FEI President Ingmar De Vos opened the 10^th FEI Sports Forum – and second online version – calling on delegates to share, debate and drive equestrian sport forward “with a collective and proactive spirit of interaction and communication”.
Following a difficult 18 months for the equestrian community with the Covid-19 pandemic and the EHV-1 outbreak in mainland Europe, preparations are now in full swing for the Olympic and Paralympics Games, World and European Championships.
A total of 457 delegates were registered for the FEI Online Sports Forum 2021 with this year’s programme covering Tokyo 2020 preparations and climate mitigation, a review of the FEI Rules for Jumping, Driving and Vaulting and an important session on the integration of Grooms.

The full text of the FEI President’s opening address is available below.

Welcome to all the participants and viewers for the FEI Online Sports Forum 2021!

Several months ago, we had hoped this Sports Forum could be held in person, and we delayed it as much as possible without impacting our governance and rules revision processes, in the small chance that an in-person meeting would eventuate, but it was not to be.
Having said that, we are all here together now, and this Sports Forum, like the many that have preceded it, will be an occasion to share, to debate and to drive our sport forward – with a collective and proactive spirit of interaction and communication.
I don’t need to tell anyone how hard these past 12-18 months have been for the community. We have weathered many storms, from Covid-19 and the chaos that was unleashed on our calendar to the recent EHV-1 outbreak in Europe. But, as I always say – optimism is a moral duty - and with 100 years under our belt, we have everything it takes to overcome adversity. 
So yes, it has been tough.
And yes we have confronted more challenges than we would have liked.

BUT…

We have found solutions, we have gone above and beyond our basic needs – and finally it looks like competitions are picking up again.
Two weeks ago, we held World Championships in Endurance under the new FEI Rules… In 7 weeks we have the Olympic Games followed by the Paralympics Games, World and European Championships the Longines FEI Nations Cup Final and the list goes on… Life does not stop. If anything, we are working harder than ever to make sure we have our place in the international sporting arena!
We have all had to dig deep, and we have learnt so much about what is important to our community, what we stand for and especially what we need to defend. Our sport is unique and we must never take our achievements and our successes for granted.
Since 2012 our community has congregated annually to address key issues at the Sports Forum, and this year we will do so once again. Our discussions have contributed to crucial advancements in our sport, and we have grown closer as a community through our persistent exchange of ideas and our collective drive to better our sport and raise the profile of equestrian. We have some interesting discussions ahead and I am looking forward to hearing your views on the topics we have outlined for this edition, and especially on the topic of Grooms.
So, we might be online, but the sentiment and the passion is by no means diffused. We are here to exchange and to build our path forward.
Thank you once again for your passion, for your resilience and your commitment to equestrian sport. We are not 100 for nothing, let’s make this Sports Forum count, and let’s mark this occasion as a turning point for our sport and our community.
And of course, a big thanks to our Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez for leading the Sports Forum agenda and to all the team that have done a wonderful job in providing such a great setting to have these discussions.
It has been sometimes frustrating, often hard, always challenging and intense, but how enriching it has been!
Also many thanks to all the panelists that have accepted our invitation.
We are already well advanced in the New Year, nonetheless, I wanted to wish you and your loved ones all the best for 2021. Enjoy life to the fullest and never give up on your craziest projects while caring for others and for our environment.

I look forward to hearing from you and I wish you all a successful and interactive FEI Sports Forum 2021.

Session 1: Tokyo 2020 Update
Tuesday 1 June 2021, 12:15 CEST

FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez introduced the first session of the FEI Online Sports Forum 2021, which included discussions on the latest climate mitigation measures for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Clean Sport Regulations as well as key logistical arrangements in place to meet Covid-19 requirements.

Tokyo 2020 final update & logistics
The FEI Director of Games Operations Tim Hadaway provided an update on the Bajikoen Equestrian Park (EQP) and Sea Forest (SFC) venues, horse health certification and quarantine requirements for Tokyo 2020. He also outlined the requirements for shipping feed, veterinary supplies and equipment as well as the on-venue services in place for feed, hay and bedding during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Key points:

• The SFC Cross Country course has been shortened and a new start area created. There is now a second stabling tent, additional cooling facilities and the warm-up area extended. At EQP the final warm-up arena has been installed and footing on the gallop track has been changed since the Ready Steady Tokyo Test Event in 2019.
• 60-day surveillance period, movement papers and pre-export testing will be required for horses prior to entering seven-day Pre-Export Quarantine (PEQ). Negative PCR tests (nasopharyngeal swab) for EHV 1 & 4 and Equine Influenza will be required for horses prior to entering PEQ.
• Plans and timelines for private quarantines should already be completed and signed off by local Ministry vets.
• The Covid-19 mitigation plan for the Aachen PEQ site, as well as the operational plan will be shared soon. The operational plan will include details regarding arrivals, lorry parking, stabling and training times.
• The packing list template is currently being finalised and an updated list of feeds permitted for import to Japan will be published on Inside.FEI.org shortly.
• Veterinary supplements cannot travel with horse equipment. They must be listed as part of a vet kit on Annex D (Peden Bloodstock memo April 2021) and must be submitted prior to 18 June to the Tokyo 2020 Veterinary Services Manager.

Covid-19 countermeasures at Olympic & Paralympic Games
FEI Director of Olympic Games Catrin Norinder highlighted key points:

• The Playbooks, which include Covid-19 counter measures, have been developed by the Japanese government, the Tokyo Organising Committee, International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to ensure safe Games for all stakeholders.
• Only accredited individuals with essential and operational roles can attend the Games. No guests, accompanying persons for IOC, IPC, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs) will be allowed.
• There will be no foreign spectators at the Games and domestic spectator attendance will be decided at a later date.
• In line with the bubble-to-bubble regulations in place throughout the Olympic & Paralympic Games period, everyone attending will be limited to their accommodation and their respective competition venues. No foreign persons involved in the Games will be allowed to use public transport. Stakeholder groups will be kept separated. Horse owners are part of their NOC delegation and the FEI expects confirmation from the IOC on the status of horse owners.
• Two tests (saliva or nasopharyngeal swab) will be required before departure for Tokyo.
• Testing will be required daily for everyone attending the Games for the first three days, instead of isolation. Then every four days as per the defined protocol for each stakeholder group (other than Athletes).
• Athletes will be tested daily in the presence of an Official (not on competition days).
• The FEI is monitoring the sports rules and reviewing solutions to ensure that competitions can be completed and medals awarded if a Team Athlete or essential Official tests positive for Covid-19 during competition.
• Covid Liaison Officers (CLOs) will be appointed to each stakeholder group. CLOs will be responsible for ensuring Covid-19 countermeasures are fully complied with. CLOs will report to the Japanese Government authorities.
• The Tokyo 2020 Playbooks apply to all stakeholders regardless of whether individuals are vaccinated or not. Vaccination is strongly encouraged but is not a requirement. A third version of these Playbooks will be released later in June.

Substitution rules at Tokyo 2020
Catrin Norinder outlined pre-competition changes and substitution rules for the Games:

• A pre-competition change of Athlete/Horse combination can be made several times within the respective national team between 21 June (the date of the FEI nominated entries) up to two hours before the start of the first competition in Dressage, Eventing, as well as Jumping Individual and Jumping Team. A Medical or Veterinary Certificate will not be required.
• Substitutions can be done once per discipline, up to two hours before the start of competition for Team classification. The Late Athlete Replacement (LAR) will need either Medical or Veterinary approval for the following:
  - Substitutions in Dressage between the Team Qualifier and Team Final.
  - Substitutions in Eventing before Cross Country (up to 5:45am on the morning of the start of Cross Country) or before Team Jumping.
  - Substitutions for Jumping between Team Qualifier and Team Final.

Climate mitigation for humans & equines
FEI Athletes Services & Human Anti-Doping Advisor Catherine Bollon and FEI Veterinary Director Göran Åkerström stressed the necessity to begin climate preparation and mitigation practices well before the start of competition in Tokyo. Horses and humans need to be fully prepared to work and compete safely in Tokyo’s hot and humid environment.
Catherine Bollon emphasised a number of key points for human acclimatisation:

• Heat and humidity preparation must begin many weeks before travel and includes training the body to cope with a hot and humid climate, and putting into place an appropriate cooling and hydration routine.
• Travel should be carefully planned to reduce jet lag and travel strain in order to arrive onsite in good shape and transition smoothly into the local climate.
• Appropriate hydration and cooling is crucial at all times.
• Preparations also include learning to recognise heat stress symptoms and deal with them immediately to prevent them from becoming a heat-related emergency.
• The FEI has developed resources (see links below) covering the above points in detail. 

For the horses, Göran Åkerström stated that there will be extensive air conditioning in stables and transportation for the horses in Tokyo. There will also be cooling facilities in all training and competition areas, including regularly refilled supplies of water and ice for horses.
There will be robust mitigation protocols in place during training and competition, climate monitoring at both venues (EQP and SFC) and on the field of play, horse monitoring by specialist veterinarians and physiologists, emergency care facilities and protocols, enhanced decision-making processes to support Ground Juries, and climate protocols put in place by specially trained and very experienced personnel.
Dr Åkerström stressed the need to practice training techniques for hot and humid climates in advance of travelling.

Equine & Human Anti-Doping
FEI Veterinary Director Göran Åkerström informed that extensive testing and analysis of equine samples will be carried out as per all FEI Events. Sample analysis will be carried out at the Laboratory of Racing Chemistry in Tokyo and Persons Responsible will receive ongoing Clean Sport communiques from the FEI.
He stressed the importance of educating Athletes, grooms and team veterinarians on Clean Sport requirements prior to the Games and reminded stakeholders of the opportunity to screen horses in advance through Pre-Arrival Testing (PAT). “This is an outstanding service and covers all substances on the Equine Prohibited Substances List, so please use it”, he said.
Catherine Bollon spoke about human anti-doping:

• The IOC has testing jurisdiction over all athletes competing at the Olympic Games and the IPC over all para athletes competing at the Paralympic Games.
• All athletes registered to compete at the Games must obtain a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) in advance of taking any treatment that contains a substance or method on WADA’s Prohibited List 2021. TUEs for regular treatments must be obtained well before the start of the Games.
• Bringing medication into Japan for personal or team use is strictly regulated and must be in line with Japanese law ahead of travel. Details and essential links are provided in the FEI Doping & Medication Control Guide for Tokyo 2020.
• Athletes should do a full medication check with their team doctor, including for supplements.
• As equestrian is considered a low risk sport for doping in human athletes, there is a tendency for anti-doping not to be taken seriously. Athletes should prepare themselves well in advance and make sure to arrive at the Games well informed.
• All the relevant information about anti-doping at the Tokyo Games is explained in the FEI Doping & Medication Control Guide for Tokyo 2020 and in free e-learning resources made available by WADA on the ADEL platform.
• An FEI Clean Sport emailer campaign for both human and equine athletes attending the Olympic Games began in May 2021, and a similar campaign for Paralympic Games athletes will get underway later in June.

Q&A session
The FEI Secretary General moderated a Q&A session at the end of the presentations, with questions received regarding on-venue Covid-19 testing for Athletes, including P accredited (replacement) Athletes; contingency planning for Eventing cross country; substitutions; transport – particularly for NOC delegates that do not normally have access to the official Games transport system; Covid-19 mitigation in the Grooms Village; and on-venue food entitlements for TAP and P accredited persons.
Catrin Norinder updated that competition postponement contingency plans are in place for Eventing cross country and options in place depending on climatic conditions and weather forecasts at the time.
The FEI is awaiting formal confirmation that all Athletes, including those accommodated outside of the Athletes’ Village, P accredited Athletes and grooms can be Covid-19 tested on venue.
It was confirmed that the use of public transportation will not be permitted, but that the Tokyo Organising Committee has committed to organise transportation, including for persons that do not have transport entitlements with their accreditation. National Federations were urged to also raise this issue with the NOCs, as it affects all sports.
FEI Medical Committee Chair Mark Hart is in contact with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee about the Covid-19 mitigation plan for the Grooms Village and for dealing with any positive cases. The FEI will make this information available to all stakeholders as soon as it becomes available. 
While there has been no change to the food entitlement for those holding P and TAP (Training Access Pass) accreditations, provisions have been made for a café adjacent to the stables that will be available to all Zone 2 accredited personnel.

Key links:
Tokyo 2020 Hub
Beat the Heat videos on FEI Campus
FEI Clean Sport Hub

Presenters:
Tim Hadaway (FEI HQ), Director, Games Operations, Catrin Norinder (FEI HQ), Director, Eventing & Olympic. Göran Åkerström (FEI HQ), Veterinary Director and Catherine Bollon (FEI HQ), Athletes Services & Human Anti-Doping Advisor, Legal Department

Session 2: FEI Jumping FEI Rules Revision
Tuesday 1 June, 14:00 CEST

As the FEI Jumping Rules are undergoing a full revision in 2021 as part of the quadrennial Rules Revision policy, the day’s second session focused on the proposed modifications to the FEI Jumping Rules to be presented to the FEI General Assembly 2021 in November and, subject to approval by the National Federations, will be implemented on 1 January 2022.
FEI Jumping Committee Chair Stephan Ellenbruch provided an overview of the proposed changes put forward by National Federations and stakeholders with whom the FEI has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Proposals centered around an adjustment to time penalties, reimbursement to Organising Committees for Athlete no-shows at Events, judging levels at CSI05* and lower level events, changes to the CSI Invitation Rules, and Certificates of Capability for CSI 5* Events.
Key proposals from the FEI and the FEI Jumping Committee included changes to the starting numbers as well as qualification and eligibility requirements for Grand Prix competitions, a standardisation of formats for all Senior, Youth & Junior Nations Cups, and a harmonisation of the Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) for the Olympic Games, World and Continental Jumping Championships.

Q&A session
In the Q&A session that followed, Robert Ridland, USA Show Jumping Chef d'Equipe and Technical Advisor, cautioned against changing rules that affect the quality of the sport. In particular he highlighted that seeding for a Grand Prix based on merit is good for the sport, organisers and the quality of competition. He also spoke strongly in favour of promoting the Nations Cup series and Championships.
Gerald Kuh from Hong Kong requested the FEI to take another look at the proposal to harmonise the qualification procedures for the Olympic Games, World and Continental Championships in Annex 8 to the FEI Jumping Rules. He stated that the qualifying criteria would surpass the level of Continental Championships outside Europe, making it difficult for a sufficient number of qualified athletes to participate. This would be detrimental to the development of the sport in some continents.
Based on the feedback from the session, and ongoing consultation with the community, the FEI will prepare and publish the first draft of the proposed Jumping Rule changes on 12 July 2021. National Federations and MOU stakeholders will then have seven weeks to review the first draft to make comments and/or propose any changes, prior to the publication of the final draft on 17 October which will be put to vote at the FEI General Assembly in November.

Presenters:
Stephan Ellenbruch (GER), Chair, FEI Jumping Committee, FEI Board Member and Marco Fusté (FEI HQ), Director, Jumping

Session 3: Grooms'integration
Wednesday 2 June 2021, 12:00 CEST
The opening Session of Day 2 was dedicated to Grooms, a vital stakeholder group which has not previously been formally recognised by the FEI and the international equestrian community.
The FEI President, who initiated the first engagement with the Grooms community back in 2017, led the session with a panel of speakers representing the interests of Grooms, Athletes, Owners, Organisers, Officials and National Federations, with discussions providing a 360° view of the status and needs of the Grooms community.
“Grooms play a very important role in our sport, in the day to day life of equine and human athletes and at equestrian competitions, whatever the level may be,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said in his opening remarks to the session. “I don’t think anyone needs to be convinced that they are key for the welfare of our horses and in many cases also for the well-being of our human athletes.
“For this reason I have never understood why this essential role - which also represents a large number of individuals - has never been officially recognised by the FEI as a specific stakeholder group. We do refer to Grooms in some of our rules, but this does not constitute an official status per se. I really believe now is the time to rectify this huge oversight and to officially recognise and integrate Grooms in our organisation and community.”
The discussion panel was made up of Jackie Potts (GBR), Lucy Katan (BGA), Pedro Veniss (BRA), Robin Parsky (USA), Peter Bollen (BEL), Susanne Macken (IRL), Chris Webb (AUS) and Frank Kemperman (NED).
During the session, FEI Director of Information & Sports Technology Gaspard Dufour highlighted the self-registration system currently in place for Grooms and the FEI HorseApp modules that are being developed to allow Grooms to enter horse temperatures at Events in line with current EHV-1 by-laws in mainland Europe. 
Participants also heard from FEI Director of Education Frank Spadinger, who provided an overview of the educational resources for Grooms available on FEI Campus. FEI Tutor Susanne Macken provided insights into the FEI Solidarity Courses for Grooms, which she has delivered around the world since 2012. These courses are available on FEI Campus in both English and Spanish.
Lucy Katan, Executive Director of the British Grooms Association (BGA), took the floor to talk about the creation of an International Grooms Association (IGA), an independent, not-for-profit, professional association with a vision and mission to improving the status of Grooms worldwide. She also outlined the membership requirements, governance and administrative structures of such an organisation.
There was general consensus among panellists about the need for official recognition for Grooms within the community. The participants were also very supportive of the initiatives presented and forthcoming with their own suggestions and ideas, including a recommendation from a Bahraini Jumping and Endurance Judge to add Grooms in the start and results lists, which was warmly welcomed by Lucy Katan who also encouraged all National Federations to include the names of Grooms on the team announcement for the upcoming Olympic & Paralympic Games. This simple and cost effective recommendation received widespread support from panellists as well as from those viewing the session remotely.

Several areas for advancement were identified during the discussions:

• The Grooms community is composed of a diverse group of individuals, from the full time professional Groom to the volunteer, friend or family member who helps out an athlete when competing at an occasional show. Grooms are the key link between the horse owner and the horse and any structures and procedures that will be created need to cater for Grooms from the grassroots to the elite level.
• There is a need to provide a more professional structure for Grooms if the community is to retain individuals in the profession and make it a long-term career path. Providing this structure will go a long way to recognising and acknowledging the important work of Grooms in the industry.   
• A more robust structure is needed to safeguard the welfare and well-being of Grooms. High on the list, is the improvement of working conditions for Grooms, especially at Events where long hours are the norm.
• Grooms should have the possibility to feed back their experiences to Organisers through a ‘Grooms Report’ so that improvements can be made to their working conditions at Events.
• More needs to be done to educate Grooms on biosecurity protocols and horse inspection processes to ensure they have all the resources and the tools to carry out their work effectively. It was noted that many Grooms do not know how to properly present a horse for a horse inspection as they have never been trained to do so. This education is needed for Grooms in developed as well as developing countries. Clean sport certification for Grooms was also seen as necessary.
• There is a real need to make the Grooms community aware of the educational resources and tools that already exist. Education will be key to creating international standards of operation that are accepted and followed by Grooms at all levels. But it was also stated that the FEI and National Federations need to find way of assisting Grooms with their education, especially as most of them do a lot of travelling and are working very long hours at events. The FEI is currently looking into technology that will allow Grooms to listen to FEI Campus material offline.
• Registration of Grooms in the FEI Database will allow for better communication pathways between the FEI and the Grooms community.
• For the needs of Grooms to be met, there needs to be representation in the decision making process. Grooms need a voice that can represent their interests, support their needs and also help to professionalise the industry and the standards. However, panellists cautioned that it would be necessary to look into certification practices so as not to provide more obstacles to entry into the profession.
• It was proposed that the resources and structures being developed for FEI Grooms could also be extended to other equestrian disciplines such as racing and polo.
• Grooms must have more training on the mobile applications that are being developed by the FEI. It was also suggested that paper versions must still exist alongside these Apps as not all Grooms around the world have access to this technology. National Federations need to also help with translating courses for Grooms.
• The possibility of providing the existing Grooms educational courses on FEI Campus in additional languages was also discussed, and the FEI President urged National Federations to provide their support in this process.
• There needs to be more assistance provided to Grooms for working visas, especially the community in Britain following Brexit.

The Session ended with the following key conclusions:

Support for the creation of an International Grooms Association (IGA)
The proposal to create the International Grooms Association (IGA) to give Grooms a unified voice within official decision-making processes has the full support of the FEI, and also of the stakeholders groups represented in the session. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will be established over the coming month between the FEI and the IGA to formalise the partnership.

Creation of Grooms Consultative Group
The session provided the opportunity for the FEI President to announce that a Grooms Consultative Group will be set up by the FEI and will be led by FEI Executive Board Member Frank Kemperman (NED). The Group will be made up of IGA representatives, Owners, Athletes, representatives of Organising Committees, Stewards and National Federations. The Group’s mission is to define 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 President wound up the almost two-hour session on a very positive note.
“We have set in motion the wheels for the future of the Grooms community,” he said.
“There will soon be a representative body and we will have a consultative group to set a framework and a roadmap for the integration and official recognition of the Grooms.
“Today is a very important and special day because for the first time in the 100 years of existence of the FEI, we now officially recognise Grooms. Not only have we recognised them, but we also have a clear way forward and a plan of action.”

Presenters:
Ingmar De Vos, FEI President, Chair FEI Grooms Working Group
Jackie Potts (GBR), Eventing Groom, Member FEI Grooms Working Group
Kirsty Pascoe (FRA), Registered Athlete and Jumping Groom
Lucy Katan (GBR), Executive Director British Grooms Association (BGA)
Pedro Veniss (BRA), FEI Jumping Athlete Representative, Member FEI Athletes Committee
Robin Parsky (USA), Vice President Jumping Owners Club
Peter Bollen (BEL), President Equestrian Organisers
Susanne Macken (IRL), FEI Solidarity Tutor
Frank Kemperman (NED), Chair FEI Dressage Committee, FEI Executive Board Member
Chris Webb (AUS), High Performance Director Equestrian Australia
Gaspard Dufour (FEI HQ), Director Information & Sports Technology
Frank Spadinger (FEI HQ), Director Education & Officials

Session 4: FEI Vaulting Rules Revision
Wednesday 2 June, 14:00 CEST

The proposed modifications to the FEI Vaulting Rules, which are undergoing a full revision in 2021 as part of the quadrennial Rules Revision policy, were the subject of the second session of the day.
FEI Vaulting Committee Chair Pavla Krauspe (SVK) provided an overview of the Committee’s key proposals for rules amendments aimed at increasing the attractiveness of the discipline.
In her presentation, Pavla Krauspe informed participants of the main changes to the Nations team format for FEI Championships, as well as the medal events for Individual and Squad. She also spoke about the Young Vaulters Championships, which aim to provide a better transition between Junior and Senior competition levels, increase the number of athletes and draw more spectators to the discipline.
She also spoke about changes to the calculation of scores and the Equipment Rules, as well as proposed changes to the Officials Ratings to align with the FEI General Regulations so that star ratings will be replaced with Levels throughout all Officials roles.
FEI Vaulting Committee member Anita Flamand (SUI) then presented the Committee’s new concept of Free Test scoring, aimed at improving transparency, accuracy, consistency, flexibility and continuity in the scoring process. This new structure will be applied to all competitions including Pas-de-Deux and Squads.
There were no questions on the proposed modifications to the FEI Vaulting Rules during the Q&A session.
Following this session, and ongoing consultation with the community, the FEI will prepare and publish the first draft of the proposed Vaulting Rules changes on 12 July 2021. National Federations and Memorandum of Understaing (MOU) signatories will then have seven weeks to review the first draft to make comments and/or propose any changes. The final draft of the Rules will be published on 17 October prior to being put to the vote at the FEI General Assembly in November.

Presenters: Pavla Krauspe (SVK), Chair, FEI Vaulting Committee, FEI Board Member, Anita Flamand (SUI), Member, FEI Vaulting Committee & Bettina De Rahm (FEI HQ), Director, Dressage, Para Dressage, Vaulting, Reining

Session 5: FEI Driving Rules Revision
Wednesday 2 June, 15:15 CEST
The proposed modifications to the FEI Driving Rules were the subject of the last session of the FEI Online Sports Forum 2021. The discussions were part of the FEI quadrennial Rules Revision process, which see the FEI Driving Rules undergo a full review in 2021.
Károly Fugli (HUN), Chair of the FEI Driving Committee and FEI Board Member, introduced the Committee’s proposals for changing the FEI Driving scoring system for the Driven Dressage, Marathon and Cones. Jeroen Houterman (NED), member of the FEI Driving Committee, then provided an overview of the proposed changes to the horse inspection process at FEI Driving Events. He later explained the differences between the 2* and 3* Events that will include fewer obstacles and lower speeds in the marathon competitions.
FEI Driving Director Manuel Bandeira de Mello explained the new requirements for Officials at FEI Events, which have been proposed by the Committee to encourage the organisation of more CAI 3* Events.

Q&A Session
The French Federation offered to test the new scoring system at the CAI in Le Pin au Haras (FRA) in July, which would give the opportunity for National Federations to assess the proposed system during an Event and provide their feedback as part of the Rules revision process. Károly Fugli noted the offer and will put it to the FEI Driving Committee for consideration.
Károly Fugli also confirmed that proposed amendments to starting orders, entries for championships, and obstacles in the Marathon will be included in the full Rules Revision. He also noted a suggestion from the French Federation representative for consideration of an additional proposal for the Cones format for the FEI Driving Rules.
During the discussions, panellists provided clarifications on Dressage penalties, as well as time allowed and starts in the Marathon and Cones competitions. The discussion also highlighted the importance of the additional unharnessed horse inspections which are focused on the welfare of the horse.
Based on the feedback from the session, and ongoing consultation with the community, the FEI will prepare and publish the first draft of the proposed Driving Rule changes on 12 July 2021. National Federations and MOU stakeholders will then have seven weeks to review the first draft to make comments and/or propose any changes, prior to the publication of the final draft on 17 October. The Driving Rules will then be voted on at the FEI General Assembly in November.

Presenters: Károly Fugli (HUN), Chair, FEI Driving Committee, FEI Board Member, Jeroen Houterman (NED), Member, FEI Driving Technical Committee, Manuel Bandeira de Mello (FEI HQ), FEI Driving Director.