The Endurance Calendar Task Force held its first meeting via videoconference today (29 April) to discuss and agree proposals on a number of key topics related to the discipline Calendar.

The FEI Board mandated the creation of eight discipline-specific task forces at its online meeting of 24 March with a remit for each of the Task Forces to evaluate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the FEI Calendar and propose ways of mitigating its effects.

Today’s meeting was chaired by FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez, who has overall responsibility for the FEI Calendar and who is chairing each of the discipline Task Forces.

The members who joined today’s Endurance videoconference were FEI Vice Presidents Mark Samuel (CAN) and Jack Huang (TPE), Chair of the FEI Endurance Temporary Committee Sarah Coombs (GBR), European Equestrian Federation representative Quentin Simonet (FRA), Endurance Athletes’ Representative Tarek Taher (KSA) and Pierre Arnould (BEL), representing the Equestrian Organisers (formerly International Equestrian Organisers Association – IEOA). The FEI Endurance Director, FEI Calendar Administrator and representatives of the FEI IT, Legal and Governance departments were also on the call.

The main topics discussed by the group included:

  • Deadlines for National Federations to come back to the FEI with proposed alternative dates for postponed Events
  • Redefining higher level Events for the purposes of the Calendar during the Covid-19 affected period
  • Potential extensions for qualifications and possible derogations
  • FEI Championships 2020 and 2021 – qualifications, preparation & participation

The proposals from the Endurance meeting will now go forward for further discussion and decisions at the next FEI Board videoconference on Tuesday 5 May. A follow-up Endurance Calendar Task Force meeting will be held on Wednesday 13 May.