BY SABRINA IBÁÑEZ, FEI SECRETARY GENERAL & PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PARALYMPIC SPORTS ORGANISATIONS (APSO)

The following topics are covered in this section:

Important Meetings / Equestrian Community Integrity Unit / Education & Officials / Information Technology Highlights / Sponsorship Highlights / Media & Digital Highlights / Communications Highlights / Veterinary Highlights / Medical Committee Highlights

Important Meetings

At a glance… 

• FEI Sports Forum
• FEI General Assembly

FEI Sports Forum

In 2020, the FEI Sports Forum was organised for the first time exclusively online. Due to the pandemic it was not possible for stakeholders to travel and get together for the usual two days of in-person discussions so the event’s programmes was reviewed entirely to address the time-sensitive topics allowing for online debate.

These included the FEI Anti-Doping Rules with an update on the new WADA Code and on the proposed changes to the Equine Anti-Doping Rules as well as a full session on the final venue preparations and logistics for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

As in past editions, valuable feedback was provided and many virtual discussions were held demonstrating once again the importance and benefits of a transparent debate platform open to the entire equestrian community. You can read everything about this edition here.

FEI General Assembly

The in-person FEI General Assembly 2020, which was due to be held in Johannesburg (RSA) in November, had to be postponed by one year and instead, an online version was organised due to Covid-19 social distancing requirements and travel restrictions.

The first of its kind, this online General Assembly was a successful test of the FEI’s systems and adaptability.

The main decisions of this year included:

• Unanimous approval of the modifications to the FEI General Regulations;
• Unanimous approval of the modifications to the Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA) and the Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMR);
• Mark Samuel (CAN) was re-elected as Chair of FEI Regional Group IV;
• Jack Huang (TPE) was re-elected as Chair of FEI Regional Group VIII;
• Brigitte Mathias (NAM) was elected as Chair of FEI Regional Group IX.

The full presentations and decisions, as well as the replay of the General Assembly can be accessed on the FEI General Assembly hub.

The Equestrian Community Integrity Unit

Integrity in sport is more critical than ever and upholding the rules and values put forward by the FEI is central to maintaining the position as a sporting world leader.

The activity of the ECIU has included: 

The ECIU remit covers many aspects, however, the output from this twelve-month cycle has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. The ECIU visited the venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in January to prepare for the event by testing the latest surveillance equipment for compatibility. The investment will be made in the new system which will enable live monitoring and recording throughout events that will assist in the safety and wellbeing of both people and horses on-site for the Games. Although the cancellation or postponement of many Equestrian events this year reduced activity it has enabled the ECIU to develop other areas of the unit. Further investment has been made in the market-leading CLUE case management software which will be the hub of all information reported to and gathered by, the ECIU.

Whilst there have been no major events to attend and deploy the CCTV surveillance system, the ECIU has continued to operate the Integrity Hotline and conduct a range of investigations throughout 2020.

The following data details how the ECIU records the information received through the hotline and the graphs indicate the trends that are taking place within the Equestrian Community over the past five years.

For the time period of October 2019 to September 2020, the ECIU received 17 unique reports to the Hotline. We can see that this year there has been a twenty percent drop in the number of reported incidents to the ECIU compared to the previous twelve months and the lowest since 2015/2016. Misconduct allegations continue to be the highest reported category for the second year running and this may be due to individuals becoming more aware of issues and confident in reporting incidents of this type.

Horse welfare allegations have dropped to below the average we have seen over the past ten years and we encourage continued identification of incidents that cause concern. There have been no Safeguarding allegations made within this twelve-month cycle and whilst both could be considered positive, we continue to urge any member of the Equestrian Community that has concerns about behaviours and practices of individuals to contact the ECIU where your identity will remain anonymous if you so choose, as the welfare of the Equestrian Community, horse and human, is of the upmost importance.

The ECIU can be contacted through the hotline on +44 (0) 207 935 5822 or by email at report@equestrianintegrity.com

Data Received from ECIU Hotline

Trend of categories reported to the ECIU in the past five years

Education & Officials

At a glance… 

• Foundation courses for Education systems
• Updates regarding certification
• FEI Campus gets its own section
• FEI Officials requirements adapted to Covid-19

Education

Throughout 2020, foundation courses for the different Education systems continued to be included as introductory courses. A generic structure of the Education system was provided for all disciplines along with job descriptions and an annexed Education Terminology Guide.

The following Education Systems underwent a review in 2020:

• Endurance
• Vaulting
• Jumping
• Veterinary

Course Director Education has also continued throughout 2020 in Eventing and successfully started in Jumping and Endurance with a “Leadership Presence” course focused on effective communication. In line with this, the Course Director Code of Conduct was also finalised.

A distinction between a Completion Certificate, obtained through attendance and completion of an FEI in-person or online course, forum or seminar and an FEI Official Certificate, certifying the competence for a function/level of an FEI Official, was created.

FEI Campus

Since its launch in 2017, FEI Campus has continued to grow steadily and an entire section has now been dedicated to it. It can be accessed in just a click here.

Covid measures

In 2020 the Education & Officials department had to adapt the requirements for FEI Officials, which meant postponing in-person courses and course deadlines. The details of these measures can be found in the FEI Covid-19 section.

Information Technology Highlights

At a glance… 

• FEI Website and FEI Database continuously evolving;
• FEI Entry System and FEI Online Invitation System for Jumping;
• FEI Online Schedule;
• Web services for National Federations, Organisers and IT Providers.

FEI Website and FEI Database

The FEI website has continued to evolve with new features released on a monthly basis. Additionally, the FEI History Hub was fully integrated to the website, allowing visitors to have direct access to the complete history of equestrian sports at Olympic & Paralympic Games and the World Equestrian Games™.

The workflow around the FEI Database continued to improve throughout 2020, with IT providers becoming increasingly autonomous delivering data back to the FEI, which is in turn directly displayed in the FEI Database. Another major change was the gradual introduction of the new FEI Endurance Rules 2020, a two-step process that included a full review of the qualification procedures and systems for both athletes and horses.

The FEI Database required further unexpected adjustments due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resolutions taken in each discipline in this regard. These included, among others, the freezing of certain world rankings; the extension of the qualifications for Olympic & Paralympic Games; changes in the application of the FEI Online Invitation System for Jumping and changes in the process and qualification timelines for certain FEI Disciplines.

FEI Entry System and FEI Online Invitation System for Jumping

The FEI Entry System, which has been operational since April 2019, manages Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Endurance and Driving entries including athlete and horse qualifications.

The current version of the entry system for Jumping has improved continuously providing better services to National Federations and Organisers. It is now fully integrated with the FEI Online invitation System for Jumping, which allows the correct application of the Jumping CSI Invitation Rules, inviting athletes from the Longines Rankings in descending order from CSI5* to CSI 2* Events.

Despite the Covid-19 measures put in place, such as the suspension of the online invitation system for CSI2* Events, more than 1,700 invitations were allocated to athletes.

FEI Online Schedule

The development of the first FEI Online Schedule, intended to improve the process related to the approval of FEI Event Schedules, continued throughout 2020 with a first version available at the end of the year. This version will be tested in the first Eventing Event in 2021.

FEI Entry System

The new version of the FEI Entry System for Jumping has been fully operational for all FEI Jumping events since 1 April 2019. This version includes a brand new user interface, providing easier interaction as well as new features, concepts and services for National Federations and Organising Committees, the main users of the system. In addition, features and functionalities are now available for Athletes, which will be developed further next year.

This new version of the FEI Entry System has been developed to be fully integrated with the FEI Online Invitation System for Jumping. The current version of the FEI Entry System will continue to manage Dressage, Eventing, Endurance and Driving entries, including management of Athlete and Horse qualifications. These disciplines will then progressively be moved into the new version.

Web services for National Federations, Organisers and IT Providers

Web services a widely used by our National Federations, Organisers and IT providers on a daily basis. This is why the FEI has made new Web Services available for the new versions of the FEI Entry System; to better manage sports data during FEI Events and to increase the autonomy of service providers at Events.

Approval of IT Service Provider for FEI Events

The IT Department has developed an approval process for companies and software used at FEI Events to manage timekeeping, data and results. This process has been available since the beginning of 2020 and so far, five service providers have been approved and further approvals are pending. The full list of certified companies and software is available here.

Sponsorship Highlights 

At a glance… 

• Horse O’Clock
• FEI eDressage

This year required much thinking outside the box to deliver value and visibility for our sponsors given the lack of live competitions. With this in mind, the FEI created a fan-focused quiz called Hors O’clock for Longines which was activated across all the FEI digital channels. This quiz had fans answer questions about their equestrian lifestyle and the result matched them with the Longines watch that best suited their taste.

In June, the innovative online platform FEI eDressage was launched. This allowed FEI registered Dressage athletes to film themselves completing dressage tests and to submit them to high-level FEI Judges.

The pandemic also had an enormous effect on sponsor sales. The FEI was in discussion with a number of potential sponsors throughout the year, but all conversations were put on hold until the global situation improves.

Media & Digital

At a glance… 

• TV and a new partnership with ClipMyHorse.TV
• Digital sets new record and FEI has its first original series – ICONS

FEI.TV and a new partnership with ClipMyHorse.TV

While the first quarter of 2020 turned out to be the most profitable since the launch of FEI.TV, things quickly came to a halt due to Covid-19. Consequently, it was decided to make FEI.TV free for its members with free access to the FEI.TV archives and past competitions.

Additionally, in July a new exciting and innovative partnership was signed with ClipMyHorse.TV. to join forces in creating the best streaming platform for equestrian sport.

As part of this, the FEI.TV platform was migrated to the ClipMyHorse.TV platform.

Digital sets new record and FEI has its first original series – ICONS

Aiming to bridge the gap created by the lack of live competitions, several new digital campaigns were launched throughout the year, which successfully led to new viewing records and helped consolidate an already strong fan base.

The FEI also managed to put the sport back centre stage by producing Icons, its first original six part series. It was launched on 29 May with each 26-minute episode focusing on a specific athlete.

Find out everything about ICONS and all other FEI digital campaigns 2020 in FEI more than sport…

Communications Highlights

At a glance… 

• Stakeholder communications around Covid-19
• Media coverage of FEI named events
• Corporate Media Communications

Stakeholder communications around Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic required extensive communications efforts to ensure that the equestrian community was informed of the consequences of the pandemic on our sport as well as the decisions taken and the guidelines put in place as a result. Transparency and information dissemination were integral to all communications around Covid-19. Several channels and tools/systems were used.

On the FEI Website a dedicated Covid-19 hub was created, cataloguing over 170 decisions & Resolutions taken in relation to the pandemic, both chronologically and by theme. A dedicated portal for all Return to Play information including policies, guidelines, protocols and an FAQ was also created.

All important decisions were diligently communicated to all member National Federations and stakeholders with a memorandum of understanding via the NF News newsletter. The FEI Update newsletter, sent on a monthly basis and reaching over 45,000 individuals, also served as a regular reminder on all recent decisions and information relating to Covid-19.

Given the various challenges brought by Covid-19, dedicated and targeted messages were disseminated throughout the year to the different stakeholder groups to ensure they understood the decision-making process and where to find the information and guidelines affecting specifically each group.

Interviews and podcasts were also conducted throughout 2020, allowing the FEI President and FEI Secretary-General to convey verbally messages of hope and reassurance to the equestrian community. Covid-19 themed press releases, as well as publications in the equestrian magazine Horse International, took a look at the situation from a different angle.

Media coverage of FEI named events

Although international events were largely on hold, there were still great opportunities to feature the sport in the media through interviews and storylines resulting in positive growth in the media coverage worldwide in 2020.

Media coverage up to the FEI World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas (USA), which sadly had to be cancelled, showed a 25% increase compared to the previous season, reaching a global audience of over three billion. Over the summer, equestrian sport continued to generate media coverage with series such as the Longines FEI Nations Cup™, which generated an outreach of over four billion despite the lack of live events.

Due to the significant impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the equestrian community, it was also essential that the media report the right message on the cancellation of FEI named competitions. Engaging with news agencies and the mainstream media became an overall priority, which effectively helped to fill the void created by the lack of live sport.

Corporate Media Communications

The Covid-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity for the FEI to increase the scope of “corporate storytelling”, leading to the publication of several articles in online Olympic and trade media such as Around the Rings, Inside the Games and SportBusiness.

The FEI Communications Department continued to work closely with FEI Solidarity Department promoting its activities and success stories alongside key individuals making a difference around the world. This included the promotion of the new gender equality grant launched in 2020 as well as the Covid-19 Relief Fund.

Veterinary

At a glance… 

• International movement of horses
• Less bureaucracy for FEI Veterinarians

The international movement of horses

The International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC), together with the International Thoroughbred Breeders’ Federation, European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders Associations and the European Equestrian Federation formed the IHSC Taskforce for Brexit and EU Animal Health Law (AHL) chaired by the FEI Veterinary Director.

The primary role of the Taskforce was to analyse the impact of proposed and expected changes and to devise and present solutions and models which would facilitate movement of Thoroughbreds and Sport Horses (Competition, Training and Breeding Animals) across the EU and in particular between the EU and the United Kingdom post-Brexit and the implementation of the EU AHL.

Less bureaucracy for FEI Veterinarians 

The Veterinary Department has further improved the Education System in order to simplify and minimise bureaucracy for Veterinary Officials, National Federations and the Department itself. Online education continued throughout the year, prioritising Permitted Treating Veterinarians and Veterinary Services Managers

Medical Committee Highlights

At a glance… 

• FEI Policy for Enhanced Competition Safety during the Covid-19 Pandemic

FEI Policy for Enhanced Competition Safety during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in the cancellation of the majority of events, much of the planned athlete testing had to be cancelled. In order to ensure a safe return to competition, a new policy had to be created providing guidelines and measures to be respected in order to host events in times of Covid. This was an immense undertaking and is still ongoing, constantly adapting to the situation.