OLYMPIC GAMES

FEI Regulations for Equestrian Events at the Olympic Games

As you will recall, during the Rules Session at the 2018 FEI General Assembly in Manama (BRN) it was discussed and agreed that further modifications to the 2020 Olympic Regulations for Equestrian Events might be required based on the feedback of the International Olympic Committee.

On 5 December, a meeting with Swiss Timing and IOC (ORIS: Olympic Results & Information Services) was organised to review the implementation of the approved Equestrian formats in the Olympic results system. Further to this review, certain necessary clarifications / modifications to the 2020 Olympic Regulations were identified. As Swiss Timing and ORIS require urgent confirmation of these clarifications and modifications, they were submitted to the FEI Board for approval at its teleconference on Wednesday 19 December 2018.

Further to the decision of the FEI Board to approve these changes, the updates have been included in the Olympic Regulations (OR) available on inside.fei.org.

The changes made are as follows:

Eventing: Clarification in case of a tie for the Final Team classification, should two or more Teams have each activated a substitution (See OR Article 624.8).

Dressage:  If there is a tie for the last qualification place for the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, a draw will no longer be the first option to break this tie.  Instead, the second highest and second lowest scores of the athletes concerned will be taken into consideration, and if there is still a draw, the third highest and third lowest scores will be considered. Only if there is still a tie and only as a last resort, would a draw be held. (See Article 627.3).

Jumping: Changes made to clarify:

• tie break procedure for the Team classification if the same number of Athletes in each team are eliminated or retired (See OR Article 630.8)
• consequence of the disqualification of a Team member in relation to the activation of a substitution. (See OR Article 630.4)

During its teleconference, the FEI Board also approved the allocation of the Eventing Olympic Qualifier for Groups F and G and the Olympic Regulations and Qualification System documents have been updated to reflect these allocations. The Jumping and Dressage Olympic Qualifiers for the FEI Olympic Group C remain open and will be decided by the end of the year.
 
Please note that final IOC approval of the 2020 Olympic Regulations for Equestrian Competitions and Olympic Qualifiers are still pending.

PARALYMPIC GAMES

FEI Regulations for Equestrian Events at the Paralympic Games

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games FEI webpage has been updated to include the FEI Regulations for Equestrian Events at the Paralympic Games, the FEI Paralympic Rankings Rules and the list of Qualifying Events for 2019. If you have any comments or questions please contact the FEI Para Dressage Department.

FEI OFFICIALS
AGE LIMIT EXTENSION POLICY

Introduction

Policy Criteria

1. The present Policy applies to all FEI Officials and all levels in the FEI Disciplines AND Veterinary.
    
2. The FEI Official who has reached the relevant age limit in 2018 or will reach the relevant age limit in 2019 (the “Applicant”) shall address the request for extension to the FEI Secretary General through his/her National Federation. The request will be sent to the email address of the relevant Department’s Discipline or Veterinary Director’s email address and to [email protected].
    
3. The Applicant must have been active for the past 2 years.
    
4. The Applicant must fulfil the requirements for maintenance of officiating status according to the Discipline requirements in regard to officiating and course attendance with a positive assessment within the past 2 years.
    
5. The Applicant must be in good standing with the FEI. To be in good standing means, but is not limited to: 

6. The FEI Secretary General, in consultation with the Discipline Director and the Chair of relevant Technical Committee, shall at their sole discretion and on a case by case basis have the right to grant a 1 year extension.
    
7. A first 1 year extension may be renewed upon a new application; the same process described above shall apply.
    
8. FEI Officials who reached the relevant age limit in 2017 and before may only re-apply for an extension once the competency-based evaluation system is implemented.

ENDURANCE

Rules

At present, the FEI Endurance Rules define a Catastrophic Injury as one requiring euthanasia. Sanctions are applied on the basis of the owner agreeing to the horse being euthanised and can be avoided if euthanasia is refused with obvious serious welfare consequences for the horse. The Endurance Temporary Committee discussed this serious issue during their meeting on the 12 December and has proposed that, in addition to catastrophic injury, the sanction would also apply when there is a “Severe Injury” of the horse.

In order to protect the welfare of the horse, the FEI Board unanimously approved during their teleconference of 19 December 2018 the following modification to Article 815.3 of the Endurance rules which can be found here. This change would become effective as of 1 February 2019.

Please take note that in keeping with FEI Statutes Art. 20.3, the FEI Board may pass resolutions which are normally the prerogatives of the General Assembly. In such cases, the National Federations are promptly notified. If a majority of the National Federations eligible to vote, respond within thirty (30) days of the date of the notice, signifies its disapproval, the measure shall be rescinded if possible.

In addition, as the Endurance Temporary Committee continues working on its proposals for Endurance Rule changes for 2020, which will be discussed at the FEI Sports Forum next April, the FEI will actively reach out to Organisers to test the implementation of modified Heart Rates and presentation times in order to gather valuable information that will be presented as part of the Endurance discussions at the Sports Forum.
 

EVENTING

Eventing Risk Management Programme - FEI approved Frangible Device

The MIM Skinny Post & Rail kit has been added to the FEI register of products having met the standard for minimum strength of frangible/deformable cross country fences, to be used as from 1^st January 2019.
 
The FEI Registration number given is FEI07SWE.
 
The register of products is published on our website under the Eventing / Risk Management section.

Eventing Education System – Evaluations of Judges at Events for Transfer to Level 3

• There is no change to Eventing Rules 2019 Art 511 which continues to strictly apply.
• This provision only applies to transfer to level 3 Eventing Judges
• The Eventing Course Concept document has been updated to include practical information and posted on FEI website
• Requests already submitted or currently under review (included assessments already planned for 2019) will count for any future transfer.

DRIVING

FEI Driving World Cup^TM Rules

JUMPING

FEI Jumping Children's Classics Final 2018

REINING

Future development

VETERINARIAN

Equine Prohibited Substances: Listing of bisphosphonates