Dear friends and member colleagues,
We had earlier informed you that the upcoming IJOC General Assembly 2026 would run online on the 26th of January 2026 at 18:30 hours CET.
Going forward, it is now time to provide more information.
Dear Friends,
As we are in the second half of the year, the rule revision process is getting closer to another important target
date. By the end of this month, we need to revert to the FEI on the first proposal that was shared. I would like
to thank you for the valuable feedback we received which we will be reviewing with the board and bundle
towards the FEI. On top of that, I can also share with you that we have been invited to an FEI Stakeholder
Meeting in Lausanne during the month of October for which we will be discussing tack related topics.
Interesting discussions will be held and of course we will keep you also posted on these evolutions.
Photo caption: Team silver medallist Karl Cook (USA) riding Caracole de la Roque in the individual Jumping final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on 6 August 2024. © FEI/Benjamin Clark
Santa Anita Park, located in proximity to the Los Angeles city area, has been confirmed as the venue of the equestrian events of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28).
“Santa Anita Park will be a spectacular venue for the LA28 Olympic equestrian events,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.
“The FEI has very fond memories of Santa Anita, which had hosted the equestrian events at the 1984 Olympic Games. The venue is set to offer a breathtaking stage for all the Olympic equestrian competitions and the proximity to LA City will undoubtedly attract many spectators to Santa Anita. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with LA28 to deliver spectacular equestrian events at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.”
“I would like to thank the FEI on behalf of the IOC for the active engagement in all the discussions regarding the venue,” IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell said. “We have created a strong partnership with the Organising Committee and the city of Los Angeles, which enjoys the full support of the local equestrian community.”
“We have the utmost confidence in the LA2028 Organizing Committee, and we anticipate exceptional equestrian sport will take place at this special legacy venue from the 1984 Olympic Games. We are also extremely pleased that the IOC has confirmed the athlete quotas across the disciplines for 2028 and they remain unchanged from 2024,” said Bill Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of US Equestrian.
Santa Anita features an on-course veterinary clinic and has hosted some of the major Thoroughbred events in the USA including the Breeders Cup. The famous champion thoroughbred racehorse Seabiscuit won his last race at Santa Anita in 1940. The facility also hosts a CSI3* as well as a FEI Jumping World Cup™ Qualifier CSI5*-W, which this year will take place in November.
Santa Anita covers 130Ha (320 acres) and includes a 340m-long (1,100-foot) grandstand that seats 26,000 spectators. The track infield area, which resembles a park with picnic tables and large trees, can accommodate a crowd of 50,000. The Park has 61 barns that can house more than 2,000 horses.
The venue for the Para Equestrian events will be announced at a later date following the review and approval of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board.
Note to editors
The LA28 Olympic Games will take place from 14 to 30 July 2028 whereas the Paralympics are scheduled from 15 to 27 August 2028.
Details on the LA28 Olympic equestrian events and quota places are available here.
Photo caption: Vue of the cross country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. © FEI/Benjamin Clark
More details to follow soon
The FEI is pleased to introduce the “Be a Guardian” initiative, which was launched on 19 July, calling upon members of the community to fully commit to their duties as ‘guardians’ of FEI horses.
The Concept of ‘Guardianship’
The term ‘guardian’ signifies the FEI’s evolving narrative of the horse-human partnership, highlighting human responsibility for horse welfare.
This shift underscores a fundamental change in the FEI’s approach to equine care.
Guardianship prioritises meeting horses’ natural needs such as adequate eating time, social interaction, and exercise. It is focused on building trust and fostering a thriving horse-human relationship so that a true partnership, based on trust and understanding is created, which in turn leads to sporting excellence.
The guardianship concept focuses on what is best for horses, recognising them as valuable beings deserving protection, trust, and respect.
This redefines the human role as ‘caretaker,’ responsible for ensuring horses lead good lives.
Read more …
Why did the FEI create this initiative?
When we reframe a problem, we inject fresh perspectives into our thinking, opening up new avenues for exploration and creative problem-solving.
By seeing ourselves as ‘guardians,’ we commit to acknowledging horses’ needs, treating them with respect, compassion, and care, and reinforcing our duty to these magnificent animals in all aspects of our interaction.
This idea of Guardianship also guided the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission in the creation of the comprehensive document which highlighted six priority areas and offered 30 recommendations aimed at enhancing the welfare of sport horses.
What is the Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan?
In response to the priorities identified by the Commission, the FEI has crafted an Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan.
This plan, designed to foster the wellbeing of FEI horses and inspire global welfare initiatives, is backed by a CHF 1 million allocation approved by the FEI Board in June 2024.
Our goal is to respect the natural needs of horses in international equestrian sports through robust rules, guidelines, educational programmes, and various initiatives.
We urge our equestrian community to embrace this call to action, actively promote this shift in perspective, and recognise the responsibility we all share in being the guardians of our beloved horses.
We would like to thank everyone, who attended the FEI Sports Forum 2024 in-person or followed online. We have appreciated the level of engagement and the interesting discussions.
As announced by FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez, we have taken on board the feedback made during the Session on the final report of the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission and the proposed action plan. We are also seeking further feedback.
Please send your ideas and suggestions by email to welfare@fei.org by 15 May 2024.
The feedback will be taken into consideration and will be discussed during the upcoming in-person FEI Board meeting on 4 and 5 June. A thorough strategy will then be continued being developed and will be presented at a dedicated session during the FEI General Assembly 2024 in November in Oman.
A summary of the Sports Forum Sessions is available here along with the presentation made during the Session in pdf format and the Final Report of the Equine Ethics & Wellbeing Commission. We encourage you to consult these documents and look forward to your feedback by 15 May.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Belgium’s Ingmar De Vos elected unanimously as President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations
Photo caption: On 9 April 2024 Ingmar De Vos of Belgium was elected as the President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). (c) ASOIF/Jon Super. Additional copyright free images available here.
Belgium’s Ingmar De Vos, who has served as the FEI President since 2014, has been elected unanimously as the new President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The election took place today, 9 April 2024, at the 48th ASOIF General Assembly held in Birmingham (GBR) during the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit. Ingmar De Vos ran unopposed and was elected by secret ballot for a term of four years. He will take up his new position on 1 January 2025.
“I am humbled by today’s result and would like to express my deep gratitude to the Summer Olympic International Federations for their trust,” the newly elected ASOIF President Ingmar De Vos said. “In January 2025, I will be taking over from Francesco Ricci Bitti, a hugely respected figure in the Olympic Movement. I would like to take this opportunity already to pay tribute to his leadership and achievements and thank him for his unwavering support, wise counsel, and great friendship. I am fully aware of the fact that I have big shoes to fill and during my mandate I will make it my mission to continue strengthening the role of the Summer International Sports Federations in the Olympic Movement, focus on an open and constructive dialogue with the IOC, further intensify the communications with and between our IFs, and develop a strategy for the future so that together we can keep contributing to the popularity, appeal, and sustainability of the Olympic Games.”
Key Olympic officials congratulated Ingmar De Vos on his election.
“On behalf of the International Olympic Committee, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Ingmar De Vos on his election as ASOIF President,” IOC President Thomas Bach commented. “We are looking forward to the continuation of the excellent cooperation between the IOC and ASOIF. The International Federations are a fundamental pillar of our Olympic Movement. Since its establishment in 1983, ASOIF has played a vital role in promoting and strengthening the IFs by bringing together the shared interests of each sports federation. In doing so, ASOIF has safeguarded the autonomy of sport and preserved the unity of the Olympic Movement in times when it mattered the most. In his new role, Ingmar De Vos will benefit from his experience as FEI President and an IOC Member.”
“Having served as ASOIF President for almost 12 years, I know that Ingmar De Vos has the experience and stamina needed to lead our organisation,” incumbent ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said. “I have had the pleasure to work with him not only at ASOIF, but also in other positions. Ingmar is highly experienced, solution-oriented and, most importantly, he has high human qualities. It is also great to know that he enjoys the full support of our membership – something which is key for success. This is a good day for ASOIF and the Olympic Movement.”
“At the Belgian National Olympic Committee, we know Ingmar as a very reliable and hard-working official, who has great integrity and a heart for sport,” Jean-Michel Saive, President of the Belgian Olympic & Interfederal Committee (COIB), stated. “We are very fortunate to be able to build on his expertise for key strategic decisions. I would like to congratulate Ingmar for taking on the key task to lead such a vital organisation within the Olympic Movement as its first Belgian President. I am convinced that he will serve as an excellent President for ASOIF. I wish him all the best.”
Ingmar De Vos’ biography
A Belgian native, Ingmar De Vos was born on 5 August 1963. He holds Masters degrees in political science, international relations, and international and European law from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BEL).
He began his professional career as an advisor to the Belgian Senate. He joined the Fédération Royale Belge des Sports Equestres (Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation) as Director General in 1990 and from 1997 to 2011 served as the Federation’s Secretary General.
De Vos was the co-founder of the European Equestrian Federation (EEF), where he served as Secretary General from 2010 to 2011.
In 2011, Ingmar De Vos joined the FEI as Secretary General.
On 14 December 2014, at the FEI General Assembly held in Baku (AZE), after three years as FEI Secretary General, the Belgian native was elected FEI President in a contested election by an overwhelming majority in the first round of voting. Four years later, at the FEI General Assembly in Manama (BRN) on 20 November 2018, he stood unopposed and was unanimously re-elected for another four-year term. On 13 November 2022, De Vos was re-elected for a third and final term in office by the FEI General Assembly in Cape Town (RSA). He ran unopposed as had been the case four years earlier.
Ingmar De Vos was elected as a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September 2017 and is a member of the following IOC Commissions: Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad Los Angeles 2028 (2019 – ); Legal Affairs (2018 – ); and Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2019 – ). He is a member of the Belgian Olympic Academy and since 2017 he sits on the Board of the Belgian National Olympic Committee (BOIC/COIB).
Since 2016, he has been a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Governance Taskforce. In 2019 he joined the ASOIF Council.
He has been a member of the Executive Committee of SportAccord, the world sport and business summit, since 2021.
From 2018 to 2022, Ingmar De Vos served on the Foundation Board of the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA). Since 2018, he is a member of the WADA Executive Committee.
In 2014, he was a delegate to the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC). He was the organisation’s Vice President (2014-2019) and President from 2020 to 2022. He is currently IHSC Vice President.
Ingmar De Vos is a Gender Champion for the United Nations and is fluent in Dutch, English and French.