fei series jumping · and the nfs concerned. definition of series . 30 april - 52 may 2012,...

FEI Series Jumping

30 April – 2 May 2012

Lausanne, Switzerland

30 April - 2 May 2012, Lausanne (SUI) / FEI Sports Forum 2

Definition of Series

FEI Nations Cup™ Series

FEI World Cup™ Series

Global Champions Tour

Areas to Discuss


Definition of a Series?


(FEI Statutes and General Regulations)

• A number of International Competitions held

successively at different Events and the results

of which lead to a final classification or qualify

Horses and/or Athletes for a final Event or

Competition or prize.

• All Series must be approved by the FEI Bureau

and the NFs concerned.



1. A definition of a Series can be found in the FEI

Statutes and General Regulations. The

definition should be in one place in the rules,

preferably only in the FEI General Regulations.

2. It must be clarified that if International

Events are linked even if these Events

are all organised in the same country this

is considered as a Series.



Created by FEI

• FEI named Series which are in many cases created by the FEI and for whom the FEI owns all the rights

Created by Others

• Series created by other organisations and that are recognised/approved by the FEI and where the FEI doesn’t necessarily own the rights.

Need to show the difference


The number of Series per

discipline and per category

should be limited in order to

have a well structured

calendar, to avoid date

clashes and to manage the

horse power properly to

avoid welfare issues



TWO Named Series>

FEI Nations Cup™: Outdoor Team

FEI World Cup™: Indoor Individual

CURRENT SITUATION (Senior Riders)

ONE Series approved for 2012

Global Champions Tour Outdoor Individual


CONCLUSIONS


Conclusion 1

• The space for Series for Top Riders is limited as all these Series want the Top Riders to compete. Two Outdoor and one Indoor Series is probably the maximum we can accommodate given the number of weekends available

Conclusion 2

• We must find a perfect balance between these Series and Championships. This will be the challenge for the coming years but we believe there is a willingness to achieve this

CONCLUSION


Definition of Series Questions

Questions and Comments?


FEI World Cup™ Series

FEI World Cup™


The FEI World

Cup™ Series is,

also thanks to the

partnership with

Rolex, a very

successful Series.

FEI World Cup™


Universal 13 Leagues

and increasing

Exciting Qualifiers and

Final


FEI World Cup™

Fine Tuning needed


• The Final should take

place earlier to mark the

end of the indoor season

(NED NF).

• The qualification system

for the Final needs to be

reviewed regularly in

function of the

development of the sport

in the different regions of

the world and the creation

of new Leagues..

FEI World Cup™


• The invitation system for the qualifiers for

the Western European League is every

year examined and discussed with the

organisers.

• The competition format of the Final can be

improved (i.e. the number of riders

qualified for final competition, …)

FEI World Cup™


FEI World Cup™



FEI Nations Cup™ Series Yesterday and today…

FEI Nations Cup™


The FEI Nations Cup™ Series is the oldest Series of the FEI.


• The team competition between nations is

a well known concept.

• In general, the FEI Nations Cup™ still

attracts a good live audience. It is one of

the rare high level competitions left where

NFs have the possibility to enter the riders

of their choice.

FEI Nations Cup™


• It’s considered as a good preparation for Olympic Games and major championships

and gives NFs the possibility to get support from NOCs and governments

Preparation to Olympics…


• Created in 1964 as a Series called Presidents Cup

• 80’s Gucci became sponsor followed by HCS, Samsung and Meydan.

• It started as an overall ranking with the participation of all Nations and all competitions counting.

• In 2003 a system of divisions was introduced with Super League and Nations Cup, later transformed in Top League, Promotional League and Challenger League.

FEI Nations Cup™


Need of a fresh approach


Old Fashioned

Format is outdated and

doesn’t meet with the

needs of a sport which

is also developing

outside Europe.

FEI Nations Cup™


Thinking of tomorrow

For these reasons we need

to evaluate the existing

concept in order to try to

develop it into a modern and

exciting concept. If not the

future of the Nations Cup is

in real danger and may not

survive after 2012


Need to review

• We have found a solution to preserve the Series in 2011 by funding of the FEI and in 2012 thanks to help from outside FEI.

• However, this has been done with the clear engagement to seriously evaluate the series and to look for a concept that will safeguard the series for the future.

FEI Nations Cup™


• We must try to understand the merits and weaknesses of the existing concept.

• We must try to learn from history in order to be able to adapt the existing systems or even developing a completely new concept.

• But there is no denying that the Nations Cup has been an integral part of the history and making of the sport and has allowed many nations, athletes, owners, grooms, chefs d’équipe and fans of our sport to share fantastic moments of glory and sportsmanship.

FEI Nations Cup™


Top League Focus

Sports Concepts

Commercial

Media

We will focus on the Top League


• The Top League (TL) season is limited to only 8 nations and many NF’s feel excluded.

• The system to move into the TL is very limited and rather complicated.

• Not all NFs have the same possibilities to qualify for the Promotional League Final as the invitation for Promotional League and Challenger League depends on the organisers of these events.

FEI Nations Cup™

EVALUATION


• The majority of the NFs competing in the Top League have problems to get the best riders and horses competing in the 8 TL events.

• The majority of the NFs competing in the Top League are fighting against relegation instead of fighting to win.

• There is no real bonus for the winner of the Top League.

FEI Nations Cup™

EVALUATION


• Given the significant number of applications for CSI5* events it is difficult and even impossible to protect 8 TL events in the calendar. It is difficult to explain to the NFs and riders that are not competing in the TL that they cannot compete in a CSI5* event if during the same weekend there is a TL event.

• The Top League is too Eurocentric: the TL has only shows in Europe and in 2012 only European NFs compete in the TL.

• For NFs outside Europe it is in general too expensive to compete in 8 events in Europe.

FEI Nations Cup™

EVALUATION


• The amount of sponsorship needed to fund the actual Top League concept exceeds the actual value of the series and the return on investment offered to the sponsor.

• The Nations Cup competition is only 1 class in an existing show that has its own tradition and sponsors. It is in many cases very difficult to guarantee enough return for the TL sponsor in the TL events.

• Due to the fact that the TL is organised in existing shows the package of rights varies from event to event and consequently it is difficult to profile TL sponsor in a consistent way.

FEI Nations Cup™

EVALUATION


• The TL is since the start organised over the same events. Some other organisers are interested to host a TL competition and are unhappy not to have access to this series.

• The absence of a final makes the Series flat with no building up to a climax.

• The present format is too long and consequently not ideal for television.

• Only a specialised audience understands the rules.

FEI Nations Cup™

EVALUATION


• The prize money in the Nations Cup competition is felt by the individual riders as insufficient compared to what an individual rider can earn in the Grand Prix competition. There is always a tension between competing in the Nations Cup and the Grand Prix.

• Keeping the horses fit for the GP sometimes influences the motivation for a good result in the Nations Cup especially if the rider is a member of a “weaker” team.

• If the TL event clashes with another important CSI5* and especially when this CSI5* is part of a series, it is often difficult for riders and the owners of their horses to make a choice between these shows.

FEI Nations Cup™

EVALUATION


• In the Promotional and Challenger League, the participation of NFs is irregular. 50% of the NFs participate only once. This is also related with the fact that these organisers decide themselves what nations to invite. Many of these organisers invite teams that are also competing in the TL which has an effect on the invitation of other nations.

• For NF’s that are competing in the TL but who do not organise a TL event, it is a difficult situation to organise a Nations Cup event in their country that doesn’t count for their team.

FEI Nations Cup™

EVALUATION


There have been many discussions over

the number of riders (4 or 3) in the first

and second round and to have a drop

score or not. Also the number of riders in

an eventual jump off has been discussed

in the past.

(IRE and AUT introduced proposals)

FEI Nations Cup™

EVALUATION


A New

Nations

Cup

Concept

FEI Nations Cup™


What do we need to

consider to improve the

FEI Nations Cup™ Series

in order to guarantee

survival?

New Concept


Universal Participation & Organisation

New Concept


Fair

New Concept


Exciting

New Concept


Feasible for NF’s to bring their best team

New Concept


Comprehensive

New Concept

For a large audience


We don’t need to reinvent

the wheel

New Concept


New Concept

Final

Semi Final I

Qualifier Group A

Qualifier Group B

Semi Final II

Qualifier Group C

Qualifier Group D


Advantages:

• All NF’s can participate

• All NF’s can bid to host an event

• Fair

• Limited number of competitions

• Builds up to a climax (final)

• Easy to understand

New Concept


All NFs interested to compete are divided

into groups (A-B-C-D-...) preferably per

region.

• In order to have fair competition, the

strongest NFs should be equally spread

over the different Groups (Group Leaders).

New Concept

HOW DOES IT WORK?


New Concept

Group A America

• USA

• BRA

Group B

• GER

• IRL

Group C

• NED

• FRA

Group D

• GBR

• BEL

HOW DOES IT WORK?


Other NFs are added to the Groups based

upon regional criteria and/or by a draw.

• Between 8 and 10 NFs per Group.

• In function of the number of NFs

interested, the number of Groups can

increase.

New Concept

HOW DOES IT WORK?


The venue of the qualifiers will be in

function of the region of the participating

NFs.

The qualifier of Group A (USA, BRA, CAN, MEX, ARG, VEN, COL,

CHI,... ) can take place on the American Continent, etc...

New Concept

HOW DOES IT WORK?


Based upon the list of NFs that competed in 2011 in the Top,

Promotional and Challenger Leagues we probably need to create 5

Groups.

New Concept

Group A America

• USA

• BRA

• CAN

• MEX

• ARG

• VEN

• COL

• CHI

Group B

• GER

• FRA

• ITA

• UKR

• POL

• RUS

• LTU

• LAT

• HKG

Group C

• NED

• BEL

• ESP

• POR

• BUL

• CZE

• ROU

• SLO

• JPN

Group D

• GBR

• SUI

• AUT

• HUN

• TUR

• GRE

• EST

• AUS

Group E

• IRL

• SWE

• DEN

• FIN

• NOR

• BLR

• SVK

• KSA

HOW DOES IT WORK?


Semi finals

New Concept

HOW DOES IT WORK?


New Concept

Qualification system for Semi finals

Number of Qualifiers/Groups

Qualification system

4 2 semi finals, the 4 best placed NF of each qualifier are qualified for the Semi Final

5 2 semi finals, the 4 best placed NF of each qualifier are qualified for the semi final. In Group C the 1st en 3rd best place team go to Semi Final I and the 2nd and 4th best team go to Semi Final II

6 3 semi finals, the 4 best placed NF of each qualifier are qualified for the semi final

HOW DOES IT WORK?


Final Minimum the 4 best teams of every semi

final qualify for the final. So depending of

the number of semi finals, there will be 8

or 12 teams that qualify for the final

New Concept

HOW DOES IT WORK?


New Concept

HOW DOES IT WORK?

3 dates for the whole

series More weekends OR


Allocation of qualifiers, semi-finals and finals

• Structure of calender defined by FEI

• Allocation by bid procedure (technical

requirements and bidding conditions established

by FEI)

New Concept

HOW DOES IT WORK?


• The Nations Cup will be the most important competition of the event with the most prize money and in primetime (Sunday afternoon ?)

• Minimum prize money for the Nations Cup

• Height of the competitions

• Media exposure

• Transportation allowances for teams

• Facilities offered to teams

• Return for FEI sponsor/partner

New Concept

Requirements


The competition format of the Nations Cup should be evaluated and we should look at potential improvements which make it easier for a larger audience to be interested and to follow without of course abandoning the concept of a team competition like the Nations Cup.

New Concept

COMPETITION FORMAT


• The first round is considered as a qualifier for the second round and will only determine the starting order of the second round. The number of NFs competing in the first round is less important as only highlights of this competition will be made available for TV broadcasting.

• 6 teams will compete in the second round and they start from scratch. The result of the 1st round only counts to determine the starting order. 4 riders per team.

New Concept

COMPETITION FORMAT


• In case of a tie for the first 3 places, a jump off will take place with one rider per team appointed by the Chef d’Equipe.

• This competition format will give the possibility to produce a TV broadcast of maximum 90 minutes (jump off and prize giving included) understandable for a large audience.

New Concept

COMPETITION FORMAT


• The Nations Cup competition must be the

most important competition of the event,

so no GP.

• The prize money of the NC competition

should, for the individual riders, be

comparable with what they can earn in a

Grand Prix competition.

New Concept

COMPETITION FORMAT


To compensate the absence of a Grand

Prix.

Incentives for individual performances

during the NC competition such as bonus

for clear rounds with extra prize money

and/or ranking points.

New Concept

COMPETITION FORMAT


The prize money

must increase from

qualifiers to final.

New Concept

COMPETITION

FORMAT


But not only money…

It’s a unique competition

between Nations and

everyone should be

proud to represent their

Nation.

New Concept

COMPETITION

FORMAT


A Special Trophy for

the winner of the

season will be created.

The winner of the NC

will be considered the

Team World Champion

New Concept

COMPETITION

FORMAT


New Concept

Questions to be answered


• Allow home teams that did not qualify to

compete in Semi-Final and Final in order

to attract local spectators ?

• Importance to maintain CSIOs not part of

the Series: Establish Ranking for Wildcard

for Semi Final ?

New Concept


What with the actual TL organisers ?

In a transition period, they will be given

priority for hosting qualifiers and semi-

finals if they accept to fulfill the

requirements.

New Concept


• Do we need date protection?

• In principle the Series should strong

enough but Semi Finals and Finals should

be considered as Majors.

New Concept


New Concept



Global

Champions

Tour



• Created in 2006 by Jan Tops.

• Not an FEI named series and the FEI doesn’t own the commercial rights of this series.

• It is an individual outdoor series and the number of events increased during the years and will count 13 events in 2012 of which 3 outside Europe.



• GCT introduced also a new standard of

prize money which was greatly

appreciated by the riders and owners.

• The riders of the top 30 of the FEI Rolex

Ranking are automatically invited for the

competitions beside a limited number of

home riders and personal invitations

extended by the organiser.



• There have been discussions in the past

between the organiser of this series and the

FEI concerning the invitation system, the

rules and the calendar.

• For 2012 the rules of the Global Champions

Tour have been approved by the FEI but it is

a fact that for the future the discussions

need to be continued to reach hopefully a

long term agreement between both parties.



Following items need to be addressed in

order to come to a long term agreement:

• The positioning of the Series as a sports

concept compared with other Series

• The number of events and the date

clashes with events of other series; the

invitation system;



Following items need to be addressed in order to come to a long term agreement:

• the number of competitions to count for the final ranking;

• the point system for the FEI Rolex Rankings;

• the quality of the events in view of the categorisation of events intended by the FEI;

• the absence of a final;

• the deadline to apply for dates for the GCT events



THANK YOU


END

fei series jumping · and the nfs concerned. definition of series . 30 april - 52 may 2012,...

Documents