The FEI Sports Forum 2026 kicked off in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Monday, where FEI President Ingmar De Vos – who will finish his third and final term this December – welcomed over 230 participants.

While the first session of the 15th FEI Sports Forum, “From Pony to Podium: Our Youth, Our Future,” focused on the youth, the proposed updates to the FEI Regulations for Equestrian Events at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028 were the focus of the second session.

Todd Hinde – FEI Director Jumping – introduced the proposed changes to the Olympic regulations regarding jumping, while Áine Power – FEI Executive Director of Sport & Games – reminded the delegates about several LA28 related topics, such as the competition formats and rules, horse ownership and pre-competition changes and substitutions.

Power also highlighted the date for registration of nationality for horse-and-rider combinations that will be competing in LA28; they must share the same nationality in the FEI Database by 17 January 2028. She pointed out how this provision is included in the regulations at the request of the national federations, and that the FEI is open to removing the provision if requested.

Following Paris 2024, where France claimed team bronze based on time after finishing on equal penalties with the Dutch team, FEI is now proposing a jump-off for all team medals in case of equal penalties in LA28. A change is also proposed to the replacement options for the team final. In Paris, the Mexican team withdrew from the final, and could not be replaced, leaving the final to be a battle of nine teams.

The proposal regarding jump-off for medals in the Olympic team final reads as follows: “In the event of teams tied on penalties for first, second and/or third place, there will be a jump-off against the clock. All three (3) Athletes of teams tied on Penalties for first, second and/or third place shall take part in the respective jump-off. In case of a jump-off for third place and a jump-off for first place, the jump-off for third place will be held before the jump-off for first place.”

For the team replacements for Olympic team final, the following proposal is made: “The Team Final is open only to the ten (10) best placed teams in the Team Qualifier (three Athletes per team) plus any teams tied on Penalties and time for the 10th place. If for any reason one or more teams qualified for the Team Final are unable to start, the team(s) may be replaced by the 11th placed team from the Team Qualifier until two hours prior to the start of the Team Final. All teams taking part in the Team Final start with zero Penalties.”

Proposed changes for LA 2028 also include the draw for the starting order; as per the proposal, in LA28, “the starting order for the individual qualifier will be determined by a slow computerised draw in one group, in the presence of the Ground Jury, Technical Delegate and Chefs d’Equipe, after the second training session at a time fixed by the President of the Ground Jury in agreement with the OCOG.”