FEI Executive Board and Board resolutions

Further to decisions already taken by the FEI, including cost-saving measures to reduce expenditure - putting 60% of the FEI staff on temporary partial unemployment as of 15 April, introducing a freeze on recruitment and postponing non-essential projects – and the decision to waive Calender Fees for events that were cancelled due to Covid-19, the FEI Executive Board and FEI Board passed a number of additional resolutions this week.

During its videoconference on 14 April, the FEI Executive Board agreed to:

Waive all Calendar Fees from 15 March 2020 to the end of the year.

Reduce National Federation 2020 annual subscriptions by 50%; remove late interest fees and extend the deadline for all invoices to be paid from 30 to 90 days.

Reimburse FEI.TV subscribers while there are no live events being broadcast on the platform and provide all its coverage of past events and special equestrian features free of charge to everyone while live sport is on hold.

The FEI Board agreed the following resolutions during a videoconference on 15 April:

Continental Championships
Regarding Continental Championships for Youth 2020, the Board agreed that the decision to maintain or cancel a Championship in the FEI Calendar should be taken, at the latest, 10 weeks before the Championship. If a decision to postpone to a later date in 2020 is agreed, the Championship should not take place outside the school holidays.

A decision on the Continental Championships 2021 for Seniors will be communicated at a later date.

Calendar Task Forces
The EEF and IEOA representatives on the discipline-specific Calendar Task Forces were confirmed to the Board.

EEF: Ulf Helgstrand (DEN) for Dressage/Para Dressage; Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR) for Eventing; Quentin Simonet (FRA) for Endurance, Driving, Vaulting and Reining.
IEOA: Thomas Baur (GER) for Dressage; Pierre Arnould (BEL) for Endurance; Peter Bollen, Jumping, Eventing, Vaulting and Reining; Jeroen Houterman (NED) for Driving.
Each of these EEF/IEOA representatives have the full power to represent their Organisations and take decisions in the name of those Organisations on the relevant FEI Calendar Task Force.

Meeting dates for each of the Calendar Task Forces were also confirmed:

16 April – Dressage
20 April – Joint Task Force meeting for Driving, Vaulting and Reining, specifically to discuss FEI European Championships for Youth and Seniors in 2020 and 2021, which is the most pressing calendar issue. Following this, separate meetings will be held with each discipline Task Force to review potential date clash issues.
22 April – second meeting for Jumping Task Force
24 April – Eventing
28 April – second meeting for Dressage Task Force
29 April – Endurance
30 April – Para Dressage

Veterinary

**Equine Influenza vaccination requirements
Subject to Article 20.3 of the FEI Statutes, the Board approves to temporarily derogate the application of Articles 23, 24 and 25 of Annex VI of the Veterinary Regulations until 31 December 2020 given that, from an immunological perspective, this waiver does not constitute a risk for lower immunity against Equine Influenza.

**Pony measurement
Subject to Article 20.3 of the FEI Statutes, the Board approves to temporarily derogate Article 1087.2 of the Veterinary Regulations in order to allow for ponies newly registered as of 1 January 2020 to be able to compete without an FEI height certificate until 31 December 2020. Three events are exempted from the derogation: FEI European Pony Championships; FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Youth Final; FEI Jumping Ponies Trophy Final.

The FEI Veterinary Regulations 2020 (Article 1087.4) will apply and measurement will be carried out in accordance with Annex IV of the Veterinary Regulations. For the above three events, where possible, measuring sessions will be organised for the newly registered ponies in advance of the Events.

Finance

The FEI Board agreed to the Executive Board proposal to waive all Calendar Fees for Events between 15 March 2020 and the end of the year.

A decision on reducing or waiving organising dues has been deferred to the FEI Board meeting in June until there is more clarity on how many Events will potentially be organised in 2020.

Jumping
The FEI Board noted the decision by the FEI Jumping Committee to maintain the 1 January 2021 date of implementation for the rule on hind boots at all FEI Jumping Events. Article 257.2.6 of the FEI Jumping Rules: For implementation as of 1 January 2021: Only hind boots as described in JRs Art. 257.2.4 and 257.2.5, may be used at international Jumping Events.

Medical
The Board mandated the FEI Medical Committee to work on a protocol that will be provided to National Federations on measures for Organising Committees for when international equestrian events resume after the Covid-19 pandemic.

FEI Statutes
As you were advised last week (8 April), the FEI Board approved resolutions based on proposals from the Jumping Calendar Task Force. The three resolutions regarding temporary changes to the rules for CSI 3*, CSIP/CSIOP and CSI 2* events were approved under Article 20.3 of the FEI Statutes, which states: In an Emergency Situation the Board may, by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of votes cast, pass Resolutions which are normally the prerogatives of the General Assembly. In such cases, the National Federations shall be notified promptly of these measures. If a majority of the National Federations eligible to vote, responding within thirty (30) days of the date of the notice, signifies its disapproval, the measure shall be rescinded if possible. (An Emergency Situation is defined in the Statutes as “a serious situation or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and clearly requires immediate action”.)

National Federations wishing to signify their disapproval of the three resolutions above and the two resolutions listed under Veterinary (marked ** above), which were also approved under Article 20.3, have until 16 May 2020 to do so.