Department updates in Main Para Dressage

The FEI Education & Officials Department have recently published explainer videos for the major FEI Para Dressage 2021 Rule changes.

These videos are mainly aimed at Officials and Athletes who are required to be up-to-date with the different rules. For the wider audience these videos will serve a rather informative purpose, providing a deeper understanding of our sport. The goal of these short videos is to highlight the most impactful rule changes and their rationale in each discipline, as well as more general regulations including the Equine Anti-Doping Controlled Medication Regulations and the Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes which underwent a full review in 2020.

You can access all the videos on FEI Campus by clicking on the relevant discipline pages as well as the Veterinary hub. Here are the direct links to:

• FEI Dressage & Para Dressage Rules Changes 2021
• FEI Veterinary Regulations Changes 2021
• FEI General Regulations Changes 2021
• FEI Equine Anti-Doping Controlled Medication Regulations Changes 2021

FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes Changes 2021

The Para Equestrian Technical Committee and Classification Working Group have worked hard to try to make Classification accessible to Athletes during the Covid-19 Pandemic and following the FEI Covid-19 Guidelines for Para Dressage Events. Although the aim is to run Classification fully as per the rules, it is acknowledged that this may not be possible for all Events and for all athletes. A list of exemptions was drawn up and approved by the FEI Board to try and make Classification available for as many Athletes as possible. Athletes aiming to be qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be prioritised in this endeavour. This list can be found published here.

We would like to make it clear that, although certain exemptions have been approved by the FEI Board, they are to be considered on an Event by Event and Athlete by Athlete basis, and some Athlete’s circumstances may not allow for the exemptions to be carried out. Classification must remain fair and safe for all Athletes and Classifiers. The FEI will aim to make Classification a possibility for as many Athletes as possible, especially amongst those qualifying for Tokyo 2020, but cannot guarantee that this will be possible for all.

We ask that National Federations keep track of the Classification requirements of their Athletes, to communicate any requirements in advance with the Para Dressage Department, and to be aware that with the situation changing quickly some Events may have last minute alterations in the schedule which alter the possibility to hold Classification.

The FEI, in cooperation with the Belgian Paralympic Committee and the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), is pleased to inform you that Para Equestrian Athletes (both Dressage and Driving) with Vision Impairments will have the opportunity to be internationally classified in Waregem (BEL) on 21 April 2021 in connection with the CPEDI3* Waregem (BEL).
 
No fee will be charged to athletes attending this particular IBSA Classification.
 
National Federations are kindly requested to submit the Vision Impairment Classification requests to Chloe Harty by Wednesday 10 March 2021 with the following documents:

• The FEI Classification Request Form
• The FEI Consent for Classification Form
• The IBSA Medical Diagnostics Form, completed by a registered ophthalmologist

All of the above forms can be found in Inside.FEI.org and must be completed in full, legibly and in English or with a signed translation in copy. All Athletes, including Athletes with a Review status, must supply all of the above documents, which must be current, i.e. completed in the last 12 months.

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) has confirmed the Paralympic Games Competition Schedule for 2021. For Para Dressage, the competition dates have been moved forward by one day so as to mirror the 2020 daily schedule. The Para Dressage events which were due to start on Thursday 27 August 2020 and finish on Saturday 29 August 2020 will now run from Thursday 26 August 2021 to Monday 30 August 2021. There are also some minor modifications to the starting times.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic equestrian timetable for 2021 can be viewed here on the FEI’s Paralympic hub.

The IPC has confirmed that all National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) that have been allocated a quota place (team or individual) will retain that quota place for the rescheduled Tokyo Paralympic Games (24 August to 5 September 2021).

Taking the postponement of the Games into consideration and the fact that a 1 January 2018 start date for the qualification period would mean the window for qualification would be more than three years (longer than we normally have for Games and FEI Championships), the following modifications are proposed to the Athletes Eligibility section:

• Revising the revised start date to 1 January 2019 and extending the deadline to 5 July 2021 to ensure that all Nations get sufficient chances to achieve the MERs and that all Nations have access to Events despite the current issues due to Covid 19.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Qualification system is available on the FEI website here and the IPC has also published the qualification system here.

We are awaiting IOC and IPC approval for the Olympic and Paralympic Regulations and these will then be submitted to the FEI Board for final approval at its meeting next month (23-25 June). National Federations will be notified immediately afterwards and the Olympic and Paralympic Regulations will also be published on the FEI website.

Over 70 participants representing 23 National Federations attended the FEI Para Equestrian Forum 2019 in Lamotte-Beuvron (FRA) from 25-26 May, where a number of key topics were presented, discussed and debated. 
The Forum, which was hosted by the Fédération Francaise d’Equitation (FFE), was opened by their Secretary General Frédéric Bouix followed by Paralympic athlete Rodolpho Riskalla from Brazil, setting the scene and tone for productive discussions and meetings throughout the weekend. 

Moderated by FEI Para Equestrian Committee Chair Amanda Bond, some of the key topics explored during the Forum were: Classification and the FEI’s Classification Research Project; Tokyo 2020 preparations and climate mitigation; Athlete Welfare and Safeguarding; Coaching from grass roots to International level; Compensating Aids; Para Driving; and an update on FEI Education for Officials. Interactive workshops on the FEI Competition structure, the development of the sport at all levels, in new nations and specifically for the youth demographic were also held.

For more information about the forum please click here.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have opened the process for candidatures to apply for positions on various standing committees. The appointments which are open to candidates are:

• Audit and Finance Committee         (One (1) member and one (1) member being a Paralympic athlete*)
• Classification Committee                (One (1) member being a Paralympic athlete)
• Education Committee                    (Two (2) members and one (1) member being a Paralympic athlete*)
• Medical Committee                       (One (1) member and one (1) member being a Paralympic athlete*)

In addition, the IPC Governing Board is also launching a call for candidates for the IPC Anti-Doping Committee (eight members, one member being a Paralympic athlete, including the position of Chairperson).

*Note: Athletes suggested for the Paralympic athlete positions have to meet the “eight-year criteria”, which means that he/she should not have retired from sport on a Paralympic Games level for longer than eight years.

Please find at the following link the Call for Candidates from the IPC and the IPC Diversity and Inclusion Policy. For more information, and for the application form please contact Chloe Harty. The deadline for candidates to apply is 27 April 2018.

In preparation for a Vision Impairment (VI) Classification opportunity in 2018, please let us know of any athletes with either new or review status who will require a VI Classification in 2018. The location and date of this classification event are not yet confirmed and will be dependent on the athletes requiring classification.                                                               

Please forward this to the person in charge of Para-Equestrian in your Federation.

Questions can be addressed to Chloe Harty.

Hereafter you can find the process to make a FEI Classification request that has not changed since its implementation in January 2017. Please forward this to the person in charge of Para-Equestrian in your Federation.

1. New athletes requiring FEI Classification for the first time -  must apply through their NF to the FEI by completing the FEI Classification Request Form

The Classification request must be made by the athlete’s NF and include:

• The FEI Classification Request Form, completed legibly and in English;
• FEI Consent for Classification Form completed in full and signed by the athlete;
• FEI Certificate of Diagnosis completed in full and signed by the athlete and by a medical doctor. Any additional medical documentation that demonstrates the athlete’s impairment should be included.  All documentation provided must be in English and forms must be signed by all concerned parties.

The Classification request must be received by the FEI at least six (6) weeks before the next international competition where the athlete intends to compete.

The Organising Committee for the international competition where the athlete will be evaluated will charge a non-refundable fee of 40 EUR or equivalent at the time of entry.

2. Athletes who are FEI classified and listed on the FEI Classification Master List with a status of Review (R)

• If a fixed review date is listed on the Master List, athletes should be reviewed at a competition as close as practicable to the date listed;
• If no fixed review date, the athlete should be reviewed at the next opportunity;
• In both of the above, the NF should ensure the organiser of the competition is aware the athlete needs review. The chief classifier for the competition will schedule a time for the athlete to be reviewed;
• The athlete and the NF do not need to contact the FEI or submit any documentation prior to the review. In some instances and only if required, the chief classifier may request further medical documentation from the athlete to assist in allocating a grade after the review.

3. Athletes listed on the FEI Classification Master List with a status of confirmed or review with a fixed review date requesting a review because their impairment and activity limitations are no longer consistent with their current grade must apply through their NF to the FEI by completing a medical review request form.

• A medical review request is to be submitted if: An athlete’s relevant impairment or activity limitation has become less severe, either through medical intervention or other means. Examples of such interventions include, but are not limited to: botox injections to reduce hypertonia or to increase the active range of movement, tendon releases, joint fixations to assist posture/stability, or corrective eye surgery; or if an athlete’s impairment is progressive and has deteriorated to an extent that the athlete most likely does not fit his/ her current grade (sport class) anymore.

Making a Medical Review Request   

The medical review request must be made by the athlete’s NF and include:

• this medical review request form, completed legibly and in English;
• attached medical documentation that demonstrates that the athlete’s impairment changed after the last athlete evaluation the athlete attended; and the medical review request must be received by the FEI at least 6 weeks before the next international competition where the athlete intends to compete.
• the Organising Committee for the international competition where the athlete will be evaluated will charge a non-refundable fee of 40 EUR or equivalent at the time of entry.

All necessary information and relevant forms can be found published here and all request must be sent to the FEI HQ.