ANNUAL REPORT 2008 ANNUAL REPORT 2008 FOREWORD BY THE FEI PRESIDENT Ultimately and in whatever we do the sheer quality of the From a structural perspective, 2008 saw us continuing the athletic performances and stories that this sport, which vital work of developing Headquarters and populating it we hold so dear, delivered in all our disciplines in 2008 was with creative, energetic, driven but accountable individuals exceptional. We should be proud of the fact that we delivered who are now empowered to deliver the policy of the General the platform for moments as sensational, entertaining Assembly and your committees. and emotional as the mighty Shutterfl y conquering Gothenburg, with his beautiful pilot Meredith for Germany; But along with the people we needed the tools to make for Ian Millar’s crowning moment, in Hong Kong, proving that the servicing of our stakeholders needs effective. And we persistence pays off; for the blessed moment when Hinrich achieved that too. We have an operations manual that gives Romeike reminded us all and the world, that the pinnacle ownership, understanding and accountability for all the of sporting achievement is still at the feet of the amateurs decisions that are made. and professionals in equal measure and the vision of Anky triumphing to the sound of a 1,000 camera shutters; and the We have an IT system, which is giving us the power to communicate roar of horsesport fans all around the world; the image of with our internal audience. We have a commercial stream that is thousands of new faces, from the Asian region, thronging the providing the funding to allow us to fund our regeneration and in course at Bea’s River and crowding the stands at Sha Tin. And particular here I would like to mark the success of our partnership of extraordinary performances throughout the Paralympics, with HSBC in Eventing and the continuing commitment of Rolex and of Augustin Vita for Argentina taking the Silver in the in Jumping. While, in the early months of 2009, we formed a new Endurance World Championships and indeed spectacular partnership with the UAE based company Meydan for the top performances throughout all our disciplines. level FEI Nations Cup, a new beginning for the oldest and most prestigious team competition. That is why we are here, to ensure the delivery of that platform, the platform that shows the best of us, us as a family at all Development programmes rolled out over the course of the levels of the international ladder. year and we secured a new building, which will be a fl agship for our sport, one that will stand tall amongst all International Throughout the year we were assisted in the delivery of those Federations and represent our image and values as a leading events by exceptional organisers and wonderful partners who sport business. were joined in their mission by gifted athletes, both human and equine. The list of thanks and acknowledgements is too The Executive Board and your Bureau is also populated by people long to record here but the work of BOCOG and the Hong who want to listen and want to help and now within our statutes Kong Jockey Club should be singled out for particular praise and processes we will in all possible circumstances say ‘Yes’. not only for the quality of the event but for the circumstances My honest opinion is that now you have faces in the FEI staff, in which it was achieved. the faces are people who are professionals not only in the horse world but individuals that could add value to any other industry they chose to work in. During 2008 I was happy to see a rising trend of communication and interaction between the National Federations and the FEI and during the General Assembly, in the fantastic setting of Buenos Aires, the National Federations, through their actions gave the FEI the greatest gift by showing that they now have direct relationships with the relevant members of staff that now, even from great distances, they are able to move around HQ from offi ce to offi ce. We now have advanced methods of communication with our National Federations and other organisations but we can never rest, assured that we have communicated enough or that we have done enough, we always have to strive for better and we are. What this all means is that we now have a strong foundation on which we can move forward. In 2009 we still have issues to address but as we seek to deal with these we come closer to the point when this organisation will be the modern sport business, which we intended, built on a bedrock of sustainable, transparent and accountable policies guided by the traditions and values of the horse world which we all hold so dear. In closing I would like to express my personal gratitude to both the Volunteer Body as well as the Executive for the dedication and support that they give to this sport that we all hold so dear. On a global level these are challenging times but we can be assured that we have the strongest possible team in both the Volunteer Body and the Executive working to uphold the values and traditions of horsesport in a modern and dynamic setting. HRH Princess Haya CONTENTS FOREWORD BY THE FEI PRESIDENT, HRH PRINCESS HAYA 05 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR 2008 Olympic Games 09 Paralympic Games 14 FEI World Championships 16 FEI Continental & Regional Championships 18 FEI World Breeding Championships For Young Horses 21 Top Ten Final 21 FEI Children’s International Jumping Final 22 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Final, HSBC FEI World Cup™ Final & FEI World Cup™ Finals 22 HSBC FEI Classics 23 Samsung Super League With FEI 24 FEI General Assembly 25 REPORT BY THE FEI SECRETARY GENERAL 26 FEI CORPORATE ACTIVITIES FEI COMMITTEES Audit and Compliance Committee 28 Nominations Committee 28 Athletes Committee 28 Jumping Committee 28 Dressage Committee 29 Eventing Committee 29 Driving Committee 29 Endurance Committee 29 Vaulting Committee 29 Reining Committee 30 Para-Equestrian Committee 30 Children & Pony Committee 30 Veterinary Committee 30 Medical Committee 31 FEI Tribunal 31 FEI REGIONAL GROUPS 32 SPORT DEVELOPMENT 36 FEI SEMINARS AND COURSES 44 OTHER ACTIVITIES FEI Commercial Department 48 Public Relations 49 FINANCIAL RESULTS 53 RESULTS AND STATISTICS FEI Championships and Games : Participation and Results 56 International Events Organised by the National Federations (NFs) 75 Number of Events by Discipline 78 FEI BUREAU AND STAFF 82 IMPRESSUM 84 08 FEI ANNUAL REPORT 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES HIGHLIGHTS 1 The FEI President was among the 268 torchbearers on the second day of the Olympic Torch relay in Beijing OF THE YEAR 2 Team USA (Mclain Ward,Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden and Will Simpson) win their third Olympic gold medal in Jumping 3 Nadine Capellmann and Elvis VA, part of the highly decorated German 2008 gold-medal winning Dressage team 4 HRH The Princess Royal actively encouraging the bronze-medal British Eventing team 5 Member of the winning German team, and winner at the test event in August 2007, Frank Ostholt & Mr Medicott during the cross country phase 6 The scene was set – Panda resting in the heat of the day… 7 Heike Kemmer and Bonaparte, team gold and individual bronze, prepare for their Olympic Grand Prix Test with the help of the entire German team 8 Colour and poise were also on the list of festivities that accompanied the Olympic equestrian programme 3 6 4 1 7 2 5 8 FEI ANNUAL REPORT 2008 09 1 1 The individual Eventing Olympic medallists: Gina Miles (USA), silver; 2 Hinrich Romeike (GER), gold; and Tina Cook (GBR), bronze. 2 A tropical typhoon swept over Hong Kong on the days before the opening ceremony but this did not stop the training - Mark Todd (NZL) prepares his comeback 3 The décor kept a keen watch on the athletes every move 4 The German Dressage team embrace on the top spot of the podium 5 During the Prize-Giving ceremony for the Team Jumping Competition. The medals were presented by HSH the Sovereign Prince Albert II, HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, and Carlos Arthur Nuzman. The fl owers were presented by Alex McLin 6 Great Britain’s Kristina Cook & Miners Frolic earn individual and team bronze for their concerted efforts in the dressage, cross country and jumping phases of the Eventing competitions 3 4 5 6 10 FEI ANNUAL REPORT 2008 1 The art of cooling down 2 A historic third place for Denmark, their first team Dressage medal at Olympic Games: Andreas Helgstrand, Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and Anne van Olst 3 The equestrian events in Hong Kong attracted many new and curious crowds alongside the usual equestrian enthusiasts 4 HRH Princess Haya in conversation with the Whitaker brothers and Tim Stockdale from Jumping Team GBR 5 Travelling through time and space, Martin Atock, Managing Director for Peden Bloodstock, ensured a speedy transfer for the horses from the airport in Hong Kong to the Olympic facilities 6 Laura Kraut and Cedric help Team USA take gold and retain the Olympic Jumping team title for another four years 1 7 Australia’s Clayton Fredericks and Ben Along Time, part of the silver-medal winning team, and seventh individually 8 Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson riding Ninja had to settle for individual silver at the end of a thrilling jump off 3 2 4 5 6 7 8 FEI ANNUAL REPORT 2008 11 1 Ian Millar (CAN) and In Style lead Canada to Olympic silver, marking a record-breaking ninth Olympic participation 2 FEI President from 1994 to 2006, H.R.H.