The FEI Tribunal has announced its decision in the case of the British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) challenge to the FEI Bureau resolution relegating the British team from the FEI Nations Cup™. The Tribunal has decided not to intervene in the Bureau’s decision of 17 September 2009 relegating the Great Britain, Belgium, and Italian teams and has therefore declined the BEF’s challenge. As a consequence, those three teams remain relegated to the FEI Nations Cup™ Promotional League for the 2010 season.
There had been some confusion at the end of the season when the British and Belgian teams tied for eight place in the 2009 Meydan FEI Nations Cup standings while Italy finished 10th. According to the rules, the Nations Cup teams that finish ninth and 10th are demoted to the Promotional League, and the highest placed team in the Promotional League joins the Top League. FEI officials first decided to allow both Britain and Belgium to compete in the Top League, then reversed their decision several weeks later and demoted both teams to the Promotional League.
Horse & Hound reported that a spokesman for the BEF said: “We are very disappointed by this and need to consider the decision of the FEI Tribunal in detail before deciding our next move. We will also consult our stakeholders prior to making a final decision. The BEF has 30 days in which to confirm whether they will carry on the appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
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