Global Champions Tour Joins the FEI Family

As a joint initiative of FEI President HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and the International Jumping Riders’ Club (IJRC), a meeting between the FEI and the organisers of the series of international equestrian events promoted as the ‘Global Champions Tour’ (GCT) took place on 17 September 2007 in Paris. Jan Tops and Fred van Lierop represented the GCT. Rodrigo Pessoa, IJRC President; Ludger Beerbaum; Cayetano Martinez de Irujo; Michel Robert; and Eleonora Ottaviani, IJRC Director, represented the IJRC. Also present was Frank Kempermann, organiser of CHIO Aachen. The FEI was represented by its President, Deputy Secretary General Alex McLin and Director of Jumping John Roche as well as first Vice President Sven Holmberg, Chairman of the FEI Jumping Committee.

The objective of the meeting was to bring to the table all the parties and initiate negotiations between the Global Champions Tour, and the FEI. The Tour created by Jan Tops two years ago was fully supported by the top 20 riders on the Rolex Rankings. It had also created a solid foundation of media interest and television coverage, as a recognised and popular commercial series. A commercial and regulatory deadlock between the FEI and Global Champions Tour endured for two years, until it became evident that the GCT might evolve into an independent structure outside of the scope of the FEI calendar and rules, thereby splitting horsesport by potentially creating a second governing body.

FEI President HRH Princess Haya said, “As an active athlete I had watched the growth of the GCT prior to my election, and understood that its creation did not happen in a vacuum. It was the obvious and inevitable answer to a cluttered commercial landscape in our discipline. GCT also did not survive for two years and evolve to this point by being anything other than a commercially viable product, and a fresh series that has invigorated the discipline of show jumping.”

The FEI committed for its part to support equal treatment for all series in the FEI calendar worldwide. The meeting was also successful at achieving a commitment from GCT on some sports criteria governing FEI series and on respect of the current CSI5* invitation system. It was agreed that participation in an event should never be specifically conditioned on the ability of an athlete to pay. The parties signed a memorandum of understanding, which is a precondition for an application to be made to the FEI Bureau for acceptance of the GCT into the FEI calendar as a recognised series. Under the FEI General Regulations, series must have the approval of the Bureau and the NFs concerned. On the basis of GCT's commitment in this memorandum, the FEI representatives at the meeting agreed to recommend to the Bureau to accept the application of the GCT to become an FEI series. This Bureau gave its unanimous approval by electronic vote on 20 September 2007.

FEI President further commented, “The status quo between the FEI and the GCT has been broken because both sides were brought together by brave athletes who wished to protect the future of our sport. The GCT was supported by them because it took the initiative to break new ground and address issues that the FEI has thus far not been fast enough to take on. Those same athletes have proven now, that there is no sport without their voice, and this voice is a reasonable, responsible, and visionary one. I am honoured to consider myself their colleague, and I am proud as President of this International Equestrian Federation to have a Bureau and National Federations who have respected their efforts, and chosen to believe in a bright and creative future.”