World of Showjumping
World of ShowjumpingWorld of Showjumping
Menu

Statement from the International Jumping Riders Club on the Olympic qualification system

Monday, 20 January 2020
IJRC Corner

The International Jumping Riders Club has today released a statement regarding the Olympic qualification system. As reported by World of Showjumping and Horse Sport last Friday, the FEI is looking into how Syria and Jordan (Olympic Group for Middle East & Africa) as well as Sri Lanka (Olympic Group for South East Asia, Oceania) earned their world ranking points that made it possible for them to finish within the top two on the Olympic Rankings in their respective groups.

While IJRC Director Eleonora Ottaviani already spoke to to World of Showjumping last Friday, the Club has now released a more detailed statement that confirms how complaints have been made alleging "it was made too easy for some riders to obtain their groups' individual places for jumping riders in Tokyo."

The full statement reads as follows: 

“We are aware of the unpleasant situation which has arisen. Many showjumping riders and others involved have made complaints, alleging it was made too easy for some riders to obtain their groups' individual places for jumping riders in Tokyo.

The International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC) is responsible for the formula of the FEI Longines Ranking List but the responsible for the fair development of the events and the Avant programmes' approval are:

- National Federations

- FEI

- Foreign judge (appointed by the FEI)

The International Jumping Riders Club has already informed the FEI’s Legal and Jumping department.

IJRC Director Eleonora Ottaviani has already made the following statement:

“The IJRC have asked the FEI to intervene to ensure fair play and the fair development of jumping events. In order to preserve the credibility of our sport and competitions, it is important to respect Art. 100 of the FEI General Regulations that establish that "Athletes may compete against each other under fair and equal conditions” and to act not only in respect of the rules, but also "in respect of Athletes, Teams, IFs (FEI), NFs, and fans”, as stated by the Olympic Charter. We are hoping that the appropriate authorities will analyse this issue thoroughly and that the right decisions will be made.

IJRC also asked the FEI Jumping Department to organize a Longines Ranking Working Group meeting asap, in order to address this.

In case you want to report anything suspicious you can contact the Equestrian Community Integrity Unit (ECIU): Confidential hotline on +44 (0) 20 7935 5822 or mail to [email protected]. You can all look at the website https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/competition-manipulation-yog/, where it is clearly stated that as an athlete, you have a responsibility to know the rules.”"

 



This photo has been added to your cart !

Your shopping cart »
This website is using cookies for statistics, site optimization and retargeting purposes. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use this website. Read more here.