and Finals in 12 countries for 2016-2017:
2016
FEI Balkan Jumping Championship, Adunatii Copaceni (ROU), 1-4 September
FEI South America Jumping Championship for Young Riders, Juniors, Pre-Juniors & Children, Sao Paulo (BRA), 7-11 September
FEI World Jumping Challenge Final, Rabat (MOR), dates to be confirmed
FEI Balkan Dressage Championship, Thessaloniki (GRE), dates to be confirmed
FEI Balkan Driving Championship, Floresti (ROU), 30 September – 2 October *subject to the signature of the Host Agreement
FEI European Endurance Championship for Young Riders and Juniors, Rio Frio (POR), 2-4 September
FEI Balkan Endurance Championship, Kukavica (CRO), 6-9 October
FEI European Reining Championship, Givrins (SUI), 11-13 August
FEI European Championship for Ponies (Jumping, Dressage & Eventing), Vilhelmsborg (DEN), 17-21 August
2017
FEI European Endurance Championship, Brussels (BEL), 20 August
FEI World Breeding Endurance Championship for Young Horses, Brussels (BEL), 21 August
FEI Pan American Endurance Championship for Senior & Young Riders, Costa Azul, Canelones (URU), April (exact dates to be confirmed
FEI World Driving Championship for Ponies, Four in Hand/Pairs/Singles, Minden-Kutenhausen (GER), 24-27 August
FEI World Cup™ Driving Final, Gothenburg (SWE), 22-26 February *subject to the signature of the Host Agreement
The Bureau re-opened the bid for the FEI World Breeding Endurance Championship for Young Horses 2018.
The FEI Bureau has today agreed unanimously to continue to fight the case between the FEI and the Global Champions League with all legal means, following an update at the FEI Bureau’s in-person meeting at the FEI General Assembly in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan.
The Global Champions League lodged a complaint with the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) in June of this year alleging that the FEI’s unsanctioned events rule was in breach of competition law. The BCA granted interim measures on 28 July requiring the FEI to suspend its unsanctioned events rule against athletes and horses for the GCL events. Under the rule, athletes, horses or officials are ineligible to compete in an FEI or national event if they have participated in an unsanctioned event in the previous six months. An unsanctioned event is an event and/or a competition that is neither published in the official FEI calendar nor authorised by a National Federation.
The FEI appealed the interim measures decision to the Brussels Court of Appeal, requesting suspension of the decision. The suspension was rejected without any review of the merits of the case, however the FEI’s view is that the BCA decision should not be applicable outside Belgium and is therefore seeking a full annulment of the decision.
No dates have been set for the annulment process, which will go before the Brussels Court of Appeal, or for the eventual hearing on the full merits of the case, which will be heard by the Belgian Competition Authority.
The FEI is not the only International Federation undergoing legal proceedings on unsanctioned events. The European Commission recently opened a formal anti-trust investigation into International Skating Union (ISU) rules that impose a lifetime ban from competitions, including the Olympic Games and the ISU World and European Championships, on athletes that take part in events not approved by the ISU.
The European Commission has confirmed to the FEI that it will ensure the coherent application of EU anti-trust rules in the FEI and ISU proceedings. It has also clearly indicated that the results of its investigation would set a precedent for similar issues in other sports and provide guidance for national competition authorities and/or national courts for dealing with future cases.
The FEI is to put in a request to the European Commission to be an interested party in the ISU case, and the FEI President has also written to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Council and all ASOIF Members proposing that they should put in a similar request. Additionally, the FEI has asked ASOIF to represent the interests of its members on unsanctioned event rules.
“We simply want justice”, FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “We do not want our athletes to be the victims of this ongoing legal case, so we will abide by the Belgian Competition Authority ruling and not sanction them or their horses for competing in GCL events, but it is very important that they are aware that there has been no ruling on the merits of the case and that these interim measures guarantee nothing on the future of unsanctioned events.
“We welcome the European Commission’s formal investigation into the ISU case and await the outcome of that investigation with interest as it will establish the principle on unsanctioned events that will be implemented across the European Union for all sports. The unsanctioned events rule is applied in other sports and we are confident that the principle will be accepted by the European Commission.
“Many International Federations are confronted with similar issues, but while our athletes have the right to decide what events they will compete in, the FEI also has a non-decision making participant, the horse, and it is our duty to protect its welfare and to ensure the integrity of the events that both our equine and human athletes compete in.
“Horse welfare and sporting integrity are the two key principles of the unsanctioned events rule, and these principles can only be protected and promoted by putting in place rules, including anti-doping and veterinary regulations, and by making acceptance of international events onto the official calendar conditional upon the Organising Committee adopting all of those regulations and making them binding on all participants in those events. Without these rules, we have no way of safeguarding the welfare of horses and athletes participating in such events, or of protecting the integrity of the events.
“We are confident that the European Commission will accept that legislation on unsanctioned events is not against the EU anti-trust rules.”
The FEI is to form a working group to thoroughly review Annex XIII of the Dressage Stewards Manual, which deals with training methods. The composition of the working group has not yet been finalised, but it will include representatives from the International Dressage Riders Club and the International Dressage Trainers Club, the FEI Steward General representing the International Dressage Officials Club, a veterinary expert, and a representative of the FEI Dressage Committee.
The decision came at an all-day meeting of the Dressage Committee and stakeholders, held in FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI) today. It was agreed that the group would aim to finalise its conclusions in the coming months for presentation to the FEI Bureau for approval.
FEI President Ingmar De Vos welcomed representatives from the Dressage stakeholders Clubs and the European Equestrian Federation to today’s session, which was chaired by FEI Dressage Committee Chair Frank Kemperman.
Stewarding, including the monitoring of pre-competition training techniques, education, support and respect for officials, competition formats, and judging were all debated at length.
Dressage Committee members were also in attendance – Deputy Chair Thomas Baur (GER), Maribel Alonso (MEX), Luis Lucio (ESP) and Athlete Representative Anna Paprocka-Campanella (ITA). Dressage Judge General Stephen Clarke, who is also President of the International Dressage Officials Club (IDOC), and Steward General Jacques van Daele joined the meeting via teleconference. Carina Mayer, who has taken on the role of Head of the Dressage Department ad interim, also played an active role in the session.
The Association of International Dressage Event Organisers (AIDEO) was represented by its Secretary General Federico Padron and German member Klaus Roeser. The IDOC was represented by Club secretary Olivier Smeets.
David Hunt, President of the International Dressage Trainers Club (IDTC), represented the Judges Supervisory Panel, while the IDTC was represented by Linda Keenan and Board Member Sjef Jansen. International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC) representatives at the session were the Club’s President Kyra Kyrklund and Secretary General Wayne Channon.
Hanfried Haring, President of the European Equestrian Federation (EEF) and the Vice President Ulf Helgstrand were also at the session. Dressage analytics expert David Stickland joined the discussion on judging.
“This was a very constructive meeting”, Frank Kemperman said, “and there was a lot of solid debate and interesting proposals about stewarding and judging. It was very good to reach agreement on the formation of a working group to review and, if necessary, revise Annex XIII of the Dressage Stewards Manual.”
The FEI President was also extremely positive about the meeting. “We had some very good open and frank discussions which resulted in great input from the stakeholders today, especially on the proposal to introduce new formats in the sport for future Olympic Games and FEI Championships”, Ingmar De Vos said.
The FEI Dressage Committee will continue discussions on these topics at its in-person meeting this week with the potential for additions to proposals that will be put forward to next month’s FEI General Assembly in Puerto Rico.
Ingmar De Vos (BEL) was today elected as President of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) by an overwhelming majority in the first round of voting, earning 98 votes out of a possible 131.
De Vos, 51, Secretary General of the FEI since May 2011, was elected to take charge of the world governing body of equestrian sport during this morning’s session of the FEI General Assembly in Baku (AZE).
The result was announced by HRH Princess Haya, the outgoing President, with the simple words, “I am pleased to announce we have a new FEI President, Ingmar De Vos”. Her words were met with prolonged applause from close to 350 delegates representing 91 National Federations, stakeholders, sponsors and international media.
“I’m really very honoured and overwhelmed by this enormous support,” a clearly emotional De Vos said, “and I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your confidence. Baku will be in my memory forever.
“Elections are always difficult, as it splits a little bit the family, but I guarantee that I will be the president of all of you, I will serve all the members of our community and I will work very hard to keep this unity.”
He went on to thank his great friend and mentor Jacky Buchmann, who has recently been re-elected as President of the Belgian Equestrian Federation. And finally, with great emotion, he thanked outgoing President Princess Haya.
“Words cannot explain what she has done for our organisation. She has shown leadership, she has guided us through difficult waters, she has innovated us, she has modernised us. She has left us with a great legacy and I believe, together with many of you, that it is our responsibility to preserve the legacy and go on with the roadmap she has shown us. Words are not enough to thank her. Over the years we have become good friends, and I am thankful and grateful for your support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Congratulations from IOC President
Shortly after his election, De Vos received a letter of congratulations from IOC President Thomas Bach. “Please accept my congratulations on your election as President of the International Equestrian Federation. The IOC enjoys a long-standing relationship with FEI, its elected members and administration. We are sure that FEI will continue its growth under your leadership. Your previous experience in different positions of the Equestrian sports will be invaluable for you in this new office. On behalf of the IOC and the entire Olympic Movement, I wish you every success in the new role you are undertaking.”
De Vos takes over the reins as FEI President at the conclusion of today’s FEI General Assembly for a four-year term, and is eligible for re-election for up to three consecutive terms. He has stated that he will resign as Secretary General as soon as he takes over the Presidency this afternoon and will appoint an interim Secretary General to take over the role until a permanent replacement is found.
The other candidates standing for election were Pierre Durand (FRA), Pierre Genecand (SUI), John McEwen (GBR), and Ulf Helgstrand (DEN). Helgstrand withdrew his candidacy before the vote, and a sixth candidate, Javier Revuelta del Peral (ESP) withdrew from the election process in November.
National Federation delegates attending the FEI General Assembly in Baku (AZE) had the opportunity to debate proposed revisions to the FEI Rules in an afternoon session today.
Discussions focused on proposed changes to the FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes, the FEI Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations, FEI General Regulations, FEI Veterinary Regulations, the FEI Jumping Rules, the FEI Dressage Rules, and the FEI Rio 2016 Olympic Games Regulations.
There was healthy debate on a proposed modification to the FEI Dressage Rules requiring children, pony riders, juniors and young riders to wear protective headgear at the horse inspection. Following feedback from the German and Dutch Federations, the Chair of the Dressage Committee Frank Kemperman withdrew the proposal.
The National Federations have been actively involved in the rules revision process which began earlier this year. The first draft of the modified rules was sent to the National Federations for their feedback in early August. During today’s session, FEI member federations had the opportunity to make their final comments before they vote on the rule changes at the FEI General Assembly.
The FEI General Assembly 2014 takes place this Sunday, 14 December, starting at 09.00 AZT (local Azerbaijan time, GMT + 4 hours) and will be broadcast live on FEI TV.
IOC President Thomas Bach today paid tribute to HRH Princess Haya at the 127th IOC Session in Monaco, presenting the FEI President with the Trophy of the International Olympic Committee.
The unique trophy is in recognition of Princess Haya’s exemplary commitment to sport, its values and the Olympic Movement during her seven years as an IOC Member, her eight years as FEI President and a lifetime in sport.
“To thank you for your role and your dedication to sport and Olympism, I would like to award you the Trophy of the International Olympic Committee with all our respect and all your recognition for your great work,” IOC President Thomas Bach in his presentation speech.
“Her Royal Highness Princess Haya has been involved in sport since childhood. Since then she has devoted her life to sport and in particular to equestrian sport. She was the first Arab woman to compete in equestrian events at the continental, world and Olympic levels. She won a bronze medal at the 1992 Pan-Arab Games before taking part in the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 where she was also the flag bearer of Team Jordan.
“In 2006, Haya became President of the International Equestrian Federation at a very young age and was re-elected in 2010. During her presidency, she has continued to develop equestrian sport throughout the world, modernising it and making it more accessible to more people.
“Since 2007, within the IOC, she has played a very very active role, even before becoming an IOC member, serving on various IOC commissions: Athletes’, Culture and Olympic Education, International Relations, Entourage, Women and Sport, and Marketing.
“Through her commitment, enthusiasm, drive and courage, HRH Princess Haya is an example and inspiration to many women in her country, in her region and a great encouragement for many people.”
HRH Princess Haya steps down after two terms as FEI President at the FEI General Assembly in Baku (AZE) on Sunday 14 December, following her decision not to stand for a third term. Her successor, the 14th FEI President, will be elected by the FEI General Assembly on Sunday.
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