FEI Ranked Top-Tier in International Federation Governance

The FEI has secured a top-tier placing in the fourth review of International Federation Governance conducted by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). It is the second time the FEI has earned a leading position after welcoming top classification in the previous edition of the review published two years ago.

The evaluation was conducted by the ASOIF Governance Taskforce in 2021-22. As is customary in this process, it took the form of a self-assessment questionnaire with independent moderation of the responses. The questionnaire consisted of 50 measurable indicators covering Transparency, Integrity, Democracy, Development, and Control Mechanisms. Some 33 International Federations took part in the review.

The FEI is one of the seven IFs – the others being the BFW (badminton), FIFA (football), ITF (tennis), UCI (cycling), World Athletics, and World Rugby – which, according to the review, “stood out from the rest” having secured at least 175 out of a maximum of 200 points.

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The complete version of ASOIF’s fourth review of International Federation Governance is available here.

“Being one of the top IFs in good governance practices is a matter of great pride for all of us at the FEI and it reflects the important strides we have taken – and continue to take – as a community to ensure integrity on the field of play but also within the decision-making process,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos commented.

“This is very much a collective effort, and an ongoing effort, to which we are wholeheartedly committed at the FEI. It is also a big responsibility but the silver lining in having good systems in place, such as transparency and consultation, is that there is nowhere to hide and you have to lead by example and serve your community thoroughly and responsibly.

“There are always improvements to be made and when I look back on the last two years since the last IF Governance Review – and the difficult circumstances globally – I believe we have achieved a lot and this is predominantly due to the solid structures we already had in place, which were put to the test but I believe are now even stronger.”

Read up on the FEI’s latest facts and figures in the comprehensive and colourful 2021 FEI Annual Report which was published last week. Among the in-depth statistics and trends presented in the report, it shows that despite the Covid-19 related restrictions still in place and the severe and unexpected outbreak of EHV-1 on mainland Europe, some 3,719 FEI Events took place in 2021, with 39,162 registered athletes and 71,547 registered horses worldwide.

The Annual Report, which was approved at the FEI Board Meeting at its in-person meeting on 21 and 22 June, also presents solid finances with a net profit of over CHF 3,6 million in 2021, with more than half of this sum expected to be reinvested in FEI Solidarity and IT Funds.

“Like all sports, we have had to overcome a lot of challenges these past two years, and I am grateful to the community for their resilience and dedication to ensuring a sustainable future for equestrian sport,” the FEI President concluded. “We are happy but also very humbled that the good practices all of us at the FEI apply to our daily work, and the commitment of members and stakeholders, are being recognised at the highest level of international sport.”