FEI issues press release on cancellation of Deauville 2024 CDI

— FEI Press Release

The FEI, in consultation with the French Equestrian Federation (FFE), has announced the cancellation of the Deauville CDI, which was due to take place from 11 to 14 July.

This decision was taken on the evening of Tuesday 9 July due to the inability of the organising committee to guarantee veterinary service for the event as required by the FEI Veterinary Regulations, despite several weeks of discussions and assurances.

Lack of veterinarians

In the weeks leading up to the event, the Organising Committee repeatedly provided misleading information to the FEI regarding the appointment of veterinarians for the event. The veterinarians that the organisers claimed to have appointed stated that they had never been contacted by the Organising Committee and therefore could not accept the role.

The FEI issued a warning to the organiser on 5 July regarding a possible cancellation, prompting the organisers to ensure they would secure the necessary veterinarians to meet the requirements of hosting a CDI.

However, after receiving an update from the organisers late on Tuesday afternoon that an attending veterinarian might only be available after the first horses had arrived, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibanez took the decision to cancel the event that evening.

In addition, the FEI discovered that the stables were open and receiving horses a day earlier than scheduled, without a veterinary team on site. The stables were due to open on Wednesday 10 July and the inspection of the horses was due to begin the following day.

In these circumstances, the FEI concluded that the cancellation of the event was the necessary measure to not endanger the safety of the horses. The FEI informed the French National Federation and informed all concerned National Federations accordingly.

Significant Disadvantages

“The FEI recognises the significant inconvenience caused by the last-minute cancellation, particularly for teams that were already en route to Deauville yesterday evening,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said:

“Over 120 horses were scheduled to compete at the event, and the potential health risks arising from this situation were too high, especially so close to the Olympic Games. With the lessons of our 2021 experience still fresh in our minds, we are acutely aware of how quickly and severely an outbreak can impact local and international equine populations, and the health and safety of horses is a major concern.

This decision has not been taken lightly by the FEI and we regret that the various assurances provided by the organising committee have not been reliable. Our previous experience with this organiser had raised concerns about trust and, despite some reservations, they have been given the opportunity to restore that trust.

We appreciate everyone’s understanding and, going forward, we are committed to thoroughly reviewing the matter with the FFE to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The National Federations concerned are advised to contact the Organizers directly to obtain reimbursement of the costs incurred.

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