Henk Rottinghuis

Press Releases

Henk Rottinghuis delivers speech in Chinese Taipei for FEI Presidential Elections 2010

As you know, due to your efforts over the last 10 years we have seen our sport grow strongly with four times as many events as a decade ago and more countries participating in equestrian sport and indeed winning medals, than ever before. Steps for modernization were made, many initiatives taken, among others by Her Royal Highness Princess Haya. A credit to everyone who contributed. It shows we have a rough diamond in our hands.

However, we suffer from growing pains, developing nations feel excluded and even larger nations feel unable to speak up for fear of some subsequent act, and established Federations feel their needs are not understood or met by the levels of service they receive from the FEI, a view reflected by top-athletes, organizers and other groups who need to work alongside the FEI.  The organization is perceived as divided by the outside world. Despite repeated promises, there is no new Board structure in which everyone finds himself well represented.

If you start to listen to everyone in the sport, you hear a lot about surprises and incidents we inflicted upon ourselves. They have taken away the spotlight from the achievements and the good news, and the real challenges we still have ahead. Getting a more professional support for everyone in our sport, like Federations, riders, organizers and sponsors. Broadening the base needed to generate new talents. Innovate our sport to increase attractiveness for the general public, and the media. Lower the barriers to entry for developing nations and give the people in the field input on how to tackle these challenges. There is one thing our sport needs most, and that is globalization. If we are not able to globalize, the established nations have the most to lose. We must be a worldwide sport in ten years’ time.

The FEI has a strong history of financial independence, but during the last years we have allowed our costs to increase to unsustainable levels and our funding to become dependent on a single, highly generous source. This has made us feel good and look commercially successful to the casual observer but we all know that this is unsustainable. We literally cannot afford not to make the decisions we have to make in four years’ time anyhow. The answer lies in making our sport more attractive for real partnerships together with riders and organizers. We have to work to meet the modern needs of a world in which a new generation is used to receive much and multimedia input. If we can use this strength to our advantage, we will have a sustainable future. Difficult as it is and uncomfortable as it maybe to air these matters publicly that is the current reality.

Working on truly worldwide sport has to start now. In the second quarter of this year, China became the number two economy of the world. A fact unthinkable for many ten years ago. Europe as a whole will be the number five economy in the world in ten years, maybe fifteen. I do not want to argue how long that takes, but I know it takes ten to twenty years to create a real base for our sport in many countries. Not to have one or two foreign riders based in Europe, who have one or two top-horses, but with a vivid home-base with its own events and talent working its way up from basis to international levels. A talent not meeting barriers to join the international arena. An issue every Federation should count to its main responsibility and is never finished.

I have not seen enough progress under the current leadership. The Development Fund expenditure of 2009 was the lowest in eight years. The Development Department was abolished and disciplines were asked to take over their task. But there are hardly any representatives of developing nations in the Technical Committees for the disciplines. I have counted less than five out of forty-two members. With the Olympic disciplines counting none. A high-placed permanent body for development is non-existent. The Taskforce Development came four years late, and, although I appreciate the work they did, no big Federations were involved. I believe we have to convince the big Federations it is in their interest to see our sport globalize, and therefore urge them to formulate the policy to form partnerships. Throwing money at it will not do the thing. A genuine cooperation, taking into account the big differences that are there, will also help to unite our FEI.

Within the FEI’s world, the resistance created after initiatives have been launched makes us appear divided to the outside world and this has led to a big loss of reputation and authority. I am convinced we can achieve greater unity if we take the trouble to understand what other members think before deciding on issues, in fact before presenting proposals on issues.  This will assure us of a broad base for our decisions.

The present discussions on horse welfare are a classic example of this. We have so much good news to tell about the level of our horse management we have reached, but we narrowed down horse welfare to a debate over prohibited substances. Horse welfare is much more than clean sport. Suddenly the story became quarrels over prohibited substances instead of telling the world what we had achieved so far. Through professional horse management we have increased the welfare of the animal athlete considerably. The knowledge gained could be used for all horses around the world. And further challenges, including clean sport, will be tackled.

I have told you I would like to work on:

1. Our top-sport and its attractiveness; the infrastructure to develop talent from a broad base
2. Development and globalization
3. Creating more unity and authority

I realize I need a team of people to achieve these goals. Therefore, I need two strong Vice Presidents and a new Board structure. David O’Connor, gold medalist from Sydney 2000, is prepared to join as first Vice President, underlining how much we believe athletes from the highest level should lead the FEI. But David is also a strong administrator, uniting many different associations under the umbrella of his Federation, an experience I share with him with my work for the Dutch Federation. We have asked Chris Hodson to join as second Vice President, because he is an experienced FEI administrator, and he comes from a region of developing and developed nations. To govern our sport, the three of us will prepare a transition to a new Board structure in 2011. A Board in which all continents will be represented on a permanent basis. Each putting forward a candidate that fulfills the profile needed for that Board.

Our ideas to run the FEI are based on the belief that decisions can only be carried out if they reflect the opinions of a great majority of the Federations and everyone understands them.

I am convinced our team and the Board will be able to run the FEI in a structure, where capable people, staff and volunteers, run the disciplines. The executives run the organization. And this Board -reflecting broad representation and merit- will guide and oversee this process. Cutting the number of plans of our list, which have steadily increased during the last years, but making sure that those priorities we feel are most important, get done.

I realize I am asking you to support a relative outsider, but I promise you a place at the table at the new Board being seconded by two strong Vice Presidents, who know the sport and guarantee continuity. I am looking for a new style to be introduced:

1. Looking for simplicity, instead of complications, not making new rules for each incident.
2. Being transparent, democratic and open-minded, inviting opinions to be brought to the table without fear of repercussions.
3. Creating internal unity and external authority

An FEI run for the Federations and our sport not for its own sake. In a year from now you will see a different General Assembly where people feel they have an input on what the FEI does, where they can speak without fear of repercussion. I would like to see work groups composed of a mix of Federations from around the world, talking about different subjects. People presenting their perspectives on problems they solved so that others can learn. And Federations from different backgrounds sharing the challenges and solutions they found in developing their organization in order to learn and respect each other much more. To be able to have a dialogue on subjects that do not seem to be solvable today simply because quite often we do not understand the opposition.

I believe this election should end the struggle between Europe and the rest of the world, which became manifest under the present leadership. If you are happy with how the last four years were, you have two candidates responsible for that period to choose from. If you are not happy, you have only one.

I ask you to choose a chance to prove that a new approach based on the successes of the last 10 years will work better in the fast changing environment that the 21st century is dictating. I look forward to be the one to lead this change, using my international experience both in my professional and my sport life. To the benefit of all Federations big and small and therefore to benefit the one thing that we all are here to protect and improve. Our sport.

I thank you for your attention.