I am absolutely over-the-moon excited to report that this brand new blog has already attracted the attention of the FEI. Yes, it’s because I wrote something that they feel compelled to correct, but still. I don’t mind standing corrected, and I am more than happy to pass it along to you.
This morning I received a request from the FEI Press Relations Department to correct a misconception that I conveyed in yesterday’s “Might Makes Right” post. Here is what they said:
“There are two points that need clarification and correction in your piece about the IDRC, Might Makes Right, on the Horse Sport International website.
You state that the formal requests from Regional Groups I, II, IV, V and VI that the FEI undertake proceedings to remove the IDRC as an Associate Member of the FEI for violation of the core principles of the FEI and good governance “certainly didn’t take place as a vote during the FEI GA in November”. In fact the issue was discussed in the individual Group meetings that take place during the FEI General Assembly and resolutions were then presented to the FEI Bureau by those Groups during the pre-scheduled meetings between the Regional Groups and the Bureau at the General Assembly.
You also ask “since when do member nations have the right to poke their noses into the business of associate members . . .?” It is actually the General Assembly that approves associate members and the General Assembly is comprised of the 133 member National Federations.
It would be appreciated if you would correct these factual inaccuracies.”
In my response to the Press Dept. I expressed genuine surprise that I had been so wrong in my surmising, for two reasons. Firstly, because I interviewed several delegates about the IDRC issue immediately following the FEI GA, and no one mentioned that there was pressure from member federations to suspend the IDRC. Secondly, the date. The FEI GA was in mid-November. It’s now three and a half months later. Bit of a gap, really, don’t you think? And if this was going on, I am amazed lips stayed so sealed that the IDRC knew nothing about it until they got an email yesterday from the FEI. But there you have it, to accept without question or to question without accepting. The FEI has officially told me that the driving force behind the suspension of the IDRC is the national federations via the Regional Group meetings at the FEI GA.
Would anyone care to add to this? Member federations perhaps? Wayne?
