FEI Issues Recommendation of Cancellation Due to Coronavirus COVID-19

FEI recommends cancellation of FEI Events due to Coronavirus

Equestrian News :: Everything Horse

The equestrian industry continues to take action against coronavirus COVID-19 as FEI release official statement of recommendation.

Following last week’s communiqué to National Federations on the recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding coronavirus COVID-19 and Mass Gatherings and the necessity of Event Organisers to conduct a full risk assessment together with local authorities, the FEI has issued a further message to the equestrian community:

The spread of the Coronavirus Covid-19 has taken a rapid turn for the worse and sport worldwide is affected. We as a community have to make our contribution to limit the spread of this virus, as the sooner it can be contained the sooner we will be able to get back to normal life and normal sport. And this is something that every other sport is doing.

The FEI appreciates the amount of work and incredible investment every Organiser puts into their Event. While the FEI does not itself organise any FEI Events, in light of the escalating numbers of persons affected by the virus and the restrictions imposed by national governments, the FEI strongly recommends that Organisers should cancel all events for the next four weeks until a reassessment of the situation can be made.

The FEI and Board will work together with the International Equestrian Organisers Alliance to evaluate what can be done to try and accommodate dates for Events that have been impacted during this period.

We are aware that this is no simple matter, as clearly no single Organiser can be favoured to the detriment of others, and we do not know how many Events will be impacted nor how long the current situation will last.

We have decided that Calendar fees for events that have had to be cancelled because of Covid-19 will be waived. We are also assessing the impact of cancellations of Events on other areas such as ranking points and on athletes and horses seeking MERs for the Olympic or Paralympic Games and qualifications for FEI Championships.”

We can guarantee you that we are monitoring the situation hour-by-hour and that we are constantly looking at what specific situations need to be addressed. Our thoughts are with all of you and we strongly believe that our community will do the right thing and work to support each other through this crisis.”

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.