Several internationally respected Australian dressage riders have voiced their opinion against the recent FEI rule change which has altered the open draw system for championship Grand Prix classes to one based on a team ranking.
This new rule change means that riders from "weaker" dressage countries are automatically forced to be the first starters on the first day of competition at a Championship event, as well as on the second day as each team rider will be drawn in groups according to a Team World Ranking List. The best riders in the world will all end up being grouped together at the end of the class on the second day of competition, which is considered more preferable to achieve better scores based on scientific research on the natural bias of judges.
The new FEI rules reads: "For Championships on Grand Prix level and Games on Grand Prix level, the starting order of the teams will be drawn in groups of five, based on FEI World Team Ranking list, or if not existing, by adding up the points of the participating team athletes on the FEI Individual World Ranking list (...) When the Competition is held over two (2) days the individual starters shall be drawn in the reverse order of the World Dressage Ranking list and in two (2) groups the highest placed Athletes drawn on the second day."
For Australia this means that Australian riders will have to compete early on day one as well as in the morning of day two, which creates an unfair field of play. Several riders, led by a multiple Australian team Olympian, questioned why the Australian equestrian federation supported such a disadvantageous rule change at the 2014 FEI General Assembly in Baku (AZE) last December.
The Australian Equestrian Federation (EA) has now issued the following statement:
Some members have sought clarification from EA on the FEI rule change procedure. The enquiries follow the publication of the recent FEI rules and in particular the rule change regarding Championships and CDIO team competition and draw process. (FEI rule 425.3 & 425.3.3)
EA wishes to clarify its process for dealing with FEI rule changes:
Proposals for FEI rule changes are generally sent for comment and consultation to National Federations well prior to the FEI General Assembly (GA). EA has well established procedures to deal with these consultations and has followed these precisely. The FEI sport rule change proposals are sent by the National Office to the Equestrian Australian Sports Committees of which there are eight. Prior to the FEI General Assembly, the National Office collects the comments/feedback from the relevant Australian Sports Committees, sends this input back to the FEI and also gets instructions from the EA Sport Committees on how to vote upon any rule changes at the GA. In respect of the dressage rules the Australian Dressage Committee (ADC) did provide feedback on the original proposed rules and this was forwarded to the FEI. The information is collected both in written format and verbally via a teleconference which was held between the CEO and chairpersons of each of the national sport committees prior to the CEO’s departure for the General Assembly. It is not the role of the National Office, CEO or the National EA Chairman to deal directly with these technical matters relating to sport rule changes. The CEO and Chairman take their instructions from the sport to the FEI General Assembly, where they hav an opportunity to express the views of Australia, raise concerns, and advocate for amendments as appropriate
In the General Assembly this particular rule was not debated or discussed and no other nation raised it.
The Proposed 2015 rule changes for dressage sent by the FEI for coordinating comments did not include the proposed rankings-draw rule and so neither the National Office nor the ADC were aware of it. At the FEI General Assembly the rule changes are voted on in a single block. That is, the vote is not in relation to each individual rule change but on the rule changes as a whole
EA understands that what has occurred in this instance is that the rankings-draw rule has changed in-between EA receiving the first proposal of rule changes and prior to the GA.
Having reviewed FEI rule 425.3 & 425.3.3 at its last teleconference, the ADC’s position on this rule is that it does not support in principle the seeding aspect for any draw process but the ADC appreciate the need to make the sport attractive for TV and other media at certain events.
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