Mercury rising: The show must go on in Montreux

The state of Freddie Mercury inwards Montreux, Switzerland. © Bernd Brägelmann

Hipsters from the world’s national equestrian federations, virtually to pack their bags together with caput for Montreux for the FEI General Assembly, volition no doubtfulness live disappointed to lead hold missed the Swiss town’s annual Freddie Mercury Memorial Day.

Montreux celebrates the slowly together with cracking atomic number 82 vocalist of British stone band Queen inwards the get-go calendar week inwards September, with fans flocking to the shores of Lake Geneva to lead hold portion inwards festivities together with admire the three-metre tall statue of Mercury on the waterfront.

Delegates to the Nov 4-7 gathering volition instead live left to ponder the mercurial goings-on inwards recent weeks unopen to the FEI’s troubles with endurance together with the bespeak to detect a novel president inwards 2014.

The General Assembly programme looks comparatively earnest, it has to live said, with solely a handful of issues probable to generate whatsoever form of heat.

It is the discussions inwards a social setting, over the canapes together with a overnice drinking glass or 2 of chablis, that are probable to live the most revealing.

Foremost volition for sure live beak of potential candidates to supervene upon Princess Haya equally FEI president slowly side past times side year.

The Jordanian princess, married to Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has without doubtfulness been the most hands-on president of the FEI inwards recent history.

It was Haya who pushed at the start of her presidency, inwards 2006, for a maximum tenure of 2 four-year price for the president, believing that was long plenty for anyone inwards the role.

Haya has been impressive throughout her 2 terms, but peculiarly together with hence inwards the get-go 3 years of her instant term.

There appeared to live broad back upwardly for the dominion alter that would lead hold allowed her a tertiary term.

Three months ago, the nine regional grouping chairs of the FEI agreed unanimously to seek a statute alter to that effect. That proposal would lead hold gone to a vote earlier the General Assembly inwards Montreux.

But slowly inwards September Haya announced that 2014 would, indeed, live her lastly twelvemonth equally president, equally required nether the constitution.

In explaining her decision, she said she loved her role. “However, I cannot inwards proficient conscience set aside my beliefs together with the commitment I made vii years agone at nowadays that the term restrict I supported applies to me.”

Many nations volition sentiment her deviation equally a blow to the FEI’s stature on the global sporting stage. Her high international profile together with powerful connections are greatly valued.

Those qualities no doubtfulness played a portion inwards her winning a topographic point on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which she volition relinquish when she steps down. Haya has been 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, together with 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.

Yes, at that topographic point lead hold been controversies. There was the fiasco over the so-called progressive drugs listing that led to an embarrassing backdown past times the FEI. There was the six-month ban imposed on her married adult man inwards 2009 afterwards his mount, Tahhan, tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid, stanozolol. H5N1 trainer admitted using the drug on the horse.

Then at that topographic point was the embarrassing revelation this twelvemonth that trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni had used anabolic steroids on a string of racehorses inside the sheikh’s Godolphin racing functioning inwards Britain.

Later, inwards August, authorities were to seize Equus caballus drugs linked to the endurance side of the sheikh’s British functioning at Moorley Farm inwards Newmarket. While at that topographic point was zero illegal virtually the drugs – they were all procurable inwards United Kingdom of Great Britain together with Northern Ireland – authorities were evidently concerned virtually their importation.

FEI President Princess Haya.

Then, it emerged a shipment of unlicensed veterinarian drugs were seized from a Dubai authorities jet at Stansted aerodrome inwards Essex on May 3. The drugs were labelled incorrectly equally Equus caballus tack.

The sheikh has voiced his anger together with frustration over the breaches, together with has instituted changes inwards a bid to ensure at that topographic point are no repeats.

Now, the issues of doping infractions together with high fracture rates inwards endurance horses are making headlines, with the work centred on Dubai, Qatar together with Bahrain. Several national federations inwards Europe brought the number to a head.

They lead hold demanded action, together with the FEI has begun a process, at nowadays uncomfortably inwards the spotlight afterwards Belgian equestrian official Pierre Arnould voiced his fears for the hereafter of endurance unless the basis governing trunk could rein inwards the excesses inwards the Middle East.

Collectively, that’s a whole airliner total of excess baggage for individual inwards Haya’s topographic point at the helm of the FEI.

On only virtually every level, Haya has negotiated this minefield pretty well, together with the force past times the heads of the regional groupings to permit her a tertiary term was a clear plenty signal of broad support.

She has driven the Clean Sport initiatory together with was instrumental inwards getting primal sponsorships from Swiss luxury watchmaker Longine together with the Saudi Equestrian Fund.

The Daily Telegraph suggested inwards a study on September eighteen that Haya faced a struggle to run on equally FEI president over a so-called conflict of involvement arising from drugs scandals unopen to her husband’s equine interests.

In reality, had the tertiary term gone to a vote earlier the General Assembly – the proposal has since been withdrawn – it was probable to larn broad support, with solely a handful of dissenting nations likely.

So, what of a successor?

It is difficult to imagine that national federation delegates would non live on the dependent past times their tertiary or quaternary drinking glass of chablis.

Most volition live aware that members of regal families lead hold held the post since the appointment of Prince Bernard, of the Netherlands, inwards 1954.

Who tin say whether some other fellow member of a regal solid unit of measurement mightiness non emerge from the blueish bloods to caput the organisation? The FEI is running good together with perchance the scheme could render to a president inwards to a greater extent than of a figurehead role, equally tended to live the illustration with Haya’s predecessors.

However, the evidence at this phase suggests the presidency may become side past times side twelvemonth to individual exterior royalty for the get-go fourth dimension inwards sixty years.

It seems inconceivable that some discussions lead hold non already taken house behind closed doors. Will the 40-odd European nations hold off to unite behind ane candidate? Could a cite or 2 live quietly discussed inwards convivial fashion equally the cognac comes out for a nightcap?

European? American? Could it live individual already serving on the FEI Bureau or asset senior role inwards ane of the major national federations?

The Montreux gathering is sure to supply the get-go movement inwards what could bear witness to live a year-long game of presidential chess.

As for endurance, the Middle Eastern work is proving to live a existent headache for the FEI, which is trumpeting its initiatives to better matters, but every utterance gives the impression that the scheme is carefully walking over egg shells, trying non to crusade offence to anyone, or whatsoever federation, especially inwards the Middle East piece Haya is inwards her lastly twelvemonth equally president.

Poor Pierre Arnould, from Belgium, articulated a sentiment undoubtedly held past times many – that endurance could live inwards existent problem if it does non sort out its problems promptly, together with that the FEI’s reply has non been robust enough. “We bespeak practical, impartial police enforcement measures that volition cease these scandals straightaway together with permanently,” he said.

The FEI’s Endurance Strategic Planning Group has been exploring the issues together with volition introduce its intermediate findings at a special endurance session inwards Montreux on Nov 6. Haya promises the session volition live fully interactive together with hence that the grouping tin heed to federations and, where appropriate, integrate that feedback into its recommendations.

The grouping volition consummate those recommendations past times the halt of Jan 2014, which volition live discussed at an endurance conference inwards Lausanne, Switzerland, side past times side February.

The result of discussions at this conference volition cast portion of the group’s lastly recommendations to the FEI Bureau for what has been referred to equally “immediate action”. Agreed measures volition live presented at the endurance session of the Sports Forum inwards Apr 2014.

Should that all become well, it is possible Haya volition run out role with the endurance work set to bed.

It seems ironic that Haya has had her fair portion of heartache from endurance when, inwards reality, she has had footling inwards the agency of hands-on control.

When elected inwards 2006, she had officially acknowledged a potential conflict of involvement together with delegated potency to the vice-presidents together with executive board to bargain with whatsoever issues related to endurance that mightiness involve a possible conflict.

Other issues? Delegates must finalise the Olympic together with Paralympic qualification path for the 2016 Games inwards Rio de Janiero.

The Pan-American countries are probable to lead hold a tidings or 2 to say virtually Olympic qualification.

The force for Paralympic qualification at 2 events, instead of one, is probable to lead hold toll implications for smaller federations, especially those exterior Europe.

Nations may besides lead hold something to say virtually the separate proposed with the horses restrict for Rio.

Rio, similar London, volition involve 200 horses. But electrical flow proposals involve reducing the number of eventing horses from 75 to 65, together with increasing the number of dressage horses from fifty to 60. The electrical flow proposal would maintain showjumpers at 75.

Eventing numbers would live cutting nether the proposal past times reducing each squad from 5 to four, with 3 scores to count.

It seems solely fair that the lastly tidings should become to Freddie Mercury, whose ability ballad, We are the Champions, may ultimately supply a plumbing equipment epitaph for Haya’s presidency when her term ends inwards Nov side past times side year:

” … mistakes,

I’ve made a few,

I’ve had my portion of sand

Kicked inwards my face

But I’ve come upwardly through.”

 

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