An unpopular new rider invitation system for international jumping shows has been shelved with immediate effect, with a renewed pledge not to endorse “pay cards,” following a backlash from riders, owners and national federations. The invitations process that applied last year has been reinstated while the FEI Jumping Committee conducts a “further review” of CSI Invitation Rules “to find a sustainable solution acceptable to NFs and stakeholders.”

The new criteria for invitations was linked to a new online entries system, fully operational from January 2018.

But before, during and after the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne on April 10-11, the new process met fierce criticism. In particular, independent show organisers alleged that a preferential system had been applied to Jan Tops’s Global Champions Tour and Global League, with whom the FEI recently settled a lengthy legal battle over FEI exclusivity.

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