Henk Rottinghuis

Support for Rottinghuis

De Telegraaf
2 November 2010

FLEURUS – Henk Rottinghuis (54) is to make a bid tomorrow for the presidency of the International Equestrian Federation FEI, and his candidacy is supported by an unexpected source.

Brazilian jump champion Rodrigo Pessoa says the former CEO of the family concern PON would be an excellent choice to succeed Jordanian princess Haya, who has held the reigns of the equestrian stronghold for the past four years. “Rottinghuis possesses just the right qualities. He could move the FEI forward commercially. The federation really needs to catch up professionally.”

Talking at his stables in the Belgian town of Fleurus, the 37-year-old Olympic champion is initially diplomatic. “I am greatly interested to see who is elected president. I feel good about this election, now matter the outcome. All three candidates are highly qualified. Haya, her right-hand Sven Holmberg, and Rottinghuis, they all advocate open communication. “

Digging his heels a little deeper into the subject, Pessoa, who descends from a world-famous family of jumping champions, does appear to have his preferences. “In the past four years big mistakes have been made. Luckily, if Haya stays, she’ll do things better as she will have learned from her mistakes.”

However, if Pessoa had it his way, the FEI would be making bigger changes, faster. “The World Equestrian Games in Kentucky may have seemed well organized to an outsider, but in the lead-up to the World Championships as well as behind the scenes, many things went wrong. For example, the accommodation for the people looking after the horses was appalling. Things like that affect your performance.”

“The FEI should look to professionally managed events like Formula I racing, tennis and golf. It’s all about getting your organization together and we can do that, too. Take the globalization of sport. At the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, three weeks ago, a country like Saudi Arabia all of sudden was right up there, in the top ten. And other countries are following suit.”

While acknowledging that Haya appears to have a certain appeal to the smaller nations, Pessoa believes the approach taken by Rottinghuis is better matched to the FEI. “He is a completely new personality within FEI and brings a breath of fresh air. I have a hunch he knows exactly where the issues are within FEI.”