IJRC renews its leadership. François Mathy Jr. the new president.
New young members enter the Board heading for the future.
This morning, the IJRC held its annual meeting chaired by Eleonora Ottaviani, in a well-attended hall of the Marriott Hotel in Geneva. Many of the stakeholders of international jumping recognise this meeting as a stable point of reference for the development and governance of the sport.
Many important tasks took centre stage, especially considering that the meeting comes at the end of the season and only two weeks after the Fei General Assembly in Mexico City.
The 2023 IJRC Annual Assembly also had in its schedule the renewal of the IJRC presidency and board.
The outgoing president Kevin Staut, at the end of a satisfying term, opened the working session and greeted the changeover to 'colleague' François Mathy jr, voted in by Club members.
Talking about the new IJRC board, it will be formed by Steve Guerdat, Michael Duffy, Richard Vogel, Ludger Beerbaum, Rodrigo Pessoa, Emilio Bicocchi, Kevin Staut and a US representative to be elected by the North American Riders Club.
Among the most sensitive topics expressed by the riders for whom the IJRC represents a reliable channel of analysis and comparison, the assembly dealt with the problem of minimum prizes at 1-star competitions, entries and extra-fees, the problems of the continuous updates of the Fei TackApp (the Fei application that provides information on allowed and prohibited tack, equipment and dress in FEI Competitions), the new rules imposed by the Fei regulations on the elimination of horses, and the criterion of the allocation of ranking points.
The issue of the strict grid imposed by the TackApp, and the rules of elimination were extremely heartfelt by the riders who, with the current approach, feel they’ve got to deal with unstable, sometimes unfair, regulations in a year that looks straight towards Paris.
Max Kühner, François Mathy, Stephan Ellenbruch (Chairman of the Fei Jumping Committee, connected from remote) and Ludger Beerbaum – in a relaxed but very firm discussion, suggested to have Max Kühner as IJRC elected representative to act in the Fei TackApp working group.
Another subject that arose loud and clear during the Assembly is the need for riders to become more proactive in their contacts with their federations, so that their instances are received more forcefully and become an instrument, within the institutions, for changes that are needed to improve the sport.
A review of the rankings is another matter of some concern, especially with regard to the criteria for the awarding of points, which up to now has taken place according to a system that was based on an ever-changing sport that is very different in its organisation from the one that exists today and will exist tomorrow.
Confirming the great cooperation with the Fei, IJRC Assembly was also attended by Todd Hindle, the new director of Fei Jumping, Paule Gerritsen and Gaspard Dufourd. The riders did not miss the opportunity to raise some very relevant issues concerning the Fei main events. Von Eckermann pointed out that the ground at the World Cup final in Omaha was not suitable for such an event. Ben Maher, for his part, denounced bugs in the organisation, infrastructure, and technical aspects of the European Championships in Milan. He asked the Fei to more carefully evaluate the Organising Committees in charge of ‘major events. His opinion was shared by the rest of the riders.
Peter and Harry Charles' interventions on the topic of ranking points in Nations Cups were much appreciated. They pointed out that most riders felt that more points should be awarded in NC than in other events.
For those who wish to review the entire IJRC Assembly with all the speeches THIS is the linkhttps://www.ijrc.org/en/News-results-1/ROLEX-IJRC-TOP-10-FINAL-READY-TO-GO-LIVE-STREAM-HERE.html
IJRC press release
Gallery
