It is with great sadness that we announce that the US horse Chromatic BF, ridden by Jill Humphrey, has passed away during the FEI World Cup Final.

Chromatic BF had returned to the stables after competition on the evening of 18 April and unexpectedly collapsed. He was immediately attended to by the US Equestrian veterinary staff and FEI veterinarians but was unable to be resuscitated.

In line with the FEI Veterinary Regulations, samples have already been taken from the horse, and a full postmortem in line with FEI protocols will be conducted.

The FEI, the Organising Committee and the SAEF send their deepest condolences to the rider, owners, groom and connections.  

In a dream scenario for the Swedish contingent, defending champion Henrik von Eckermann and his great gelding King Edward pipped compatriot Peder Frecricson and Catch Me Not S to win the opening competition at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia tonight.

It was like deja vu for von Eckermann who also won the first class on his way to victory in Omaha, USA 12 months riding the incredible 14-year-old gelding  that has put him on top of the world - literally - for much of the last two years.

“I have to say this round was ten-times better than Omaha’s round. It felt much, much better. It’s funny isn’t it, the result can be the same but the feeling can be completely different!”, he said with a big smile tonight.

With results converted into points he goes into tomorrow night’s second test with a two-point advantage over tonight’s runner-up Fredricson, while Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher is just one point further adrift in third and Frenchman Julien Epaillard and America’s Kent Farrington share fourth place. There’s only a whisper between them, but the defending champion is holding all the cards right now.

Clever

German course designer, Frank Rothenberger, set them a track that British star Scott Brash described as clever. “I don’t think it’s massive but it’s tricky. There’s plenty in there, and for experienced horses there’s an inside turn to the wall (at fence 8) but it’s quite tight, so even for experienced horses there are question marks. But it’s a fair course and the course-builder has done a great job”, he said after crossing the line with Hello Valentino in 73.73 seconds which would eventually leave him in eleventh place.

It was Epaillard who set the first real target despite lowering the vertical at fence five with the 11-year-old mare Dubai du Cedre. Only the super-fast flying Frenchman who took individual bronze at last summer’s European Championships could still be out on front after adding the three-second penalty for a fence down to put it up to the rest of them in 69.69 seconds. In an extraordinary turn of fate however, Kent Farrington matched that precisely with a great clear round from his 10-year-old mare Toulayna just a few horses later.

But the American pair were immediately followed by Germany’s Dreher and his magnificent grey gelding Elysium who galloped home more than a second quicker with a brilliant run to take a new lead. The 13-fence track, which began with a triple bar, included three doubles and had plenty of twists and turns, but despite his size the tall Elysium took it all in his stride and was the first to do just six strides from the penultimate vertical to the final oxer. 

“I had such a good round and I think I also had a good ride, and the atmosphere here is unbelievable!”, a delighted Dreher said. It was class pathfinder and compatriot Marcus Ehning, one of two riders chasing a fourth World Cup title this week and who finished 19th after a fence down with Coolio, who advised him to go for the six strides to the last instead of the seven most others were opting for. 

“I wasn’t sure I could do it but I had a really good run to number 12 (the second-last) so I kept going for the six. Elysium is normally not such a fast horse but with this course today I could turn him with his huge stride so it was perfect for him. He’s really big, he’s a superstar and I love him!”, said the 52-year-old athlete enthusiastically.

Drama

Only two others would be quicker, but before they took their turn a little drama unfolded when Frenchman Kevin Staut, attempting to make that tight inside turn to the wall at eight, drifted right-handed with Visconti du Telman who misunderstood his instructions and jumped the right-hand standard of fence four before the pair turned back to continue on course. But the bell rang for elimination.

With just four left to go the excitement was ratcheted up even further when Fredricson produced a copybook run with the evergreen 18-year-old grey Catch Me Not S to stop the clock in the new leading time of 67.40 seconds. It looked pretty unbeatable and when reigning Olympic champion, Great Britain’s Ben Maher, hit the penultimate vertical with Dallas Vegas Batilly in a round that was otherwise seriously threatening, then only von Eckermann and young American Skylar Wireman stood between Olympic and World team gold medallist Fredricson and the top of the opening night’s leaderboard.

But von Eckermann was not to be denied. Setting off with absolute determination he and his extraordinary little horse were in complete harmony as they wound their way around the course, and even had enough time to put in seven strides down the last line to still finish more than a second ahead in 66.28 seconds for what would be the winning time. Wireman produced a lovely last-to-go clear with Tornado that would leave the 19-year-old a very creditable tenth at the end of the day.

Pipped at the post

It was frustrating for Fredricson to be pipped at the post but he was delighted with the performance of Catch me Not S. “We know each other inside out and it’s an advantage to have a horse you know really well in a course like that where there’s a lot of atmosphere and some spectacular fences and difficult lines. I think I had a fairly rhythmical round. I added a few strides where I felt I needed it but also I left a few out. In a class like this you need to ride fast and keep the horse jumping”, he explained, adding, “and this has been a great day for Sweden!!”

“Peder was super-fast but not quick enough!”, von Eckermann said with a big smile tonight. Hans-Dieter Dreher’s round was the last he saw before his warm-up, but he decided to stick with his own plan. “Even Henrik (Ankarcrona, Swedish Chef d’Equipe) started to talk about what Dreher did, but I said I don’t want to listen to it! I know my plan and I’m really happy that I stuck to it!”

“I kept myself calm, and from one to two I didn’t over-ride I just let him drift because if you attack him the risk is he gets a little shy and gets too careful”, he explained. As it happened it all worked out perfectly.

Now he needs to do it all again tomorrow, but tonight’s victory means the rest have to catch him and the magical little horse that has carried him to glory on so many occasions during their wonderful career together.

The second final competition is a two-round affair and begins at 18.50 local time tomorrow evening, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Result

Standings

Reigning individual world champion, Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry, secured a clear victory in the Grand Prix to get the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2024 underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this afternoon.

Partnering her Tokyo Olympic ride, the 15-year-old stallion Everdale, Fry was top choice of all seven judges when scoring 75.388 to pin Sweden’s Patrik Kittel into second place with Touchdown while Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Blue Hors Don Olymbrio finished third. 

The surprise of the day was the fourth-place finish for German legend Isabell Werth whose test with DSP Quantaz was undermined by costly errors. Fifth spot went to her young compatriot Raphael Netz riding Great Escape Camelot while the third German contender, Matthias Alexander Rath, slotted into sixth with Destacado FRH.

Headed

Skodborg Merrald, a member of the historic Danish side that took the World team title in 2022 and who finished second at last year’s FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in Omaha, USA with Blue Hors Zepter, headed the group of six riders to compete before the first break when putting 72.904 on the board. 

Her 16-year-old chestnut stallion, Blue Hors Don Olymbrio, was full of himself in the arena today. “He was a little bit excited and was looking a bit here and there which I didn’t expect because normally he never looks around, but he was just fresh! I really liked it actually that he was a bit fresh and excited because he’s so much fun to ride! We could have done without the small mistakes but overall I’m very happy with him”, she said.

Second to go of the next group, Netz posted 72.003 to slot in behind her but, two horses later, Kittel went right out in front when scoring 73.292 for a really consistent performance with the 12-year-old Touchdown.  

The three-time Olympian said “he was quite spooky when we were training the last few days because they were still building in the arena, but today he handled it really well, he was very calm and he did a super-nice test so I’m just happy. He was quite mistake-free”.

Looking forward

He was glad to have the Grand Prix done and dusted and already looking forward to Friday’s title-deciding Freestyle.

“When you’ve done the test and it’s your first start you can build up to the Freestyle, and that’s quite a relief as a rider. Because I’m quite nervous so for me it’s good to just breathe out and go. With such a great score and such a good presentation I couldn’t have been more thrilled!”, he pointed out. 

He has a big soft spot for the 12-year-old gelding Touchdown. “For me he is like a horse that never lets me down. He won in Herning, he was third in Amsterdam, he’s done everything for me and I’m really so thankful to him that he does what he does. He’s my reliable horse, I can always go to him. He’s a really kind soul and I’m very fond of him, but of course I’m fond of all my horses! We couldn’t do this sport if we weren’t immensely fond of our horses”, he added.

The Swede stayed out in front of the rest of the field until, with just three left to go, Fry set off with Everdale.

Talking about her ride, the British star said the stallion - who is something of an attention-seeker - was also a bit keen this afternoon. “He loves arenas like that and sometimes he can barely contain his excitement but he just about managed it today! He loves to go in and show off and loves his job so it’s an honour to be able to ride him in arenas like this. It’s pretty special. We make a really good team together because we love events like this. It’s just so much fun for both of us!”, she explained. 

Far from decided

The Grand Prix result was far from decided however until Werth and DSP Quantaz took their turn, and, second-last into the ring, their test was looking very promising indeed until it all fell apart in the two-tempi changes before more mistakes also crept in. To disbelief from the sidelines the scoreboard showed 72.236 to squeeze them into fourth place between Skodborg Merrald and Netz. 

Kittel admitted that it took him completely aback to find himself in runner-up spot.

“I’ve done a lot of Finals but I’ve never been second!”, he pointed out. “I’m a bit surprised because I thought OK you know The Queen (Isabell Werth) is coming. But then I saw she had some mistakes which is a bit unusual for her and then I got a message that I was second and of course I was happy about that!”

Anyone who has followed Werth’s career however knows that if anyone can bounce back it is this lady who is the most decorated athlete in the history of equestrian sport. She endured a similar experience with her great mare Weihegold in Paris (FRA) in 2018 but came back to take the title on Freestyle day. So she may be down this evening, but she most certainly isn’t out….

From today’s startlist of 17 a total of 15 have qualified for Friday’s Freestyle which will decide the destination of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2024 title. 

Moldova’s Alisa Glinka and Abercrombie have not made the cut after scoring 62.873 in the Grand Prix while The Netherlands’ Thamar Zweistra and Hexagon’s Ice Weiss were eliminated under the blood rule.

Friday’s action begins at 17.15 local time, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Result 

Spanish athlete Borja Carrascosa will be first to go in the Grand Prix when the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2024 gets underway at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia tomorrow afternoon.

This evening’s draw was conducted by competitors Ben Ebeling from the USA and Lithuania’s Justina Vanagaite who will line out twelfth and fifth respectively. A total of 17 riders from 12 countries will compete for the coveted title.

The final three to enter the arena will be Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry, Germany’s Isabell Werth and New Zealand’s Melissa Galloway. Werth will be chasing the sixth title of her incredible career.

Raphael Netz has qualified for the Final in his very first FEI Dressage World Cup™ season, and during today’s familiarisation in the main arena the young German was spotted circling his horse, Great Escape Camelot, around the trophy which was on display.

“It was the first time for me to see the beautiful World Cup and for Camelot too, and he made some big eyes at it!”, said the 25-year-old who has been based for eight years with world number one Jessica von Bredow-Werndl but who next week moves out into his own enterprise near Munich.  

Asked if the Olympic and European champion, who is also a double World Cup winner, had offered him any advice coming to Riyadh this week he replied, “she said just enjoy it!” And that’s what he intends to do. 

He will be to eighth into the ring when the action begins.  

Don’t miss a hoofbeat……

Full starting order here…..

Some facts and figures:

Riyadh 2024 presents the 37th FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final.

A total of 17 athletes from 12 nations will compete.

The countries represented are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the USA.

The very first FEI Dressage World Cup™ champion was Denmark’s Anne-Grethe Jensen who came out on top in ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands in 1986 partnering Marzog. 

Germany’s Isabell Werth is chasing her sixth title and this will be the 25th FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final of her extraordinary career. 

Werth posted her first win with Fabienne in Gothenburg (SWE) in 1992, her second with Warum Nicht in Las Vegas (USA) in 2007 and then won three-in-a-row with the great mare Weihegold FRH in Omaha (USA) in 2017, Paris (FRA) in 2018 and Gothenburg (SWE) in 2019. She brings DSP Quantaz to Riyadh.

Also competing is Charlotte Fry partnering the black stallion Everdale with which she claimed team bronze for Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. With her other stallion, Glamourdale, she helped secure team silver and both Grand Prix Special and Freestyle gold at the World Championship in 2022.

Ground Jury President in Riyadh is Denmark’s Hans Christian Matthiesen.

The competition begins with the Grand Prix tomorrow, Wednesday 17 April, at 13.15 local time.

The Grand Prix Freestyle, which decides the destination of the 2024 title, will take place on Friday 19 April at 17.15 local time.

The draw for the starting order for tomorrow’s opening competition at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2024 took place tonight at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Riyadh (KSA), and three-time champion, Germany’s Marcus Ehning, will be first to go of the 34 athletes.

The draw was conducted by five-time Olympian Ramzy Al Duhami from Saudi Arabia and Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza, and the last two into the arena tomorrow evening will be defending champion, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann, who will be followed by young American Skylar Wireman.  

As Ehning said yesterday this is his twenty-first Final, “so I have a bit of experience in it and I know anything can happen, but so far we are quite relaxed and my horse feels good!”, he pointed out. He will partner the 11-year-old gelding Coolio who he described as “quite a new horse for me, he won the qualifier in Madrid and we are still on the way to find each other but he is a really amazing horse and I’m very hopeful in him”. 

It would be a very special weekend should he become the first-ever four-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ winner because he turns 50 years old this Friday. However also chasing that goal will be Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat who is drawn 26th for tomorrow’s opening Speed and Handiness competition. 

Von Eckermann modestly assesses his own chances, but he and his brilliant gelding who have scooped multiple honours including last year’s Longines title are likely to present formidable opposition in their quest for a back-to-back double of victories.

The story of the 44th Final is about to play out, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Full starting order here….

Some Facts and Figures:

World number one, Henrik von Eckermann and his great horse King Edward, became the first-ever Swedish winners of the coveted Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ trophy in Omaha, USA 12 months ago and return to defend their title this week.

Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, presents the 44th Final, and this is the first time for the event to be staged in the Middle East.

The biggest-ever prize-fund of €2.6m is on offer at this year’s Final.

Austria’s Hugo Simon and Gladstone were the first winners of the coveted title when the inaugural Final was staged in Gothenburg (SWE) in 1979.

There have been five three-time champions - Hugo Simon (AUT), Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA), Marcus Ehning (GER), Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER) and Steve Guerdat (SUI).

Both Ehning and Guerdat will be chasing a record-breaking fourth title. 

The star-studded cast of competitors also includes previous winners Christian Ahlmann from Germany and Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs along with world number two and reigning Olympic champion Ben Maher from Great Britain.

Course designer is Germany’s Frank Rothenberger.

The timetable for the three deciding competitions is:

Final 1 - Wednesday 17 April at 19.05 local time

Final 2 - Thursday 18 April at 18.50 local time

Final 3 - Saturday 20 April at 15.45 local time.

The International Horse Sports Confederation welcomes the South African Equine Health and Protocols’ (SAEHP) official release which recently announced the reinstatement of direct exports of registered equines from South Africa to the European Union (EU).

South Africa’s African Horse Sickness (‘AHS’) free zone is now an authorised zone within South Africa from which registered equines are authorised for direct entry into the EU following the required in-country pre-export quarantine period.

The reinstatement of direct exports of registered equines from South Africa to the EU is a very important development for both the South African thoroughbred racing industry as well as for other equine disciplines in the country, and is anticipated to give a significant boost to global equestrian sport over time.

President of the IHSC, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said:

“On behalf of the IHSC, I would like to congratulate the South African Government and SAEHP for achieving this significant development. 
he IHSC has long recognised the importance of facilitating international horse movements, and this breakthrough will prove to be a positive development for both the South African and global equine sport and breeding industry.”

Vice-President of the IHSC, Ingmar De Vos said:

“The IHSC is extremely pleased with this development and in the international equestrian community, we are excited by the restoration of a key industry player after 13 years of relative isolation.
The fact that South African sport horses of all breeds will now have direct entry to the EU and potentially to other major markets will no doubt further enhance the development of our equine disciplines in South Africa and the wider region.” 

About SAEHP
SAEHP operates in a public/private partnership with the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and the Western Cape Department of Veterinary Services, and further collaborates with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition to negotiate the reimplementation of direct exports based on EU protocol principles to potential trade partner countries.

Additionally, SAEHP has been supported by private individuals, organisations and bodies in the South African racing industry. In 2021, SAEHP also entered into a funding agreement with The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and the National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa (NHA), with the purpose of supporting the operation of SAEHP and providing technical support to carry out work related to the restoration of direct export of South African horses to international markets.

Following extensive consultation between the FEI and the respective Organising Committees, the CDIOs of Falsterbo (SWE) and Rotterdam (NED) will not host legs of the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ in 2024. However, both Events will proceed as regular CDIO5* and CDIO4* competitions, respectively.

In February, CDIO Aachen had declared its decision not to stage an FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ Event in 2024, opting instead to hold a regular CDIO5* Event. 

The Organising Committees of Falsterbo and Rotterdam decision to withdraw from the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ 2024 was based on their preference to invite participating teams and confirm their participation independently of the updated regulations specified in Article 3.4 of the FEI Dressage Nations Cup Rules 2024.

The updates to the Rules were introduced with the purpose of promoting inclusivity and transparency in the invitation process, and extending invitations to all National Federations (NFs) who wished to participate in the FEI Nations Cup™ Series. 

The rule revision was approved by the FEI Board at their meeting in August 2023 and all National Federations were notified of the change immediately after. 

The FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ 2024 season, which began with its first leg in Wellington (USA) in February will take place in Compiegne (FRA) from 2 to 4 May, followed by Pilisjászfalu (HUN) from 8 to 12 May.

Following this year's Series, all stakeholders will convene to explore future possibilities for the FEI Nations Cup Dressage Series, and we hold an optimistic outlook for its future success.

The FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2024, which kicks off in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a weeks’ time, looks set to be a right royal battle between some of the top names in the sport.  

The 2023 champion and longtime world number one athlete, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, is not lining out this time around and that leaves it wide open for the rest of the field of 17 horse-and-rider combinations from 12 countries. The flags of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the USA will be flown when the action begins with the Grand Prix on Wednesday 17 April.

First champion

This will be the 37th Final in the history of FEI World Cup™ Dressage which saw its very first champion in Denmark’s Anne-Grethe Jensen who came out on top in ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands in 1986. 

Just six years later, in 1992, Germany’s Isabell Werth claimed her first title partnering Fabienne in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the lady often referred to as “The Queen” of international Dressage continues to be nothing short of phenomenal. She now has a total of five World Cup wins under her belt, and is the most decorated athlete in equestrian sport. She is heading to Riyadh with a sixth title clearly in her sights.

She had to wait 15 years before posting her second victory in Las Vegas, USA in 2007 partnering Warum Nicht FRH and then, 10 years later in Omaha, USA she racked up the first of her three-in-a-row wins with the great mare Weihegold who went on to repeat successes at the Finals in Paris, France in 2018 and Gothenburg, Sweden in 2019. 

Currently second in the world rankings, Werth brings DSP Quantaz to Riyadh after dominating the Western European League qualifying series. With Emilio she posted a win in Stuttgart, Germany in November and a second-place finish in Basel, Switzerland in January behind von Bredow-Werndl which still earned maximum points because her compatriot was not entitled to points as 2023 champion.

Riding DSP Quantaz she had to settle for second place behind Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry and Everdale in Amsterdam later in January but she reversed those placings at the last qualifier in ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands in March, leaving her with a three-point advantage over Fry at the top of the final Western European League leaderboard.

Leading

After leading the series standings for much of the early season, Sweden’s Patrik Kittel finished third. He got off to a flying start with victory at the sixth leg of the Central European League in Budapest, Hungary last June and then added maximum points again at the opening leg of the 2023/2024 Western European League at Herning in Denmark in October. He then lined out in four more legs of the Western European series over the winter months and finished just two points behind Fry at the end of the season, ahead of Germany’s Matthias Alexander Rath in fourth and Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald in fifth.

If the form-book is anything to go by then the real clash is likely to take place between Werth, Fry who is ranked third in the world, Kittel who is ranked sixth and Skodborg Merrald, the latter a member of the historic side that claimed team gold for Denmark for the very first time at the FEI Dressage World Championship 2022 on home ground in Herning, who is ranked fourth. The Dane rode three different horses during the season, finishing second in Herning, Lyon and Stuttgart with Blue Hors Zack, Blue Hors San Schufro and Blue Hors Don Olymbrio respectively, and fourth in Amsterdam with Don Olymbrio who she brings to Riyadh.

Fry of course is a formidable opponent. With the black stallion Everdale she was a member of the British bronze-medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 before taking team silver and both Grand Prix Special and Freestyle gold with her other stallion, Glamourdale, at the World Championship the following year. 

With Everdale she posted two Western European League wins this season at Mechelen, Belgium in December and Amsterdam, The Netherlands in January as well as finishing second in London, Great Britain before Christmas and at the last leg in ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands last month.   

Add in the established and rising talent from the rest of the Western European League and those from Central Europe and North America along with the sole Pacific League contender, Melissa Galloway who brings Windermere J’Obei W, and the stage is set for an intriguing contest.

Theme

Repeat wins are a theme of this Final, and nobody has ever come close to matching the nine posted by The Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven with her two great horses, Bonfire and Salinero, between 1995 and 2008.

However, no matter the result next week, no-one can rival Werth when it comes to sheer consistency as Riyadh 2024 will be the 24th FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final of her extraordinary career. 

More history will be written in the coming days, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

More about the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2024 Final:

The Ground Jury:

Level 4 Judges  

President - Hans Christian Matthiesen DEN

Janet Lee Foy USA

Peter Storr GBR

Elke Ebert GER

Thomas Lang AUT

Susan Hoevenaars AUS

Maria Collander FIN

Level 3 Judge

Eva-Maria Vint-Warmington EST

The Judges Supervisory Panel

Mary Seefried AUS

Liselotte Fore USA

The Timetable:

Grand Prix - Wednesday 17 April at 13.15 local time

Grand Prix Freestyle - Friday 19 April at 17.15 local time.  

The Competition Format:

FEI Grand Prix - drawn order, draw will take place on Tuesday 16 April at 20.00.

FEI Grand Prix Freestyle - all athlete/horse combinations who completed the FEI Grand Prix with a score of at least 65% will continue to the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle.

Link

Belgium’s Ingmar De Vos, who has served as the FEI President since 2014, has been elected unanimously as the new President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The election took place today, 9 April 2024, at the 48^th ASOIF General Assembly held in Birmingham (GBR) during the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit. Ingmar De Vos ran unopposed and was elected by secret ballot for a term of four years. He will take up his new position on 1 January 2025.

“I am humbled by today’s result and would like to express my deep gratitude to the Summer Olympic International Federations for their trust,” the newly elected ASOIF President Ingmar De Vos said. “In January 2025, I will be taking over from Francesco Ricci Bitti, a hugely respected figure in the Olympic Movement. I would like to take this opportunity already to pay tribute to his leadership and achievements and thank him for his unwavering support, wise counsel, and great friendship. I am fully aware of the fact that I have big shoes to fill and during my mandate I will make it my mission to continue strengthening the role of the Summer International Sports Federations in the Olympic Movement, focus on an open and constructive dialogue with the IOC, further intensify the communications with and between our IFs, and develop a strategy for the future so that together we can keep contributing to the popularity, appeal, and sustainability of the Olympic Games.”

Key Olympic officials congratulated Ingmar De Vos on his election.

“On behalf of the International Olympic Committee, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Ingmar De Vos on his election as ASOIF President,” IOC President Thomas Bach commented. “We are looking forward to the continuation of the excellent cooperation between the IOC and ASOIF. The International Federations are a fundamental pillar of our Olympic Movement. Since its establishment in 1983, ASOIF has played a vital role in promoting and strengthening the IFs by bringing together the shared interests of each sports federation. In doing so, ASOIF has safeguarded the autonomy of sport and preserved the unity of the Olympic Movement in times when it mattered the most. In his new role, Ingmar De Vos will benefit from his experience as FEI President and an IOC Member.”

“Having served as ASOIF President for almost 12 years, I know that Ingmar De Vos has the experience and stamina needed to lead our organisation,” incumbent ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said. “I have had the pleasure to work with him not only at ASOIF, but also in other positions. Ingmar is highly experienced, solution-oriented and, most importantly, he has high human qualities. It is also great to know that he enjoys the full support of our membership – something which is key for success. This is a good day for ASOIF and the Olympic Movement.”

"At the Belgian National Olympic Committee, we know Ingmar as a very reliable and hard-working official, who has great integrity and a heart for sport,” Jean-Michel Saive, President of the Belgian Olympic & Interfederal Committee (COIB), stated. “We are very fortunate to be able to build on his expertise for key strategic decisions. I would like to congratulate Ingmar for taking on the key task to lead such a vital organisation within the Olympic Movement as its first Belgian President. I am convinced that he will serve as an excellent President for ASOIF. I wish him all the best."

 

Ingmar De Vos’ biography

A Belgian native, Ingmar De Vos was born on 5 August 1963. He holds Masters degrees in political science, international relations, and international and European law from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BEL).

He began his professional career as an advisor to the Belgian Senate. He joined the Fédération Royale Belge des Sports Equestres (Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation) as Director General in 1990 and from 1997 to 2011 served as the Federation’s Secretary General.

De Vos was the co-founder of the European Equestrian Federation (EEF), where he served as Secretary General from 2010 to 2011.

In 2011, Ingmar De Vos joined the FEI as Secretary General.

On 14 December 2014, at the FEI General Assembly held in Baku (AZE), after three years as FEI Secretary General, the Belgian native was elected FEI President in a contested election by an overwhelming majority in the first round of voting. Four years later, at the FEI General Assembly in Manama (BRN) on 20 November 2018, he stood unopposed and was unanimously re-elected for another four-year term. On 13 November 2022, De Vos was re-elected for a third and final term in office by the FEI General Assembly in Cape Town (RSA). He ran unopposed as had been the case four years earlier.

Ingmar De Vos was elected as a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September 2017 and is a member of the following IOC Commissions: Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad Los Angeles 2028 (2019 - ); Legal Affairs (2018 - ); and Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2019 - ). He is a member of the Belgian Olympic Academy and since 2017 he sits on the Board of the Belgian National Olympic Committee (BOIC/COIB).

Since 2016, he has been a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Governance Taskforce. In 2019 he joined the ASOIF Council.

He has been a member of the Executive Committee of SportAccord, the world sport and business summit, since 2021.

From 2018 to 2022, Ingmar De Vos served on the Foundation Board of the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA). Since 2018, he is a member of the WADA Executive Committee.

In 2014, he was a delegate to the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC). He was the organisation’s Vice President (2014-2019) and President from 2020 to 2022. He is currently IHSC Vice President.

Ingmar De Vos is a Gender Champion for the United Nations and is fluent in Dutch, English and French.

 

About ASOIF asoif.com

The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) was created in 1983 to unite the International Federations governing the sports on the programme of the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. Since then, its membership has grown to 31 Full Member IFs and two Associate Member IFs.

ASOIF’s mission is to unite, promote and support the Summer Olympic International Federations; to preserve their autonomy, while advocating for their common interests and goals; to act as an added value provider to the member IFs and the Olympic Movement at large.

ASOIF’s role is to serve and represent the Summer Olympic IFs in the most competent, articulate and professional manner on issues of common interest in the Summer Olympic Games, Summer Youth Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement, and on any other matters deemed necessary by the IFs.

 

About FEI fei.org

The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm.

The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance and Vaulting.

The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its six able-bodied disciplines when Para Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para Dressage and Para Driving.

Photo caption: On 9 April 2024 Ingmar De Vos of Belgium was elected as the President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

Dethroning the defending champions will be no easy task when the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2024 gets underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next week. 

Henrik von Eckermann and his mighty chestnut gelding King Edward wrote a page of equestrian history when becoming the first-ever Swedish winners of the coveted title in Omaha, USA 12 months ago. And the pair whose resume also includes team gold and individual fourth place at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 and double-gold at the FEI Jumping World Championship in Herning, Denmark in 2022 before claiming the coveted World Cup title in 2023 continue to ride the crest of an incredible wave that has left the Swedish athlete top of the world rankings for 21 consecutive months.

44th Final

Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, presents the 44th Final, and this is the first time for the event to be staged in the Middle East. With the biggest prizefund ever of €2.6m up for grabs there’s a whole lot to play for when the action gets underway, including the prestige of joining the Roll of Honour that lists so many of the true stars of this sport down the years.

From 1979 when Austria’s Hugo Simon and Gladstone first held the trophy aloft at the inaugural Final in Gothenburg, Sweden through the heady years of back-to-back champions Ian Millar and Big Ben from Canada in 1988 and 1989 and John Whitaker and the much-adored Milton who had to settle for runner-up spot in 1989 but then came back to steal the limelight for Great Britain in 1990 and 1991 this has been the title-of-titles for Jumping athletes.

There have been five three-time champions, and the most remarkable of these was Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa who, along with the great stallion Baloubet du Rouet, won three times in succession between 1998 and 2000. Adding an extra edge to this year’s Final is the fact that two of the other three-time champions are coming back in a bid to become the first four-time winner.

Extraordinary record

One of these is Germany’s Marcus Ehning who has an extraordinary record in the series. 

Riyadh will be his twenty-first Final, his first dating back to 2001 in Gothenburg where he finished 31st with For Pleasure. Two years later, in Las Vegas, USA in 2003, he won his first title with Anka, pinning Pessoa and Baloubet du Rouet into second place. He came out on top again in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in 2006 riding Sandro Boy, this time pipping Ireland’s Jessica Kürten and Castle Forbes Libertina. And in Geneva, Switzerland in 2010 he rode both Noltes Küchengirl and Plot Blue to victory ahead of German compatriot Ludger Beerbaum and Gotha FRH in second place. 

This time around the three-time European team gold medallist, who will celebrate his 50th birthday next week, brings the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding Coolio 42, with which he won the sixth leg of the Western European League qualifying series last November, and it would be foolish to under-estimate his chances of becoming that first four-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion.

Veteran

Also chasing that goal will be 2012 Olympic individual champion and reigning individual European champion, 41-year-old Steve Guerdat who is another veteran World Cup finalist. Currently third in the world rankings he missed out on Omaha last April for the first time in many years, but next week will be his fifteenth Final. 

He picked up his first title with Albfuehren’s Paille in Las Vegas, USA in 2015 and made it a double the following year in Gothenburg partnering Corbinian. It became a hat-trick when he steered Alamo to victory in Gothenburg in 2019 but, just as impressively, he also finished third once with Tresor in 2007, was twice second with the great Nino des Buissonnets in 2013 and 2014 and only twice finished outside the top ten during all that time. 

It’s an incredible record, and with the 11-year-old grey mare Is-Minka with which he won the 13th of the 14 legs of the Western European League qualifying series in Bordeaux, France in February, he too will present serious opposition to the remaining 34 athletes representing 19 countries across the globe.

Another two previous winners will line out at the 2024 Final. Germany’s Christian Ahlmann reigned supreme on home ground in Leipzig partnering Taloubet Z in 2011 and he will bring the 12-year-old gelding Mandato van de Neerheide with which he won leg nine of the Western European League this season. 

And Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs, currently ranked fourth in the world, who came out on top in the same city in 2022 partnering both The Sinner and Chaplin will bring the 11-year-old gelding Commissar Pezi who lined out five times in the Western European League this season, finishing second at round 11 in Leipzig in January. 

Fierce

But the opposition will be fierce with all of the top six in the current rankings competing next week alongside a plethora of aspiring and up-and-coming talent.

World number two and reigning Olympic champion, Great Britain’s Ben Maher, brings the 11-year-old mare Dallas Vegas Batilly with which he finished third at round three of the Western European League in Lyon, France at the beginning of November before winning a week later in Verona, Italy. The flying Frenchman Julien Epaillard who took individual bronze at last summer’s FEI European Championship in Milan, Italy is ranked fifth and brings the 11-year-old mare Dubai du Cedre who finished a very close second in the hotly-contested 14-horse jump-off in Lyon, while sixth-ranked rider, America’s Kent Farrington, will compete double-handed with the 10-year-old mares Greya and Toulayna. 

The host nation will be represented by 2012 Olympic team bronze medallist Ramzy Al Duhami partnering Untouchable 32, Khaled Almobty with both Jaguar King WD and Spacecake and Abdullah Alsharbatly who was also a member of that bronze medal team in London in 2012 and who will be partnering Guerdat’s 2019 winning ride Alamo along with Fiumicino van de Kalevallei.

Course designer for this week of superb sport will be German giant Frank Rothenberger whose reputation for big, bold tracks is second to none. So the stage is set for a mighty battle, and the action begins on Wednesday 17 April. Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..  

The Timetable: 

Final 1 - Wednesday 17 April at 19.05 local time

Final 2 - Thursday 18 April at 18.50 local time

Final 3 - Saturday 20 April at 15.45 local time

The Competition Format

Final 1 - Table C over a Table A course, 3 seconds added for a fence down, time limit 120 or 180 seconds depending on length of course, height 1.60m.

Final 2 - Table A, one round against the clock and one jump-off against the clock, height 1.60m.

Final 3 - Table A, two rounds not against the clock, no jump-off, height 1.60m.

In the event of a tie after the first three competitions there will be a jump-off to decide the final classification.

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