High-powered group to look at future of endurance

An FEI commission has been named to draft a road-map to prosperity for the fast-growing sport of endurance, next unease with around national federations over fracture rates too drug infractions inwards the Middle East.

The FEI has named its Endurance Strategic Planning Group, which follows on from the Round Table coming together held belatedly inwards July to hash out endurance concerns.

The novel grouping has been tasked with developing a strategic excogitation for endurance to encompass the side past times side decade.

The FEI says the excogitation must line of piece of occupation organisation human relationship for increased levels of participation, a greater number of events too improved standards.

“The national federations, athletes, trainers, officials too organisers must adhere to too promote the highest Clean Sport standards too run across the FEI’s Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Equus caballus at all events,” the governing trunk said.

“It should encourage an environs inwards which riders too horses compete inwards a spirit of partnership too fair play according to the requirements of the FEI’s Clean Sport policies too where the welfare of the equine athlete is paramount.”

The recommendations from the grouping volition larn to the FEI General Assembly for consideration.

The group’s get-go conference is set for this calendar week too members volition run across inwards mortal inwards Dubai early on inwards October.

The grouping volition live on chaired past times Andrew Finding, a European Equestrian Federation board fellow member too principal executive of the British Equestrian Federation.

The other members are veterinary Brian Sheahan, of Australia, who chairs the FEI Endurance Committee; Joe Mattingley, of the United States, an international Endurance rider; Saeed H Al Tayer, of the United Arab Emirates, who is vice-president of the Dubai Equestrian Club too organiser of FEI World Endurance Championships; too veterinary Jean-Louis Leclerc, of France, an internationally respected too successful chef d’équipe too squad manager inside the discipline.

FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos said: “Andrew Finding is ane of the most knowledgeable people inwards equestrian sport worldwide too all the members choose a wealth of expertise every bit veterinarians, successful riders, trainers, lawsuit organisers too squad managers.”

The grouping would live on fully supported past times FEI manager of endurance Ian Williams too FEI veterinary manager Graeme Cooke, de Vos said.

“I direct keep no dubiety that the grouping volition analyse the dependent land thoroughly too professionally too volition supply the FEI with audio recommendations for the sport’s farther successful development.”

Finding pledged to live on diligent inwards the role. “I shall approach this chore from a totally independent standpoint,” he said.

“The grouping volition move with consummate integrity, taking advice from those who are familiar with the problems too challenges of endurance sport.

“If I demand to live on tough inwards commenting on behalf of the grouping hence that is what I shall do. It is my intention to direct keep our move followed too verified past times the Equestrian Community Integrity Unit.

“Our most of import objective is to uncovering solutions too assist ensure the sport too everyone connected with it follows, at all times, the FEI’s Clean Sport policy too the Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Horse. We must expect forrard too move together positively.”

The grouping arose from July’s round-table coming together inwards Lausanne, Switzerland, merely solely fourth dimension volition tell whether its proposals volition remain tensions over worrying levels of drug infractions too injuries inwards the Middle East.

That coming together drew 22 delegates, including representatives from Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the European Equestrian Federation, the FEI Endurance Committee too FEI Headquarters.

Delegates agreed that, globally, all efforts would live on made to trim the numbers of horses testing positive for prohibited substances too suffering injuries, with delegates agreeing that the electrical flow rules, when fully implemented, already served the sport well.

Short-term proposals included reinforcement of the duties too obligations of FEI officials too increased levels of testing for prohibited substances inwards all regions.

Finding said the coming together had involved “a total too frank give-and-take close the challenges for endurance”.

The coming together was called every bit a effect of growing concerns expressed past times several national federations over drug infractions too injury rates inwards the Middle East.

One European national federation fifty-fifty raised the prospect of a breakaway grouping to distance the wider sport from the ongoing problems.

For the terminal decade, endurance has been the fastest-growing FEI dependent land inwards price of the number of FEI events too FEI riders too horses. Two years agone it surpassed dressage every bit the second-largest FEI dependent land too at that spot has fifty-fifty been verbalize of the FEI trying to gain Olympic condition for endurance.

But the disciplinary decisions from the FEI over the terminal 8 years supply a distressing litany of drug infractions inwards endurance, with a venture bulk originating from the Middle East. It has been a blight on the growing condition of the sport.

The Swiss Equestrian Federation led the accuse on the number over infractions inwards the Middle East, writing to FEI secretarial assistant full general Ingmar de Vos belatedly inwards March on the issue.

Its president, Charles Trolliet, too a board member, Peter Christen, set out the federation’s concerns inwards a three-page letter, maxim they were writing on behalf of worried riders, trainers too officials, every bit good every bit the public, media, too creature protection groups.

The twosome said the Swiss federation could non direct keep the province of affairs whatever longer, citing creature welfare concerns too the fairness of competitions.

The alphabetic lineament discussed drug concerns too “tremendous” fracture rates.

It noted that, from 2010 to 2012, 41 endurance horses were institute to live on positive for banned substances.

By comparison, the dependent land of jumping, which had 31,064 registered horses – to a greater extent than than iii times the number registered for endurance – recorded xix infringements inwards the same period.

Notably, the alphabetic lineament said, 82.9 per cent of the cases inwards endurance originated from the FEI’s zone VII – the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, too Jordan.

The alphabetic lineament asserted that such breaches indicated “a clear disrespect of for sure riders, trainers too veterinarians concerning the welfare of horses inwards sport too the FEI code of conduct”.

The federation called on the FEI to choose immediate measures to increment medication controls, peculiarly inwards nations known to direct keep a high frequency of positive exam results.

It suggested a organisation live on introduced allowing for the temporary exclusion of nations with a miserable doping record.

“This critical province of affairs … is of the highest potential explosive relevance,” the alphabetic lineament said, “putting at opportunity the icon of all other FEI equestrian disciplines.”

The Swiss raised the prospect of an international campaign of riders, trainers too officials existence created who were no longer willing to direct keep the situation.

The French federation had written to the FEI close the welfare issue, inwards rather briefer terms, inwards Oct terminal year.

National sports manager Pascal Dubois suggested if the number was non addressed, it threatened to tarnish the reputation of endurance.

It is understood that Belgian officials had also complained.

Endurance doping: Time to depict a line inwards the desert sand?

Drug breaches inwards endurance must live on cut, delegates agree

 

 

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