FEI Postpones its Plan to Drop Medals for Grand Prix Special

The FEI is shelving a plan to stop awarding individual medals for the Grand Prix Special (GPS) at world and continental dressage championships, after strong protests from Canada, the U.S. and other national federations (NFs).

Opponents of change were baffled why the classic set test that highlights correct training was deemed dispensable, as were the media and sponsorship opportunities the GPS brings. The International Dressage Trainers Club (IDTC) remarked: “The thought that a sport can be best promoted by producing less sport leaves us dumbfounded!”

NFs also voiced their determination that the format of non-Olympic championships would never be brought in line with the 2020 Olympic changes. Organisers said the loss of a podium day at any championship would seriously affect ticket sales.

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However, the topic is not being dropped for good. It has been removed from voting at the FEI General Assembly in Moscow next month, but may be revived next year.

The IDTC, supported by the International Dressage Riders Club, reminded that the GPS had determined the individual champions for many decades before the invention of freestyle to music, which in due course obtained its dedicated set of individual medals.

The IDTC said: “The rationale for the two medals was to ensure that the classic principles of dressage were maintained and the freestyle did not encourage the sport to veer towards ‘circus’ training.

“This rationale remains relevant today, especially as there is increasing interest in the degree of difficulty, and riders are seeking more and more creative and challenging patterns.

“The idea that spectators find it confusing to have different formats for championships and the Olympic Games borders on an insult to the intelligence of the dressage fan base, whether casual or ‘die hard.’

“Medal attainment [or goals] can be a critical factor in obtaining funding for many federations and the FEI owes a duty to support its member federations’ fiscal health.”

The US Equestrian Federation said: “Medals are the oxygen of publicity and dressage most certainly needs publicity.

“Instead of discarding medals and the excitement medal competitions bring, the focus should be on looking at differing nomenclature between GPS and GPF. Maybe “Dressage World Compulsories Champion and Dressage World Freestyle Champion?”

Great Britain observed that if Denmark’s Catherine Dufour had been denied her GPS medal opportunity at the 2019 Europeans, Germany would have had a clean sweep; one country’s perceived dominance is not good for the long-term health of the sport.

Of the regular medal-winning dressage nations, only the Netherlands supported the FEI proposal, saying it has long campaigned for the alignment of all equestrian disciplines.

New rule proposals for dressage and all other FEI sports can be found here.