Departure of Haya sure to be a blow to equestrian sport
Heads invariably plow when the president of the International Equestrian Federation hits town.
Onlookers are left inwards no dubiety that she is a mortal of influence. Her motorcade of 3 or iv vehicles is hard to ignore. And spell the president conducts her business, ane would non have got to hold back far to notice her discreet entourage as well as safety team.
The trappings, of course, have got aught to do with the presidency of the FEI.
Princess Haya was born into the Jordanian regal theatre unit of measurement as well as is married to the ruler of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves every bit deputy prime number government minister of the United Arab Emirates.
The equestrian basis was taken past times surprise yesterday with Haya’s announcement that her presidency will, indeed, live at an halt at the conclusion of her mo four-year term inwards Nov side past times side year, every bit required nether the body’s governing rules. This is despite national federations looking to enact a dominion alter that would have got allowed her a tertiary four-year term.
Indeed, it was Haya who pushed at the start of her presidency, inwards 2006, for a maximum tenure of ii four-year damage for the president.
Haya has been impressive throughout her ii terms, but peculiarly as well as so inwards the start 3 years of her mo term. There appeared to live broad back upwards for the dominion alter that would have got allowed her a tertiary term.
Two months ago, the nine regional grouping chairs of the FEI agreed unanimously to seek a statute alter to that effect. That proposal would have got gone to a vote earlier the FEI’s General Assembly inwards Montreux, Switzerland, this November.
Haya, inwards explaining her decision, said she loved her role. “However, I cannot inwards practiced conscience pose aside my beliefs as well as the commitment I made 7 years agone at ane time that the term bound I supported applies to me.”
Many nations volition sentiment her divergence every bit a blow to the FEI’s stature on the global sporting stage.
Her high international profile as well as powerful connections are greatly valued.
Those qualities no dubiety played a role inwards her winning a spot on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which she volition relinquish when she steps down. Haya was a respected fellow member of the IOC as well as a strong advocate for equestrian sport at an Olympic level.
There are no guarantees that the side past times side president of the FEI volition live voted on to the IOC. The IOC membership never exceeds 115 members, as well as no to a greater extent than than fifteen of those spots are allocated to senior officials inside the international federations of the 26 Olympic disciplines.
Speculation is sure to swirl around her decision. Have other factors been at play?
“Perhaps, morally, she would have got constitute it rattling hard to convey the statute change,” suggested ane source, who noted that Haya had been rattling theatre inwards her sentiment early on inwards her presidency that 8 years was plenty inwards such a role.
The informal coming together organised past times the grouping chairs lastly April, spell aid an FEI Bureau meeting, expressed unanimous back upwards for the statute change. That was sure a clear plenty indication that national federations wanted her inwards the role for some other iv years. However, that did non necessarily dot universal support.
The Daily Telegraph suggested inwards a report on September eighteen that Haya faced a grapple to buy the farm along every bit FEI president over a so-called conflict of involvement arising from drugs scandals around her husband’s equine interests.
Sheikh Mohammed is a keen Equus caballus lover who competes at the highest aeroplane inwards the sport of endurance. And he is a global instrumentalist inwards the thoroughbred racing manufacture through his Godolphin racing empire.
The sheikh was angered several months agone next revelations that ane of his British-based trainers, Mahmood Al Zarooni, had dosed a string of racehorses with anabolic steroids exterior competition. Aside from a thorough review at his thoroughbred operations, the sheikh also criminalized the usage of anabolic steroids inwards racehorses inwards Dubai.
But the spotlight has also fallen on endurance as well as the issues are uncomfortably unopen to habitation for the sheikh.
Several European federations led the charge, suggesting that if the FEI did non start to brand serious inroads into drug infractions as well as fracture rates inwards the Middle East, the reputation of endurance could good sustain lasting damage.
One European national federation fifty-fifty raised the spectre of a breakaway grouping to distance the wider sport from the ongoing problems.
The disciplinary decisions from the FEI over the lastly 8 years render a distressing litany of drug infractions inwards endurance, with a enterprise bulk originating from the Middle East. It has been a blight on the growing condition of the sport.
The Swiss Federation was most vocal, describing the province of affairs every bit critical. It noted that, from 2010 to 2012, 41 endurance horses were constitute to live positive for banned substances.
Notably, 82.9 per cent of the cases inwards endurance originated from the FEI’s zone VII – the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, as well as Jordan.
The missive of the alphabet asserted that such breaches indicated “a clear disrespect of sure riders, trainers as well as veterinarians concerning the welfare of horses inwards sport as well as the FEI code of conduct”.
The sheikh is patently a busy human as well as pays people to gear upwards his racing as well as endurance horses. In 2009, he received a six-month ban subsequently his endurance mount, Tahhan, tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid, stanozolol.
Trainer Abdullah bin Huzaim, who admitted giving the Equus caballus drugs earlier the desert races at Bahrain as well as Dubai, was handed a one-year ban.
Under FEI rules, the mortal riding the Equus caballus inwards an lawsuit is responsible for whatever drug breaches, although other back upwards personnel may also live held accountable if circumstances dictate.
Such matters have got undoubtedly been uncomfortable for Haya, who was instrumental inwards pushing through the Clean Sport reforms inwards her electrical flow term.
Haya as well as the FEI organised meetings to address the endurance issues, but several European nations have got concerns over the makeup of the commission charged with finding a means forward.
However, inwards reality, despite disquiet expressed past times the Swiss equestrian federation over this perceived conflict around her husband’s equestrian interests, she would never have got lost a bid for a tertiary term, had she chosen to pursue it.
One should non underestimate Haya’s role inwards getting the massive equestrian sponsorship deals out of the Saudi Equestrian Fund as well as the watchmaker Longines. Her influence as well as profile has played no small-scale role inwards hauling inwards sponsorship amounting to tens of millions of dollars. Quite simply, Haya moves inwards circles good beyond the attain of whatever FEI president ultimately chosen from the ranks.
It was thence highly probable that the proposed statute alter – the fate of which is at ane time uncertain – would have got got the two-thirds back upwards needed to live passed.
European federations contain precisely xl of the FEI’s 130 fellow member states and, unless circumstances had changed dramatically earlier the Montreux General Assembly, it would live hard to imagine to a greater extent than than a handful opposing the statute change.
Why? Because, quite simply, Haya has proved to live a highly effective president, especially inwards her mo term. The FEI is serving equestrian interests as well as national federations well. Haya has surrounded herself with people who have got helped her deliver promised reforms. Her international profile is invaluable.
Her Clean Sport programme has been lauded, as well as equestrian sports emerged from the London Olympics stronger than ever.
Her global sentiment of equestrian sport has broad support, especially as well as so with the lesser equestrian nations, who may good live concerned most a potential render to a eurocentric FEI with her divergence inwards xiii months.
Any opposition to a tertiary term would have got been centred on Europe, most notably the Swiss as well as Dutch – if ane is to read their reported opposition to the statute alter inwards this way.
One tin empathise a marker of European frustration. Europe is the powerhouse of equestrian sport as well as for decades called all the shots. The game has non ever gone the means of European nations inwards recent years – hold back at jumping’s Nations Cup – but most European members would realise the significance of maintaining a feasible global attain for the sport, especially inwards keeping the substitution equestrian disciplines inside the Olympics.
It should also live noted that no obvious successors for the presidency are waiting inwards the wings.
To pose that inwards perspective, the satisfaction with Haya’s presidency next her start term was weaker inwards 2010, when she stood for re-election, than it is today.
Disquiet over her approach as well as her perceived role inwards the debacle over plans to tolerate limited levels of the anti-inflammatory drug, phenylbutazone, inwards contest horses resulted inwards ii rattling capable European challengers, Sven Holmberg as well as Henk Rottinghuis, standing against her. She nonetheless won hands down.
Who volition live the side past times side president? These are early on days, of course, as well as the basis of equestrian politics is never simple. The manoeuvring is probable to live subtle at first, every bit candidates as well as federations audio out their prospects.
Possibilities at this early on phase include American John Madden, the charismatic chairman of the FEI’s Jumping Committee. His statesman-like qualities are good known. By all accounts, he is an impressive performer.
Another possibility is the affable German linguistic communication Hanfried Haring, who chairs the powerful regional Group 2 of the FEI. He is also chairman of the European Equestrian Federation.
Andrew Finding, a born diplomat as well as electrical flow main executive of the British Equestrian Federation, is some other instrumentalist inwards favour with the FEI hierarchy. Finding heads the commission looking into endurance reform, though it is unlikely that a national federation employee would easily brand the transition.
At this early on stage, nosotros have got no thought every bit to what aspirations Haya’s ii vice-presidents – John McEwen, of Britain, as well as Pablo Tomas Mayorga, of Argentine Republic – may have got inwards damage of stepping upwards to the presidency.
Of course, it is ever possible that some other fellow member of a regal theatre unit of measurement volition live voted into the role. Prince Philip as well as Princess Anne, both of Britain, have got each held the role, every bit has the Castilian Infanta.
Indeed, a perusal of past presidents reveals that the president has had an HRH – his or her regal highness – inwards front end of their advert since the appointment of Prince Bernard, of the Netherlands, inwards 1954.
Could that opened upwards the door for the likes of Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdulla al Kalifa? He is a fellow member of the Bahraini regal theatre unit of measurement as well as deputy prime number government minister of Bahrain. He is main executive of Bahrain’s Olympic Committee as well as chairman of FEI regional grouping 7.
Much has yet to unfold. H5N1 source suggests Princess Haya may good live asked to reconsider her conclusion when fellow member nations come upwards together this Nov for the General Assembly. However, given the content of her controversy announcing her decision, it seems unlikely she volition alter her stance.
Most national federations volition nonetheless live coming to damage with her announcement, trying to operate out what it volition ultimately mean.
It volition live an interesting fourteen months, leading upwards to a vote at the 2014 General Assembly to elect her successor.
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