A recent visit by a Ukrainian delegation at the FEI Sports Forum 2022 from 25-26 April in Lausanne sees additional initiatives and projects approved for funding by the FEI Solidarity Relief Fund.

Established in February 2022, the dedicated CHF 1 Million FEI Solidarity Relief Fund for Ukraine has been actively supporting a number of equestrian related schemes across Ukraine and neighbouring nations receiving Ukrainian horses and athletes. This includes, among other, the creation of a logistical hub in Granat (UKR), located between Lviv and the Polish border, to prepare horses for transfer into the European Union; funding and distribution to regional hubs of critical horse supplies such as feed and bedding; and, the emergency evacuation of a Vaulting team.

In order to deliver the aid efficiently and have the desired impact in situ, the FEI has been working hand in hand with the Ukrainian Equestrian Federation (UEF) and the UEF Charity Foundation, with FEI President and Chair of the Solidarity Committee Ingmar De Vos (BEL) referring to their Ukrainian colleagues as their “eyes and ears on the ground”.

For the FEI and the Ukrainian delegation, headed up by Secretary General Mykhailo Parkhomchuk from the Ukrainian Equestrian Federation (UEF) and accompanied by members from both the UEF and the Charity Foundation, this recent in-person visit provided a platform to discuss the priorities, review ongoing support systems in place, but also establish new programmes and set long term objectives for Ukraine and the FEI Solidarity Relief Fund.

Following these discussions, among the programmes being launched in Ukraine throughout May, four new athlete scholarships have been allocated; bespoke veterinary supplies have been sourced and prepared for dispatch; as well as financing for the purchase of 80 temporary horse boxes in order to support the set-up of additional horse hubs in Ukraine.

Based on the existing FEI Solidarity Athlete Scholarship scheme, two Ukrainian Jumping athletes - Oleksandr Prodan and Anastasia Bondarieva - and two Ukrainian Dressage athletes - Danylo Konovalov and Diana Borovyk - have been selected to receive the scholarship grant to support training and competition related preparation with the ultimate goal of representing Ukraine at FEI Championships in 2022 and 2023.

Aged between 17 and 24, they were already competing at international level before the onset of the war, but the current circumstances meant they had to put many of their aspirations on hold. For Diana Borovyk, having survived the blockade of Sumy and taking up residence in her local equestrian centre to be with her horses while the war raged around her, being able to continue training and competing is “a dream come true”. She has also received a personal invitation to participate in a Young Riders Class at the CHIO Aachen Festival 2022 where she has every intention of showing her sporting determination and perseverance in the face of adversity.

The dedicated emergency veterinary supplies which are being packaged into specialised kits and dispatched to strategic locations around Ukraine include over the counter as well as prescription medication so the veterinarians onsite have all the necessary supplies to care for the horses remaining in the country. The bespoke veterinary kits have been sourced through the FEI Veterinary Department and are entirely funded by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Ukraine Relief Fund which is supplementing the FEI Solidarity Fund with 100 percent of all donations raised being distributed through the FEI to ensure effective and targeted use of the funds.

The USEF Ukraine Relief Fund has already reached over 100,000 USD and continues to work closely with US based philanthropic organisations to leverage their fundraising networks to support the horses and people of Ukraine.

In addition to the existing horse hub in Granat which was financed by the FEI to prepare all the necessary documentation for horses to cross the border and has been operational since March, the FEI is now working with the UEF Charity Foundation to supply 80 horseboxes to two new hubs which are being built to allow horses to remain safely in Ukraine. The new hubs are located near existing stables so the horses will have access to all the necessary infrastructures and can continue to train in good conditions.

These last two initiatives are especially relevant given the unknown when it comes to the duration of the conflict and the need to work together to keep horses and athletes safe in Ukraine. For FEI President Ingmar De Vos (BEL), there is a clear progression in the support structure and goals of the FEI Solidarity Relief Fund. “At the onset of the war, the FEI reacted quickly to the situation and set up the Solidarity Fund with the initial outreach aimed at sourcing and funding for immediate and vital supplies as well as evacuation related procedures, unaware of how long the conflict would perdure and how devastating it would be.

“We have now reached a point where we can be more strategic because we have the systems in place, so the meetings in Lausanne with the Ukrainian delegation at the end of April were really fruitful, and we can already see several programmes and initiatives launched as a result.

“The initiatives are a mix of short to mid-term objectives aimed at keeping individuals and horses safe and well in Ukraine but also long-term future proofing to ensure the sport is not entirely put on hold and can recover after the war. It has been awe-inspiring to see the global equestrian community come together to support Ukraine and we will continue to do everything in our power to maximise the reach of the FEI Solidarity Relief Fund to help the equestrian community and the horse lovers of Ukraine.”

Photo Caption: Ukraine’s Diana Borovyk and Baby Royal at the FEI Dressage European Championships 2021 for Youth in Oliva (ESP) © Lukasz Kowalski

About the FEI Solidarity Relief Fund:
The FEI set aside a CHF 1 Million Solidarity Relief Fund for the equestrian community in Ukraine, following the invasion by Russian military forces. The allocation was approved by the FEI Executive Board during a meeting convened on 28 February 2022, where members also unanimously condemned the invasion and agreed to remove all international equestrian events in Russia and Belarus from the 2022 FEI calendar. The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has also joined forces with the FEI Solidarity Relief Fund, establishing the USEF Ukraine Relief Fund to Support Ukraine horses and equestrians, with 100% of funds raised going to the FEI Solidarity Relief Fund to be distributed by the FEI.

About the UEF Charity Foundation:
The Charity Foundation is registered in Belgium and its mission is to help the Ukrainian equestrian community during the crisis. The Foundation works closely with the FEI and national equestrian federations. For all the latest information and activities visit https://helpukrainehorses.eu/

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Consent Award in a human anti-doping case involving the refusal to submit to sample collection by an athlete.

On 13 November 2021 at the CEI3* 160 Citta della Pieve (ITA), the Italian athlete Chiara Marrama (FEI ID 10017324/ITA) was selected for an in-competition doping control test but she refused to submit to sample collection after the notification, which constitutes a violation of the Article 2.3 of the FEI’s Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).  

The athlete admitted the violation, accepted the proposed consequences and benefited from a one-year reduction in the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility of four years asserted by the FEI in such cases and in accordance with the ADRHA.

In its Consent Award, the FEI Tribunal confirmed the imposition of a three-year ineligibility period on the athlete, effective from 3 May 2022. The provisional suspension of the athlete, which came into effect on 2 December 2021, shall be credited against the ineligibility period, meaning the athlete will be ineligible until 1 December 2024. The athlete was also fined CHF 5,000 and all results obtained at the event by the athlete were disqualified.

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.

By Eleanore Kelly

It was a double victory for the Swiss, when Robin Godel’s Jumping clear round clinched the individual prize and a win for Team Switzerland. This was the first leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ and took place in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA). France, who were overnight leaders going into the final day, finished a close second and Sweden, who were overall winners of the Series in 2021, finished third. The home side Italy were fifth.

It was a tense finish after the French team left Godel no room for error in the Jumping phase. The 23 year old athlete kept his cool on Grandeur de Lully CH, to incur just one time penalty which sealed the deal for his team. “I was very focused but I tried to have only good pressure” he said after his round. “It was an amazing week for the team. We did good on the cross-country, the four riders were very impressive and the horses gave all they had. For the World Championships it is exciting.”

Speaking about this as a test event for this year’s FEI World Championships for Eventing, Godel said “It is amazing here, the ground is wonderful, I have never cantered on ground like this. For the World Championships, we want qualification for Paris (Olympics) and that’s the main focus and for sure we will be going for the podium too.”

Pratoni has proved a happy hunting ground for the Swiss, who won the Nations Cup here in 2019. The team this year consisted of two Nations Cup first timers: 62 year old Beat Sax who has just one horse to compete, and has been eventing for 45 years; and 20 year old Nadja Minder. They were joined by Tokyo Olympic riders Godel and Mélody Johner.

Six-time Olympian Andrew Nicholson has been coaching the Swiss team for several years and summed up their performance: “It was outstanding. They keep getting better, more confident and are pulling together as a team. They are passionate and want to do it and they are making the younger ones hungry, which then pushes the older riders.”

Saturday’s Cross-Country shook up the leaderboard and left it tight at the top. Switzerland finished just 0.1 of a penalty behind France going into the final phase. Germany, who led the way after the dressage phase, were relegated to 9th after just two of their team members completed. Whilst Sweden, who were in eighth after the dressage, produced four strong Cross-Country performances to climb to third.

Pratoni del Vivaro will be hosting the FEI World Championships for Eventing and Driving, from 15-25 September. Course Designer Giuseppe della Chiesa and Director of the Championships concluded: “From a sports side the cross-country went well here this week. From the side of the organisation, there's a lot to do yet but we are getting there, and it was very important to have this competition as a Nations Cup and also as a test event. The nature of the soil here is something unique. Horses love it and if it rains, it doesn’t change it and there are very few places in the world like that. It is an important venue as the Olympic venue in 1960 and is one of the very few Olympic venues which is still used for the same purpose.”

The FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing action moves to Houghton Hall (GBR) from 26-29 May, the second of nine events in the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ Series.

By Eleanore Kelly

After two Covid-impacted and therefore abbreviated seasons, the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ will return in full force, with the opening event to be held at Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) from 11-15 May. This prestigious venue near Rome, is also hosting this year’s FEI World Championships for Eventing and Driving, which runs from 12-15 September. This will be considered a test event.

The 2022 Nations Cup season will run from May to October this year, with nine legs, eight of which are held around Europe and one in Canada. The final event will be held at Boekelo on 6-9 October, where the Series Team Champions will be decided. This FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ Series, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, is open to all nations, at CCIO4* Short and Long level. The final classification of the Series will be made by accumulation of the points obtained by teams in each competition. It is open to individuals and riders can also gain FEI points for the world rankings and purpose of qualification for championships.

All-star line-up at the home of Italian eventing

57 athletes from 12 nations, spanning four continents, are entered including multiple leading riders. Many are hoping to impress selectors, as well as get a feel of this year’s World Championships venue. Andrew Hoy (AUS), who has won six Olympic medals, including individual bronze and team silver in Tokyo, will be joined by another Australian stalwart, Bill Levett.

Five time Olympian and double gold medallist, Ingrid Klimke joins four other riders from Germany, including her Beijing Olympic team gold medallist Andreas Dibowski. Germany have been overall champions four times, which is more than any other nation.

2019 FEI Nations Cup™ champions Sweden, boast a strong squad of five riders, including London 2012 silver medallist Sara Algotsson Ostholt. France, too, puts forward an impressive team of riders, including their three Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists: Christopher Six, Nicolas Touzaint and Karim Florent Laghouag.

Team New Zealand includes the current World No 5 and 6, Jonelle Price and her husband Tim Price. Their former Kiwi teammate Andrew Nicholson, who has now retired from top competition, has been coaching the promising Swiss team with great success. Team Switzerland come to Pratoni with five riders including Mélody Johner, who is entered on Toublou De Rueire, with whom she also finished 17th at her first Olympics in Tokyo.

Host nation Italy are fielding 16 riders. They have a good track record on home turf, having won the third and final leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ in 2020, which was held in Montelibretti (ITA), and helped them finish second in the overall rankings.

After Pratoni, the Series will continue at Houghton Hall in Great Britain from 26-29 May.

Further details about the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ series can be found here.

FEI President Ingmar De Vos is set to be re-elected for a third and final four-year term after being confirmed as the sole candidate for the Presidential election that will take place during the FEI General Assembly in Cape Town (RSA) on 13 November 2022.

“Since being elected FEI President, I have been fortunate and extremely grateful to have many National Federations, friends and the staff at FEI Headquarters support me in my work, and show unwavering commitment to the continued development of our sport and organisation,” Ingmar De Vos said.

“Remaining relevant as a sport, further expanding our fan base by attracting new and young athletes and maintaining our place in the Olympic and Paralympic movements remain our priorities for the future and we will only achieve all this if we continue working together with these common goals in mind.”

The 58-year-old Belgian native took up the post of FEI President in 2014 after receiving an overwhelming majority in the first round of voting, earning 98 votes out of a possible 131, at the FEI General Assembly in Baku (AZE). Four years later at the FEI General Assembly in Manama (BRN), Ingmar De Vos was standing unopposed and received unanimous support for a second term.

During his Presidency, De Vos has overseen changes to the Olympic and Paralympic formats as well as a major overhaul of the FEI Rules and Regulations governing the discipline of Endurance. In his second mandate, he guided the FEI through the Covid-19 pandemic and the outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) that resulted in an FEI-imposed six-week shutdown of international equestrian sport. He has been instrumental to the organisational growth of the FEI, in particular the recent creation of the International Grooms Association (IGA).

The 13^th FEI President since the Federation was founded in 1921, Ingmar De Vos became the first male to head the organisation after a 28-year run of consecutive female Presidents when he was elected in 2014. Over his career De Vos has gained recognition for his skills as a sports administrator and for being a gender equality advocate.  

De Vos is only the fourth FEI President to be elected an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member, a position he has held since September 2017, and is currently on the IOC Legal Affairs, Women in Sport and the Los Angeles 2028 Coordination Commissions. He also served in the past as a member of the IOC Digital and Technology Commission.

In March 2017, he became a UN International Gender Champion (IGC), joining a leadership network that brings together female and male decision-makers determined to break down gender barriers and make gender equality a working reality in their spheres of influence.

He is currently a Council member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). He is also a member of the Executive Committees of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and SportAccord.

More about Ingmar De Vos: https://inside.fei.org/about/president

Ingmar De Vos was born on 5 August 1963. He holds degrees in political science, and international and European law, and started his career as an advisor to the Belgian Senate. He joined the Belgian Equestrian Federation as managing director in 1990, and held the additional role of Secretary General from 1997 to 2011.

During his time at the Belgian National Federation, Ingmar De Vos was chef de mission for the Belgian team at all six FEI World Equestrian Games™ between 1990 and 2010 and at three Olympic Games – Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. He is a member of the Belgian Olympic Academy. He was co-founder of the European Equestrian Federation (EEF) in 2010 and was also Secretary General from 2010 until 2011, when he joined the FEI.

After three years as FEI Secretary General, Ingmar De Vos was elected as FEI President in December 2014 and re-elected in November 2018.

About 2022 wider elections

The FEI will announce the candidates for the Athlete Representatives on 9 May. The remaining positions to be elected and appointed during the FEI General Assembly 2022 will be announced in June following the Nominations Committee meeting. All information can be found here.

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.

In this case, the horse Halo (FEI ID 105ZA57/ITA), ridden by Guiseppe De Luca (FEI ID 10047635/ITA), tested positive for the Banned Substance Stanozolol, following samples taken at the CSI2* Oliva (ESP), on 3 October 2020.

The athlete was able to provide an explanation as to how the substance entered the horse’s system. His veterinarian had treated the horse with Sungate, containing Stanozolol, in the athlete’s presence, despite the fact that Banned Substances such Stanozolol are prohibited at all times.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal imposed an ineligibility period of 18-months on the athlete starting from the date of the Final Decision. The athlete admitted the violation and accepted a six month reduction of the period of ineligibly. The provisional suspension of the athlete, which came into effect on 11 November 2020, shall be credited against the ineligibility period, meaning the athlete will be ineligible until 10 May 2022. He was also fined CHF 5,000. A separate procedure has also been opened against the veterinarian of the athlete.

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

The full Decision is available here. 

 

Notes to Editors:

FEI Equine Prohibited Substances

The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are those 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.

**Specified Substances

The FEI introduced the concept of Specified Substances in 2016. Specified Substances should not in any way be considered less important or less dangerous than other Prohibited Substances (i.e. whether Banned or Controlled). Rather, they are simply substances that are more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated food substance. Positive cases involving Specified Substances can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI Regulations.

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

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.

 

 

 

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was unanimously elected President of the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC) at the organisation’s General Assembly on 22 April 2022, which was conducted online again this year due to the ongoing pandemic.

The IHSC was created in 2013, when the Fédération Equestre International (FEI) and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) joined forces to create the first formal vehicle for cooperation between the world’s leading bodies for equestrian sport. The Presidency of the IHSC rotates between the founding members.

As the third President of the IHSC, Engelbrecht-Bresges succeeds FEI President Ingmar De Vos who held the position from 2019 to 2022, and IFHA Chairman Emeritus Louis Romanet who led the IHSC from 2017 to 2019. Engelbrecht-Bresges, who previously served as IHSC Vice President, will hold the office of President for a two-year term. He will be supported by Ingmar De Vos, who takes over as IHSC Vice-President.

Following his election as IHSC President, Engelbrecht-Bresges said:

“I am very grateful to be elected President of the IHSC and must pay tribute to Ingmar, whose leadership at the helm of the Confederation has been significantly important and impactful for global horse sport.

“I would also like to pay tribute to Louis Romanet, Chairman Emeritus of the IFHA, and a previous President and Vice-President of the IHSC. His vision for both the IFHA and the IHSC has laid the groundwork for these organisations to work in harmony for our shared missions.

“The relationship between the FEI and the IFHA has indeed been strengthened during the pandemic, and I look forward to leading the IHSC as President, and advancing our shared ideals and activities, specifically our partnership with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).”

Engelbrecht-Bresges, who previously served as the standing representative of the IFHA in the IHSC General Assembly, is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), a position he has held since 2007.

He also serves as the Chair of the IFHA, the global leader for the international sport of Thoroughbred racing, and the Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), which comprises 27 national racing authorities and racing-related organisations from across Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Middle East.

“I am very pleased to pass the Presidential baton to Winfried and I know that the IHSC will benefit greatly from his capable leadership,” Ingmar De Vos said.    

“With his vast experience in horse racing and his commitment to the welfare and wellbeing of equine and human athletes, Winfried also has a thorough understanding of the needs and expectations of the industry in the years to come.   

“Effective coordination between the racing and equestrian communities has been extremely beneficial since the formation of the IHSC and is vital to ensure the sustainable development of equestrian sport. I know that we will continue to build on our partnership and all the excellent work that has already been done to date and I look forward to now supporting Winfried in the IHSC’s next chapter.”

FEI President Ingmar De Vos and Founding Director of the International Grooms Association™ (IGA) Lucy Katan have recognised the creation of the IGA with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the FEI Sports Forum today.

An independent not-for-profit professional association, the IGA has been established to achieve greater representation and career recognition for grooms, as well as to improve their working conditions, especially at equestrian events where long hours are the norm.

The support provided by the IGA will include guidance on employment rules, answers to commonly asked questions on recruitment, a toolkit for grooms working freelance, and a job board, to name a few. A section on well-being on the IGA website, International Grooms Minds, will ensure that grooms also have a strong emotional support system in place to assist them in their daily work.

“Today’s signing of the MOU is the culmination of many years of discussion and planning and marks the start of a new era for international grooms,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“This is a journey which began in 2017 with the first meeting of the FEI Grooms Working Group, and started to take shape at last year’s Sports Forum when the community provided its full support for the creation of the IGA. What we see today is the result of a great deal of hard work and persistence and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the FEI Grooms Working Group and Lucy Katan for her vision and leadership in creating this important organisation.

“The IGA has laid the foundations for the grooms’ community to grow, evolve and have a strong voice in the long-term development of equestrian sport and I count on grooms, as well as National Federations, athletes, organisers, officials and owners to make this a success.”

Since its inception in 2009, the annual FEI Best Groom Award has paid tribute to the hard work of grooms across the FEI’s disciplines.

The FEI has also developed educational tools and resources to assist grooms with their day-to-day work. Education has been key to creating international standards of operation that are accepted and followed by grooms at all levels.

In 2015, FEI Solidarity created an educational course for grooms, which consists of three in-person sessions and one practical assessment. Over the years, 280 grooms worldwide, have already benefited from these courses that provide practical training delivered by a technical expert. The IGA will now collaborate with FEI Campus to provide grooms with information on anti-doping, biosecurity and general stable management.

“This is the moment in time that finally gives the international grooms a voice within the FEI and at competitions,” said Lucy Katan, herself a former international groom.

“The goal is for the IGA to become the voice of international grooms, while recognising all the work goes into keeping the equine athletes of our sport happy, healthy and performing at their best.

“While we want Organising Committees to raise their commitment to improving working conditions, we hope that Grooms will provide feedback on their work experiences through a ‘Grooms Report’, so that improvements can be made to their working conditions at events. This is a real opportunity for grooms to constructively and collaboratively be heard and play a key role in their profession and this industry.”

Grooms from all over the world can now become an IGA member through the Association’s official website: https://internationalgrooms.org/.

Each FEI discipline will also have four to six representatives working within the industry to promote the status of international grooms. These representatives will be asked to mentor new grooms, creating a support hub for those new to the scene.

“The career of a groom should be seen as integral to the success of any equestrian team and to equestrian sport,” Chair of the Grooms Consultative Group, former groom, and former FEI Executive Board member Frank Kemperman said.

“An international athlete is nothing without a good horse, but a good horse is nothing without an exceptional groom. It is about being a team. Athlete, horse, and groom are key to each other’s success. We hope the national federations and their athletes will spread the word and encourage their international grooms to join the IGA.”

The Grooms Consultative Group was set up by the FEI following last year’s Sports Forum and is made up of Grooms, Owners, Athletes, representatives of Organising Committees, Officials, Stewards and National Federations. The Group’s mission is to assist with the definition of a roadmap for the development of key structures for the Grooms community, including the creation of a Charter of rights and obligations for Grooms.

The FEI has today published Part 2 of the Report into the 2021 outbreak of the neurological form of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) in mainland Europe. This section of the Report focuses on the Return To Competition protocols put in place to ensure the safe resumption of FEI Events after the six-week FEI-imposed lockdown on international sport in Continental Europe.

Part 2 of the Report also focuses on the EHV-1 By-Laws and sanctioning system, and evaluates their effectiveness, along with the elements that were subsequently incorporated into the FEI Veterinary Regulations 2022 approved at the FEI Hybrid General Assembly in November 2021.

The 30-page Report (Part 2), together with over 200 pages of Annexes, has been produced by FEI Veterinary Director Dr Göran Åkerström and Grania Willis, former FEI Communications Director and now Executive Consultant to the FEI.

“It was important to take a really forensic look at the 2021 EHV-1 outbreak itself, and this was the basis of Part 1 of the Report, but it was equally important to review the Return To Competition measures post-lockdown”, Dr Åkerström said. “This is what we have done in Part 2, along with the related By-Laws and the resulting amendments to the FEI Regulations.

“Knowing how busy the members of our community are in their daily lives, we have simplified things to make the Report a more user-friendly experience by adding a dynamic Table of Contents, so that readers can go directly to the elements/sections they wish to read, as we did with Part 1 of the Report.”

Part 2 of the Report is published here, on a dedicated page within the Biosecurity Hub of the FEI website home to all the content related to the investigation into the 2021 outbreak in mainland Europe.

It sits alongside Part 1 of the Report published on 28 February 2021, which provides a comprehensive and factual picture of the outbreak, including the series of events, causes, roles and responsibilities, and analysis.

Part 3 of the Report, elements of which will be presented at the FEI Sports Forum 2022 (25-26 April), will incorporate further risk mitigation of EHV-1, including conclusions from the scientific EHV-1 vaccination review commissioned by the FEI, and the suggested way forward. This concluding section of the Report, with the Sports Forum presentations incorporated as Annexes, will then be published as Part 3 in May 2022.

The FEI Tribunal has issued Consent Awards in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.

In this case, the horse Basc Trio (FEI ID 106QW17/UAE), tested positive for the Banned Substance 5α-estrone-3β, 17α-diol (metabolite of Nandrolone), following samples taken at the CEI1*100 Dubai (UAE), 7-14 November 2021.

The athlete, Abdul Aziz Salah Abdulla Ameen (FEI ID 10063337/UAE) and the trainer, Amr Mohd Atris El Sayed (FEI ID 10054579/UAE), admitted the rule violation and accepted the consequences. In its final decisions, the FEI Tribunal disqualified the horse and athlete combination from the event and imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the athlete and on the trainer; the provisional suspension each has already served shall be credited against the imposed ineligibility period. The athlete and trainer were also each fined CHF 5,000.

The Consent Awards are available here.

 

Separately, the FEI has announced a new adverse analytical finding (AAF) involving an equine prohibited substance. The case involves *Banned 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 decisions. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.

Case 2022/BS04:

Horse: Dactyle D’Aqui (106XH16/UAE)

Person Responsible: Muhammad Ali Fazal Amin (10103705/PAK (UAE)

Trainer: Ahmed Ali Salman Hassan Al Sabri (10041041/UAE)

Event: CEI2*120 – Bou Thib (UAE), 24-25.12.2021

Prohibited Substance(s): Testosterone

Date of notification: 8 March 2022

Details on these case can be found 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.

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.