Reorganisation of the FEI calendar

As part of a specially accelerated approval process, the FEI Board approved the resolutions in a special teleconference convened for this purpose yesterday. These new arrangements will remain in place for the remainder of 2020, with the possibility of being reviewed for next year if necessary. The FEI Board confirmed the following existing rules for CSI 5*, CSI 4* and CSIO, as well as temporary changes to the rules for CSI 3*, CSI 2* and CSIP.

For CSIO and CSI 5 and 4*, all existing rules apply. Requests for date changes must be received by the FEI 12 weeks before the event, invitation rules remain in place, etc. For CSI 3*, exempted from the specific rules on conflict of dates, requests or date changes will only be considered by the FEI if they are provided to the FEI by the National Federations at least eight weeks before the event, instead of the usual twelve weeks. All other rules, including the CSI Invitation Rules, remain in place. For CSI 2 *, the CSI Invitation Rules are temporarily suspended. All other rules remain in place. For CSI Ponies, exempted from the conflict of date rules, requests or date changes will only be considered by the FEI if they are provided to the FEI by the National Federations at least four weeks before the event, instead of the usual twelve weeks. The invitation rules do not apply. All other rules remain in place.

The Board also approved a number of other resolutions which will now need to be further considered by the Jumping Calendar Working Group. For example, it was agreed to give priority to all CSIOs where conflicts of dates were being considered, whether as stand-alone events (such as the 5* CSIOs in Aachen, Calgary or Knokke, for example) or as stages in part of a series, in order to allow national teams to prepare for the 2021 Olympic Games. The Board asked the working group to consider conflicting dates on a case-by-case basis once applications and/or changes have been sent in by National Federations.

Regarding changes of dates from one event to another by the same organiser, as previously authorised, the FEI Board asked the working group to review and authorise, on a case-by-case basis, changes of venue requested by the same organiser. It also instructed the working group to examine the impact of the requested date changes on existing calendar events and to propose solutions to FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez and the Board.

In addition, the Board discussed the 2020 and 2021 FEI Championships, potential initiatives to minimise the impact of the pandemic on event organisers, and the FEI series, including the 2020 Longines Nations Cup and the 2020-2021 Longines World Cup season. “These points will be discussed in more detail by the Jumping Committee during its teleconference this week and the Jumping Committee will then make its recommendations to the FEI Board of Directors,” said the FEI press release this evening. The Board of Directors has also asked the Executive Board to examine the financial consequences of Covid-19 and the economic impact of potentially granting certain waivers to the fees charged to event organisers.

The key principles approved by the FEI Board will now be shared with the seven other working groups set up to assess the impact of the virus on the international calendar for dressage, para-dressage, eventing, driving, endurance, aerobatics and reining. Each of the groups, whose meetings will be scheduled over the next few days, consists of a core group of FEI elected officials and staff, the chairman of the relevant technical committee, an athlete representative and the FEI sports director for the specific discipline. The President of the FEI must be kept informed of the work of each of the working groups and, where appropriate, will help to finalise proposals for approval by the Board of Directors.