Text © World of Showjumping

Henrik Ankarcrona, Sweden's Chef d'Equipe, has been appointed to the FEI Jumping Committee replacing outgoing member Rob Ehrens for a four-year term running from 2019-2023. 

“I am very happy, I think it is an honor to be a part of the FEI Jumping Committee," Ankarcrona comments to World of Showjumping. "I hope to contribute in bringing our fantastic sport forward. There is so much going on right now, I think it is important not to get lost in too many discussions – we have to see the bigger picture. The riders are of course what I feel strongly about, and we should do whatever we can to help them make the right decisions.”

“I believe that we have to find a balance for everything, whether that is in reference to issues such as contamination – or the show calendar that is getting longer and longer,” Ankarcrona says. “There are a lot of difficult questions that need answers, but we need to work hard and think well before running in one direction." 

As to combining his new role with his responsibilities as the Swedish Chef d'Equipe, Ankarcrona sees no obstacles: "I think a big part of the job is listening to all the stakeholders. I am in the middle of it anyway, since I am at the shows a lot. Next year is a really important year for my team, but I believe we can find a way for me to do both jobs well." 

In addition to appointing Ankarcrona to the Jumping Committee, the FEI board also approved clarifications and modifications to the rules of the following series during their in-person board meeting: Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM 2020, FEI Jumping Nations CupTM Youth 2020, FEI Jumping Ponies’ Trophy 2020, Longines Global Champions Tour 2020, Longines Masters Series, EEM Speed Challenge Series and Jumping Clash Team Challenge Series, as well as approved the FEI Veterinary Regulations 2020.

When it comes to clean sport, the board was updated on the new Hyposensitivity Control System (HCS), and approved topics for the FEI Sports Forum 2020 which will be held in Lausanne on 6 and 7 April 2020. 

The full summary from the FEI board meeting can be found here.