Dr Brian Sheahan (AUS), former Chair of the FEI Endurance Committee, passed away peacefully on 25 January in his hometown of Samford, Queensland in northeastern Australia. The FEI Honorary Board Member, who was a highly respected veterinarian and a well-loved figure in the international Endurance community, was 69.

He joined the FEI Endurance Committee as a member in 2008, taking over the Chair in 2012 until 2018, during which time he was a member of the FEI Board. He was highly respected for his work with the Endurance Strategic Planning Group and the Endurance Task Force. He was instrumental in creating the FEI Endurance Forum and Conferences, which provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas and voice their opinions.

“The FEI family and the international veterinary community have lost, not just a passionate advocate for Endurance, but also a unique man and a real friend,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“Brian often described himself as a ‘humble country vet’, but he was so much more than that and his passing is being felt everywhere he left his mark. As well as his brilliant ability to work with people, and with horses, he will be remembered fondly for his legendary wit and infectious good humour. His family, and huge circle of friends and colleagues will have no shortage of entertaining anecdotes to keep his memory alive. The equestrian community is certainly better off for having known him.”

As Chef d’Equipe for the Australian Endurance squad, Dr Sheahan led the bronze medal-winning team at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Jerez (ESP) 2002.

He began officiating as a veterinarian at Endurance events in 1975 and was six times Head Veterinarian for the Tom Quilty Gold Cup 160km Championship in Australia. He was an FEI Treating Veterinarian for Endurance, Jumping, Eventing and Dressage, and was a Course Director, both for the FEI and the Australian Endurance Riders Association.

Dr Sheahan and his wife Christeen started the Samford Valley Veterinary Hospital in their hometown in 1976. What began as one-man practice has grown into a renowned Veterinary Hospital, which he led through to his retirement in 2015, after 41 years in practice.

“Brian was a fearless and talented veterinarian, developing his skills at a time when the only teacher was himself,” said his wife in a touching tribute. “Brian’s drive, skills, leadership and ethics are carried forward by today’s talented and dedicated veterinary team.”

The FEI extends its sincere condolences to Dr Sheahan’s wife Christeen, children and grandchildren, to the Australian Equestrian Federation and the global equestrian community.

The Equestrian Australia tribute to Dr Brian Sheahan can be found here.

(© FEI/Richard Juilliart)

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has today dismissed appeals lodged by Canadian Jumping athlete Nicole Walker and Equestrian Canada against the disqualification of the athlete following an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) at the Pan-American Games 2019 in Lima (PER).

A sample taken from Nicole Walker, who was a member of the fourth-placed Canadian team and also finished fourth with Falco Van Spieveld in the individual final, tested positive for Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, which is a prohibited substance under the WADA Prohibited Substance List. The sample was taken on 7 August, the day of the team final in Lima.

In its decision of 11 December 2019, the Panam Sports Disciplinary Commission disqualified the individual results obtained by Nicole Walker on 7 and 9 August 2019, and her results from 6 and 7 August 2019 were replaced with those of the fourth Canadian team member for the team final, meaning that Argentina earned a team quota place for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The appeal to CAS was heard via videoconference on 21 and 23 December 2020, with the FEI as one of a number of third parties. Both Ms Walker and Equestrian Canada requested that the Panam Sports Disciplinary Commission decision be set aside and that the results she obtained in Lima be reinstated. A successful appeal would have meant Canada’s reinstatement to fourth place in the team competition and a qualification for the Canadian Jumping Team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Today’s CAS ruling means that the results for Team Canada in the jumping competition at the Pan American Games 2019 are disqualified. As a result, Argentina’s Jumping team quota place for the Tokyo Olympic Games is now confirmed.

The FEI had provisionally suspended Nicole Walker from 8 November 2019 to 26 September 2020, when the provisional suspension was lifted in a preliminary decision by the FEI Tribunal following a request by the athlete. While the CAS decision on disqualification of the Canadian team results is final, the full merits of the case still need to be heard by the FEI Tribunal, which will decide on any further sanctions to be imposed on the athlete.

The CAS media release is available here.

Notes to Editors:

Tokyo 2020 Olympic quota places were available to the three best-ranked teams from Groups D (North America) and/or E (Central & South America) at the Pan-American Games 2019, excluding the teams already qualified. The three teams that earned qualification in Lima were Brazil, Mexico and Canada.

Under Article 11.4 of the Panam Sports Anti-Doping Rules, an anti-doping violation by a member of a team (outside team sports) also leads to disqualification of the result obtained by the team in that competition.

Under the terms of Article 10.2.2 of the Panam Sports Anti-Doping Rules, responsibility for results management in terms of sanctions beyond the event itself shall be referred to the applicable International Federation. This means that any period of ineligibility would be imposed by the FEI.

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in a human anti-doping case involving an adverse analytical finding for the prohibited substances Prednisone and Prednisolone, glucocorticoids listed in Class S9 Glucocorticoids under the 2019 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

A sample taken from the Japanese para athlete Tsutomu Inoue (FEI ID 10059837/JPN) on 17 October 2019 at the CPEDI3* Gotemba (JPN) returned positive for Prednisone and Prednisolone. The athlete was notified of the violation of the FEI’s Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA) on 4 March 2020 and was not provisionally suspended, since the substances found in his sample are classified as Specified Substances.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal approved the agreement reached between the Athlete and the FEI in which it was stated that the athlete bears no significant fault or negligence for the rule violation. The athlete was prescribed with a medication Prednisolone to treat his medical condition, however, due to a lack of anti-doping education, he did not know it was necessary for him to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for Prednisolone before competing internationally.

The athlete is suspended for a period of two months, starting from the date of the FEI Tribunal Final Decision (4 January 2021).

Additionally, the athlete has been disqualified from all results obtained at the event and fined CHF 1,000.

In accordance with Article 13.2 of the ADRHA Rules, the athlete can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision.

The full text of the FEI Tribunal’s Final Decision is available here.

Notes to Editors:
FEI Clean Sport - human athletes
The FEI is part of the collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The aim of this movement is to protect fair competition as well as athlete health and welfare.

WADA’s Prohibited List identifies the substances and methods prohibited in- and out-of-competition, and in particular sports. The substances and methods on the List are classified by different categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).

As a WADA Code Signatory, the FEI runs a testing programme for human athletes based on WADA’s List of Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and on the Code-compliant FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).

For further information, please consult the Clean Sport section of the FEI website here.

Marco Fusté (ESP), one of the best known figures on the international Jumping circuit, has been appointed as Jumping Director for the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the global governing body for equestrian sports.

Mr Fusté has been Director of Jumping at the Spanish Equestrian Federation and chef d’equipe of the Spanish Jumping team since 2006. He will take up the new role at the FEI on 1 February 2021 and his first task will be a full revision of the FEI Jumping Rules. He replaces interim Jumping Director Deborah Riplinger, who will remain at FEI Headquarters until the end of June next year to ensure an optimal handover.

“To be appointed as FEI director jumping Director is absolutely my dream job,” Marco Fusté said. “Horses and equestrian sport, particularly Jumping, have been a part of my life for so long and I see this new role as the pinnacle of my career. Jumping is already the FEI’s largest discipline and, while I know the challenges involved, I also see great opportunity for further expansion, particularly in South America, so that we can develop the sport more broadly. I can’t wait to get started.”

His lifelong love of horses was cemented at the age of seven when his grandfather took him to a riding school right in the middle of Barcelona. He went on to compete on the Spanish national Jumping circuit, prior to studying law at the University of Barcelona Law School.

He served as a member of the FEI Jumping Committee from 2011 to 2015, and a member of the European Equestrian Federation (EEF) Jumping and Nations Cup working groups. He also worked at both the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2002 in Jerez (ESP). He is a recipient of the Gold Medal of the Real Federación Hípica Española, the Federation’s highest distinction.

His initial entry into the workplace came in 1986, when he started as Event Manager at the Spanish sports events company Organización y Gestión Deportiva S.A, before a nine-year stint with the World League of American Football, NFL Europe and NFL Europe League. He then switched codes to become General Manager at the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation, with Spain scoring its first Davis Cup victory during his tenure. In 2001 he set up Barcelona Sports Consulting, a specialist company organising horse shows and working directly with Organising Committees, before moving to his current role at the Spanish National Federation.

“Marco Fusté is tailor-made for the role of Jumping Director at the FEI,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said. “He has valuable expertise in the sports world outside the specialist equestrian sphere, and has been involved in our sport from every angle, as an athlete, event organiser and chef d’equipe. He also has hands-on governance experience at the National Federation and at international level as a member of the FEI Jumping Committee. He has encyclopaedic knowledge of the Jumping discipline and is respected and admired by everyone within the sport. We are very much looking forward to welcoming him to Headquarters in February.”

The FEI announced the appointment of Christina Abu-Dayyeh (JOR) as Endurance Director last week (16 December). Recruitment for both positions was done in partnership with British-based agency Hartmann Mason Executive Search.

Marco Fusté (ESP), who will start in his new role as FEI Jumping Director on 1 February 2021, pictured after leading the Spanish team to victory in the Longines Challenge Cup at last year's Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final in Barcelona. (FEI/Lukasz Kowalski).

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decisions in a number of equine and human anti-doping cases.

The first case involves an adverse analytical finding for the prohibited substance Furosemide, a diuretic listed in Class S5, Diuretics and Masking Agents, in the 2019 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

A sample taken from the Finnish athlete Jaana Kivimäki (FEI ID 10046626/FIN) on 1 October 2019 during the CPEDI3* Lisbon (POR) returned positive for Furosemide. The athlete was notified of the violation of the FEI’s Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA) on 2 December 2019. She was not provisionally suspended, as the substance in the Athlete’s Sample is a Specified Substance.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal approved the agreement reached between the Athlete and the FEI in which it was stated that the athlete bears no significant fault or negligence for the rule violation. The athlete had been prescribed Furosemide by her doctor, but due to lack of anti-doping education was unaware that she needed to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) prior to competing internationally.  

The athlete is suspended for a period of two months, starting from the date of the FEI Tribunal Final Decision (7 December 2020).

Additionally, the athlete has been disqualified from all results obtained at the event and fined CHF 500.

The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision.

The full text of the FEI Tribunal’s Final Decision is available here.

The second case involves the horse Victotop Occitan (FEI ID 105EV49/UAE), trained by Ghanim Mohd Al Marri (FEI ID 10048641/UAE). Samples taken from the horse at the CEI2* 120 – Bou Thib (UAE) on 13 December 2019 tested positive for the Banned Substance Testosterone.

The trainer of the horse was unable to give any plausible explanation for the presence of the Prohibited Substance in the horse’s sample.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal imposed a two-year Period of Ineligibility on the trainer. The Provisional Suspension, which came into effect on 20 February 2020, is credited against the Period of Ineligibility imposed in the decision, meaning the trainer will be ineligible until 19 February 2022. He was also fined CHF 7,500 and asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000.

The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision (15 December 2020).
The full text of the FEI Tribunal’s Final Decision is available here.

Separately, the FEI has announced new adverse analytical findings (AAF) involving equine prohibited substances. The cases involve *Banned Substance and a Controlled Medication Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).

In the following Endurance case, the athlete and the trainer have been provisionally suspended until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.

Case 2020/BS12:
Horse: GER ASHIR (103UH98/KSA)
Person Responsible: Odai Alqurashi (FEI ID 10203848/KSA)
Trainer: Munir Alfaqeih (FEI ID 10062545/KSA)
Event: CEI1*100 - Riyadh (KSA), 06-07.11.2020
Prohibited Substance(s): Diisopropylamine
Date of notification: 9 December 2020

In the following Jumping case, the athlete has been provisionally suspended until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.

* Case 2020/BS13
Horse: YAYA (105CF05/KSA)
Person Responsible: Abdulrahman Alrajhi (FEI ID 10048311/KSA)
Event: CSI3*-W - Riyadh (KSA), 18-21.11.2020
Prohibited Substance(s): Diisopropylamine
Date of notification: 14 December 2020

In the following Endurance case, involving the Controlled Medication Substance Lidocaine, the trainer has been provisionally suspended until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision as this is a second violation of the ECM Regulations. The athlete, however, is not suspended and has the possibility to accept the administrative procedure within 14 days of the date of notification.

** Case 2020/FT23:
Horse: GARIF (106RE57/RUS)
Person Responsible: Ekaterina Vasilyeva (FEI ID 10153650/RUS)
Trainer: Mukhamed Kalov (FEI ID 10058061/RUS)
Event: CEI2*120 - Moscow, Otrada (RUS), 24-26.09.2020
Prohibited Substance(s): Lidocaine
Date of notification: 15 December 2020

Details on these cases can be found here.

* Following further review, and in accordance with Article 7.1.3 (ii) of the EAD Rules, the FEI has decided that there is no EAD Rule violation, and will not proceed with this case.

** The Russian National Federation has confirmed to the FEI that Mukhamed Kalov was incorrectly listed as the trainer of the horse Garif due to an administrative error. Following further investigation, the FEI has confirmed that Mr Kalov had no link whatsoever with the horse and, as a result, the provisional suspension imposed on the trainer has now been lifted.

Notes to Editors:
FEI Clean Sport - human athletes
The FEI is part of the collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The aim of this movement is to protect fair competition as well as athlete health and welfare.
WADA’s Prohibited List identifies the substances and methods prohibited in- and out-of-competition, and in particular sports. The substances and methods on the List are classified by different categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).
As a WADA Code Signatory, the FEI runs a testing programme for human athletes based on WADA’s List of Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and on the Code-compliant FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).

For further information, please consult the Clean Sport section of the FEI website here.

FEI Equine Prohibited Substances
The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are medications that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.

In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a **Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.

Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.

The FEI Board took a series of key decisions on allocation, cancellation, and reopening of bids for FEI Championships at its videoconference meeting this week.

The Board agreed to allocate the FEI Endurance World Championship 2022 to Isola della Scala in Verona (ITA). 

“We are pleased to have the experience and passion of the Verona Organising Committee for the FEI Endurance World Championship in 2022,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said. “We will be working closely with the Organisers and the Italian Equestrian Federation to ensure that this is a top-notch sporting event that challenges the strategic skills of our athletes and brings the sport back to its original roots of Endurance riding rather than Endurance racing.”    

Separately, the Board agreed to reopen the bid process for the FEI Eventing European Championship 2021, following numerous requests from a number of European Eventing stakeholders, including National Federations and Athletes, and with the full support of the European Equestrian Federation and the FEI Eventing Committee. The bid process will open on 18 December 2020 and National Federations and Organisers have until 15 January 2021 to apply to the FEI. The FEI Board will take a decision on the allocation of this Championship at its March 2021 teleconference.

Following the cancellation by the Organiser of the FEI Dressage European Championship U25 2021 in Donaueschingen (GER), the Board agreed to reopen the bidding process for the Championship. The deadline for expressions of interest to be submitted to the FEI (bidding@fei.org) is 15 January 2021 and the FEI Board will take a decision on the allocation of this Championship at its February 2021 teleconference.

Due to the Covid-19 related cancellation of the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses 2020 in Verden (GER), and following consultation with all parties involved, the Board agreed to reallocate the 2021 Championship to Verden. The 2021 Championship had originally been allocated to Ermelo (NED) for the three-year cycle, 2021-2023. The Board has now agreed to allocate the 2024 Championship to Ermelo, meaning that the Dutch venue will host the Championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Based on the recommendation of the FEI Endurance Committee, and in consultation and with the support of the Netherlands National Federation, the Board agreed to terminate the Host Agreement with the Organiser of the FEI Endurance European Championship 2021 and FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders & Juniors 2021.

Both these Endurance Championships were scheduled to be held at the Netherlands National Federation-owned venue at Ermelo (NED), and the FEI will now consult with the National Federation about a potential alternative Organiser to host the Championships at the Ermelo venue on the original dates (6-11 September 2021).

Christina Abu-Dayyeh (JOR) has been appointed as Endurance Director for the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the global governing body for equestrian sports.

Ms Abu-Dayyeh, 31, has been Secretary General of the Royal Jordanian Equestrian Federation since 2017 and will start in her new role at the FEI on 1 April 2021. Her arrival in Lausanne (SUI) will further improve the gender balance in the FEI management team, with seven females and eight males.

During her time at the Jordanian National Federation, Ms Abu-Dayyeh was responsible for the management of all equestrian disciplines in the country, as well as heading up the Organising Committees for the biggest equestrian events in Jordan across all disciplines. She also worked directly with the Ministry of Agriculture on all equestrian matters, including quarantine procedures, animal welfare and the import/export of horses.

Prior to taking on the role at the National Federation, she worked as a marketing and communications consultant at the Princess Alia Foundation, and Al Ma’wa for Nature and Wildlife in the Jordanian capital, Amman, the only wildlife sanctuary in the Middle East. She was a research analyst at a political consulting start-up in Abu Dhabi, and also worked in consulting and recruitment roles in Vancouver (CAN).

Ms Abu-Dayyeh has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada and a Masters in Management and International Business from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

“We are very happy to welcome Christina Abu-Dayyeh to the FEI to take on this really important role”, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said. “The discipline of Endurance needs strong governance and we are confident that Christina is the right person to deliver the right mix of firmness and tact. She comes to us with a wealth of experience, not just in equestrian sport, but also in marketing and communications, skill sets that she will need for this post. Her knowledge of our sport in the Middle East, where Endurance is such a key part of the local culture, has given her a crucial insight and a vision that will undoubtedly benefit both the FEI and the discipline itself.”

“One of my proudest achievements at the Royal Jordanian Equestrian Federation has been creating open lines of communication and the transparency that was needed to inspire the trust of the community and stakeholders, which ultimately gave me a credible voice to move the sport forward in Jordan”, Christina Abu-Dayyeh said. “Leaning in and actively listening to those in the field who have mastered so many elements of it kept me humble.

Ms Abu-Dayyeh has strong Endurance experience, both at a national and international level, as the Jordanian National Federation is the main organiser of Endurance events in the country. She singles out Endurance as her favourite of all the disciplines that she is currently responsible for in her role as Secretary General in Jordan.

“I was aware that our Endurance Officials were having trouble fulfilling their crucial role of officiating at events and quickly realised that the main issue was miscommunication and the athletes’ lack of education on the rules. We made a huge effort to improve the knowledge base of our athletes, educating all stakeholders on the technical aspects of the sport and what it means to be a true horseperson, with the result that numbers increased by over 120% for our national rides.

“I believe that education and communication with the athletes and their entourage are key to improving horse welfare in the discipline internationally, continuing the fantastic work already done by the Endurance Temporary Committee.”

The FEI has been actively seeking a replacement Endurance Director since the announcement in March of this year that the Endurance & Driving Department was to be restructured with the aim of further streamlining management of the Endurance discipline. The restructuring was to allow for a special focus on a discipline that requires stringent oversight, although plans for the speedy recruitment of a new Endurance Director were significantly slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ms Abu-Dayyeh will replace Manuel Bandeira De Mello (POR), who joined the FEI in 2014 as Endurance Director. He will stay on in the role until Ms Abu-Dayyeh arrives in Switzerland and will remain at the FEI with the new title of Director Driving, Para Driving & Special Projects, allowing for an optimal handover to the new Endurance Director.

Allocation of teams to Europe Division 1 events for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2021 series have been confirmed this week, giving equestrian sports fans something really positive to look forward to next season following a year of significant disruption to the worldwide sporting calendar.

Europe Division 1 will start with the same 10 teams for the 2021 season – defending champions Ireland, along with Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.

Each team can earn qualifying points at its allocated four of the seven Europe Division 1 events. The seven best-ranked teams will qualify for the Final, which takes place in Barcelona (ESP) in October 2021. The Division 1 opening qualifier takes place in La Baule (FRA) in May 2021.

The allocations table indicates the venues where eligible teams will be chasing FEI Nations Cup™ points, but the starting field at these events will not be restricted to those countries alone.  Other nations can also compete in legs of the series throughout the Europe Division 1 season.    

Further information on the Division 1 allocations can be viewed here.

The season calendar for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2021 series can be viewed here.

About the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ series

The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ is equestrian sport's most prestigious team challenge, with teams from around the world competing for one of the most coveted prizes in the Olympic discipline.  

Celebrating 112 years of team competition in 2021, the Final will be held in the beautiful city of Barcelona (ESP), at the Real Club de Polo, where up to 18 teams will have the opportunity to battle it out to hold the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ trophy aloft!

Winners in the FEI Awards 2020 five categories were revealed today, with multi-medalled young Dressage star Semmieke Rothenberger claiming the Longines FEI Rising Star Award for the second year in a row, and Eventing legend Ingrid Klimke also taking back-to-back wins as Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete.

This year the task of choosing the best of the best from the past decade’s previous awards winners was entirely in the hands of the public who cast their votes for the 55 nominees from 19 nations. Over 70,000 votes were cast on FEI.org and on the Chinese social media platform WeChat. Podiums in each of the five categories were occupied by a global spread from Germany, Great Britain, Australia, China, Ireland, Palestine, South Africa, The Netherlands and Zambia.

With the FEI Awards Gala cancelled this year due to the pandemic, the winners were revealed to their online audience in a moving video narrated by British Paralympic champion Natasha Baker.

Semmieke Rothenberger, winner of the Longines FEI Rising Star Award, was overcome with emotion when her family held a surprise presentation of the award at their home in Germany.

 “I’m very grateful that so many people voted for me and that there is such a big fan base of people that support me,” Semmieke Rothenberger said. “It is also quite surreal because there were so many good athletes in this category, including my brother Sönke, so I didn’t really expect that I would win it again.”

The 21-year-old, winner of 22 FEI European Championship medals through all the youth categories right up to Young Riders, has even bigger goals for the future.

“My parents have always taught me to dream big and reach for my goals and I would really like to canter on that centre line of the Olympic Games one day. I’ve been to the Olympic Games in Rio with my brother and I would love to see myself there with one of my horses and feel the atmosphere of representing my country at the Olympics!”

Along with other individual FEI Award winners, Semmieke Rothenberger received an elegant timepiece from FEI Top Partner Longines, the Swiss watch brand which attaches great importance to encouraging young people to practice sports. 

“This Longines FEI Rising Star Award was created to recognise young athletes between the ages of 14 and 21 who demonstrate outstanding equestrian sporting talent,” Longines Vice President of Marketing Matthieu Baumgartner said. “We are delighted to once again celebrate Semmieke Rothenberger’s dedication to equestrian sport and we applaud her determination, passion and energy, which we are confident will take her to the very top in her sporting career.”

Double Olympic Eventing team gold medallist and five-time Olympian Ingrid Klimke (GER) was delighted to win a second Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete Award, together with a horse transport voucher from title sponsor and Official FEI Equine Logistics Partner, Peden Bloodstock.

“This is all still a little bit unreal but I’m so thrilled and happy,” she said. The 52-year-old, who was also nominated for the Award in 2015 and 2017, going on to win in 2019, is only the second person in history to win back-to-back European titles on the same horse, claiming individual gold with SAP Hale Bob OLD at the Longines FEI Eventing European Championships in 2017 and 2019. This year she took her fifth German National Championship, having won previously in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2009, sharing the spotlight with her daughter Greta Busacker, who was crowned German National Junior Champion on the same day.

Although Ingrid Klimke has set her sights on winning her first individual gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games next year, she is not shy of stating her longer term ambitions. “I’m already thinking of Paris 2024 which is not so far away. I love to ride, I love to compete and I love to keep going.”

There was further cause for celebration at the Klimke stables when Carmen Thiemann, head groom for more than two decades, won the Cavalor FEI Best Groom Award and a voucher from title sponsor and FEI Official Nutrition Partner, Cavalor.

“It’s the trust between us and the fun we have with the horses,” Carmen Thiemann said when asked about the longevity of her professional partnership with Ingrid Klimke. “I try to make the horses happy and healthy so that they are ready to work with Ingrid.”

Carmen Thiemann, who won the FEI Best Groom Award in 2013, has a special bond with the Klimke family having started her career as a groom for Ingrid’s father Dr Reiner Klimke, an Olympic Dressage legend for Germany.

“Everyone who knows Carmen knows how valuable she is as a person and especially in her job with the horses,” a delighted Ingrid Klimke said.

“We have been successful as a team for many years and I would never go to a show or a Championship without Carmen. She is a best friend to the horses and I can totally focus on my job, either in Cross Country or in Dressage, knowing that Carmen brings them out as happy and healthy as possible.”

It is also interesting to note that the runner-ups in these two respective categories – Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete and Cavalor FEI Best Groom – went to another dynamic duo: Great Britain’s superstar Charlotte Dujardin and Alan Davies, the experienced and highly respected “Super Groom” to Carl Hester’s horses, and also a key member of the FEI Grooms Working Group.

Ten years after winning their first award, the Ebony Horse Club (GBR) was once again the recipient of the FEI Solidarity Award.  

“This award, coming at the end of a really challenging year, just validates everything that we’re working for,” General Manager of the Ebony Horse Club Naomi Howate said. “To be recognised as the best of the decade is such a huge accolade and has made us extremely proud of the work that we do here.

“Ebony is a youth club with horses, rather than a riding centre, because our ethos is all about helping our young people be the best they can be both on and off the horses.”

The organisation, which is based in Brixton, South London, provides young people from low income families with the opportunity to ride horses and take part in a variety of sporting and educational activities. 

The FEI has provided the 2020 FEI Solidarity Award winner with a financial donation to support the Ebony Horse Club projects. “We are a small club and we don’t have lots of resources,” Naomi Howgate said. “Donations are everything, as it is how we can provide the work we are doing. We support about 400 young people in a year and we can only do that with donations of money that allow us to run our services. So receiving this from the FEI is really fantastic!”

This year’s FEI Against All Odds Award goes to German Paralympian Dr Angelika Trabert. Born without legs and only three fingers on her right hand, Angelika is well known in the equestrian community for her indefatigable spirit and her motto, “It’s ability, not disability, that counts.”

She had just won individual gold at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 when she picked up her first FEI Against All Odds award, given to the person who has pursued their equestrian ambitions despite a physical handicap or extremely difficult personal circumstances.

Dr Trabert, an anaesthetist by profession, was inspired to be an athlete and coach in the years after tragically losing her long-time partner in 2005. She has won six Paralympic medals and four at the FEI World Equestrian Games™. She is also the current Para Athlete representative on the FEI Athletes’ Committee and a member of the FEI Para Equestrian Committee.

“I feel this is an award and a reward for the work I’ve been doing and what I feel is important for our sport,” Angelika Trabert said. “You should always look on the positive side, especially in these times. It’s very hard for a lot of people and it counts more than ever to look upon the possibilities and abilities that we have. And there are many.”

“Our global and diverse community is built on our shared passion for horsemanship and the team spirit, which is so present in all five of our winners, is replicated around the world and at every level of the sport, both on and off the field,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“Passion and resilience define our community, and these values are echoed in the stories of each of our FEI Awards winners for 2020. Congratulations to all the nominees and especially to our winners, thank you for your commitment to the sport and the values which make the equestrian world so rewarding and inspiring.”  

Notes to Editors:
Full information on the FEI Awards 2020 and past winners are available here.

All three equestrian disciplines – Jumping, Dressage and Eventing – have been formally confirmed for the Paris 2024 Olympic programme. In addition, the six events – team and individual across each of the three disciplines – and the full quota of 200 athlete/horse combinations have also been endorsed.

News of the confirmation came during today’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board online meeting, at which the full programme for Paris 2024 was formally approved. Individual International Federations were also provided with details of the event programme and athlete quotas for their sport in an official letter from IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper.

The ratification means that equestrian will keep its quota of 75 athlete/horse combinations for Jumping, 65 for Eventing and 60 for Dressage.

“We are very happy to receive formal approval of our three disciplines for Paris 2024 from the IOC Executive Board and also confirmation that our athlete quota remains untouched at 200”, FEI President and IOC Member Ingmar De Vos said.

“This confirmation is also a token of appreciation for the efforts the FEI and the equestrian community have made to increase the fan base and improve digital figures for our sport. We really appreciate that the IOC didn’t touch our quota as we knew they needed to reduce the overall Games-wide quota to 10,500 athletes, but our sport has grown so much over the last decade that a reduction of our quota would have been detrimental to the universality of our Olympic competitions.”

The equestrian events will be staged in the grounds of Versailles, with King Louis XIV’s Palace as a stunning backdrop at one of the French capital’s most iconic Games time venues. The UNESCO World Heritage Site will also be the site for Modern Pentathlon.

Full details of the Paris 2024 event programme were publicly announced at a press conference with the IOC President today. The IOC press release is available on www.olympic.org.