FEI has cancelled 19 CSI events at the French Hubside Jumping venues of St. Tropez – Grimaud and Valence due to unpaid prize money; removing the shows from the FEI calendar. The organising committee states that it wants to rectify the situation as quickly as possible and settle the dispute with the FEI.

Since 2019, the Hubside Jumping venue in Grimaud has hosted 34 FEI events. This week, the venue is hosting a three-star event – which runs as scheduled. The venue in Valence has hosted FEI events since August 2015. In 2017, 2018 and 2019 the venue hosted two FEI events annually, while in 2021 the number of events increased to four.

“The decision was taken following the non-payment of prize money by the Organising Committee at previous CSIs held in St. Tropez and Valence,” a FEI spokesperson explained to World of Showjumping about the removal of the events from the calendar. “While the FEI has provided the Organising Committee with more than one occasion to settle all outstanding payments, this has still not been done to date.”

“The FEI’s decision is in accordance with article 112.3 of the FEI General Regulations: “The Secretary General shall have the authority to remove any Competition and/or Event from the Calendar if justified circumstances relating to a Competition or the Event are established”,” the FEI spokesperson continued.  

“The decision was taken to uphold the right of athletes to receive the prize money won at an Event and to preserve the integrity of our sport,” the FEI spokesperson said. 

Today, the Hubside Jumping organising committee followed up on the FEI's decision by releasing a statement – emphasising that they aim to continue their events. The statement reads: 

“The HUBSIDE JUMPING’s Organising Committee wishes to reassure all its stakeholders, first and foremost the riders and owners, and apologises for the inconvenience caused by the withdrawal of the dates scheduled on the 2022 calendar by the FEI, the Fédération Équestre Internationale. The Organising Committee will do its utmost to rectify the situation as quickly as possible and to settle this dispute with the FEI.

The HUBSIDE JUMPING and its partners Hubside.Store and Indexia have been supporting high-level sport throughout the year since the launch of the circuit in 2019. In 2020, as soon as the health situation in France made it possible, the circuit played a key role in the recovery of the sports and economic activity for many of the players in world high-level show jumping. In 2021, the HUBSIDE JUMPING organised 15 weeks of competition in Grimaud and Ratières, confirming its support for the sport.

‘It is important to us to carry on the HUBSIDE JUMPING shows, continuing to welcome all stakeholders in the best conditions possible,’ explains Sadri Fegaier, the President and Founder of the HUBSIDE JUMPING.

In 2022 and in the coming years, the HUBSIDE JUMPING wishes to continue to make its facilities in Var and Drôme, whose top quality has been universally praised, available to high-level riders. For sport, and so that a circuit, that the riding community has unanimously adopted, continues to exist.”