{"id":24100,"date":"2015-09-01T15:06:09","date_gmt":"2015-09-01T05:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=24100"},"modified":"2020-03-07T08:38:30","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T21:38:30","slug":"princess-haya-should-she-stay-or-should-she-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2015\/09\/princess-haya-should-she-stay-or-should-she-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Princess Haya: Should she stay or should she go?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ute Raabe <\/i><\/b>found a range of opinions from our panel of international experts\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

A kingdom for a horse? Or a perhaps a horse for a Princess? The recent General Assembly of the FEI in Montreux certainly would have delivered enough material for dear old Shakespeare to write another sequel to Richard III, this time with Princess Haya of Jordan in the lead role. First Haya put out the feelers \u2013 maybe another term, then when there was an adverse reaction\u2026 \u2018oh no, I will not stand again\u2019 \u2013 to be followed by the FEI delegates (her courtiers) <\/i>begging her to re-consider. Will she like Richard \u2018reluctantly\u2019 take up the crown again? If so it would be an extraordinary comeback.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i>The UK\u2019s The Telegraph<\/i> reported that Haya would have to face strong calls for her resignation at the meeting. That the scandals and outrage about the horse welfare crisis in endurance sport would be her demise, despite the Princess being a strong advocate of the \u201cFEI Clean Sport\u201d brand.<\/p>\n

However, the rising number of horse deaths, injuries, doping and bribery in endurance, involving her husband Sheik Mohammed among others, put Haya in a tricky conflict of interest position. If you can\u2019t keep the needles out of your husband\u2019s stables, how are you going to clean up the Equestrian Federation?<\/p>\n

Yet, in Montreux a different picture presented itself. Suddenly representatives from National Federations on four continents made impassioned pleas for Haya to reverse her decision not to stand for a third term as FEI President. One hundred NF\u2019s signed a petition requesting another extraordinary general assembly as soon as possible to amend the term of the FEI President from a two-term to a three-term reign. What an overwhelming support. It may be important to note that those passionate speeches came from the representatives of Belgium, Mauritius, Sudan, Chinese Taipei, USA and Jamaica.<\/p>\n

Interestingly it was Belgium\u2019s own Pierre Arnould, endurance coach and FEI committee member, who attacked the FEI failure to take serious action to clean up endurance racing only weeks before the GA. Change of heart? Notable absentees in the 100-nation vote were the likes of Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland\u2026 just a few of the major players in equestrian sport.<\/p>\n

Pippa Cuckson, journalist for The Telegraphs<\/i> sums up her experience at the meeting: \u201cI was amongst the small media presence at the FEI General Assembly in Montreux, where six of the scribblers had a total of more than 150 years experience in reporting FEI politics. \u00a0The Thursday was certainly one of the most astonishing days any of us have sat through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strain on the faces of FEI senior personnel was evident earlier in the week, even in the jolly environment of the first night party where, prophetically, entertainment was provided by acrobats, fire-eaters and contortionists.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYet by Thursday there was near-delirium as federations pleaded to reinstate a third term for Haya, after all. [\u2026] On the day, the federations we\u2019d expected to pipe up changed their minds or lost their nerve. Firstly, the petition for the third presidential term, started apparently by Taipei, was signed by 100 federations out of the FEI\u2019s 132. It would have been salutary to pitch up in Montreux, having rehearsed your \u2018Ma\u2019am, with respect it\u2019s time for you to go\u2019 speech but then find you have misread the mood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the speeches, Princess Haya returned to a standing ovation from delegates (Note by the author: we don\u2019t know if Sudan, Jamaica or Mauritius applauded louder).<\/i><\/p>\n

Princess Haya herself brought in the two-term limit in 2006, but the FEI regional chairs continue to propose a statute change. The Princess herself issued the following statement \u201cI cannot in good conscience put aside my beliefs and the commitment I made seven years ago now that the term limit I supported applies to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

We have asked a few industry experts around the world to share their view.<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

\"Aachen<\/a><\/p>\n

JAN T\u00d6NJES<\/strong>
\nEditor of the monthly German equestrian magazine St GEORG\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWell about Haya, it is simply impossible that she stays. Even though she is only Sheik Mohammed\u2019s second, third or fourth wife, there is certainly a conflict of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the recent assembly in Montreux, two things became very clear. Firstly, the weakness of all the national federations, there was not one person who put their hand up for the position. Secondly, Haya has no doubt professionalised the entire FEI. She is probably by far the most powerful president the FEI has had in recent years. The question is: Who would like to struggle against someone holding such a very strong position within the organisation and who has that much money in the background?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rumour has it that the only other possible candidate comes from another Arabian country, the Kingdom of\u00a0Bahrain?<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is difficult to question the \u2018one vote, one nation\u2019 principle. It is working with the United Nations, why shouldn\u2019t it work with the sport of equestrian? However, if you look at the sport of Dressage for example, by far the most of all Grand Prix Dressage tests are held in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Then you have a country like Sudan or Mauritius that also has the same vote as these countries. I am doubtful that a nation that has never produced an international athlete should come up with a candidate for the FEI presidency.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the Gulf states, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain \u2013 yes they have a history of horse sport, but more so with Arabian horses and Thoroughbreds. Maybe Saudia Arabia, their showjumpers have had some great success. But they have bought their horses \u2013 which is OK – but it is not based on 100% horsemanship and a real equestrian sports tradition in the country, rather on some individuals backed by petro dollars, it is not an ideal combination.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will see, time will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"120126-MelissenJacob\"<\/a>JACOB MELISSEN<\/strong>
\nJournalist, author and director of Springpaarden Fonds Nederland, a group founded to supply Dutch team riders with top horses<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI was in the possibility to ask Haya in Barcelona what would happen if the NF can not find a new president. Her answer was crystal clear. \u2018There are a lot of persons in the world who can replace me as president of the FEI and I will help the NF to find these people. When I was elected I made it clear. I will go for two terms, and no more.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope Haya will step back next year and that the FEI will find a real captain of industry to manage this organization. The question of 100 National Federations asking Haya to stay is in my eyes a sign that they do not have any idea at all (and no vision) about the future of the FEI and the equestrian sport in total. In my opinion 85% of the countries (the 100 Haya adepts) who are members of the FEI have no equestrian knowledge at all. It is time for a president that is crowned in business, and not by birth. Democracy and cooperation completed by a bright vision on the future may be expected from a businessman. For a crowned head it is easier to be a dictator, especially when she comes from a region where democracy is written with invisible ink. On the other hand, I pay my respects for the way Haya did her job and I hope she will be connected to the FEI as fundraiser. In that she is the best!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"kenneth<\/a>KENNETH BRADDICK<\/strong>
\nJournalist and author of US web portal Dressage-News<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPrincess Haya proposed the limit of two terms, a modern notion, especially for an organization that keeps a name in a language that is #10 in the world, that may have seemed fancy when the world cared back in the early 20th century. They\u2019re based in the French speaking part of Switzerland, so is the International Olympic Committee and guess what? It\u2019s known the world over as the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and not CIO (Comit\u00e9 International Olympique).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom 1921 up until WWII, the FEI was run by military types, reflecting the cavalry roots.\u00a0Then FEI went on a kick of giving jobs to unemployed royals \u2013 1946-54 Baron Gaston de Trannoy of Belgium, 1954-64 Prince Bernard of Netherlands, 1964-86 Duke of Edinburgh, 1986-1994 Princess Anne of England, 1994-2006\u00a0The Infanta Do\u00f1a Pilar de Borb\u00f2n of Spain and 2006-? Princess Haya.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn\u00a0some respects Haya has been a breath of fresh air, a youthful, energetic and modern-thinking interloper, in others a captive of her upbringing – in the latter respect, not too different from her predecessors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA big problem for horse sports is that, because of Haya, the FEI\u2019s biggest sponsors are Arab connected (Longines, Furuisyya, Reem Acra). The FEI payroll has been expanded, with higher paid employees to take care of these sponsors. If Haya leaves next year what will happen to her sponsorships? We don\u2019t know the details of the contracts, but it\u2019s a reasonable assumption there are reviews with \u2018outs\u2019 at certain points.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA big slip of the tongue at last week\u2019s General Assembly was that FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos referred to the sponsorship deals as those from Haya, which he and she corrected to say they were brought in by her. The FEI has had less luck getting\/holding commitments from other sponsors. Rolex was told by the FEI to take a hike, but has selectively chosen some of the best events in the world, for example the Grand Slam of Jumping at Aachen, Geneva, Spruce Meadows; Florida\u2019s Winter Equestrian Festival\/Global Dressage Festival, Kentucky 3DE in Lexington.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo a likely impact of her departure is that national federations will have to pay higher membership fees, and many don\u2019t want to do that, so the Princess staying should consolidate the deals she brought in, at least for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe sparked some major improvements, among them a long overdue revamp of the Dressage Committee after the 2008 Olympics. There has been a major expansion in the number of FEI-sanctioned events from 984 in 2006 when she was elected to 1,320 in 2013 made up of Africa 30 up to 52, Americas 194 up to 267, Asia 75 to 138, Europe 628 to 786 and Oceania 57 to 77.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is, however, the elephant in the room, and it\u2019s a giant one: Endurance and the accompanying abuse and drugs. We all understand the human spirit striving to succeed in marathons; it\u2019s the runner\u2019s choice and if they die doing it that is their choice. But to drive horses that have no choice, pump them full of drugs to keep them going or to mask physical and mental stress, is no choice. How can the FEI deal with this when the president\u2019s husband is a major part of the problem? The problem for the FEI is that the criticism of Endurance is too widespread, both within and outside the organization and it\u2019s being handled as a political\/PR problem and not an issue with potential fallout for all horse sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"Lauterbach,S\u00f6nke2013_02_Kaup_frei\"<\/a>S\u00d6HNKE LAUTERBACH<\/strong>
\nSecretary general of the German equestrian federation FN<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cUnder the Presidency of HRH Princess Haya the FEI has developed tremendously in many areas. Development of small nations plays an integral role nowadays and this contributes to growth and universality of equestrianism. The FEI benefits also financially from her contacts to global players in business, resulting in sponsorships and donations to FEI. All in all the FEI has become more professional and is able to tackle the issues of our sport in an efficient way today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven years ago the President\u2019s campaign included restricting the presidency to two terms of four years only. However, we saw an impressive motion of support for a change of Statutes at the recent FEI General Assembly in Montreux. A vast majority of National Federations desperately seeks to change the Statutes again to make a third term possible for HRH. Thus I do not see any other candidate even raising his hand to show interest to succeed her as FEI President.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not sure if Princess Haya would do herself a favour by accepting to run for a third term because many, people or media, tend to judge her simply based on the fact that the crisis in Endurance has evolved from the Middle East region. We therefore welcomed her clear statement some weeks ago, not to stand for re-election. It goes without saying that, if the Statutes were amended and she became President of the FEI again, we would enjoy continuing to work with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story originally appeared in the January 2014 issue of THM.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ute Raabe found a range of opinions from our panel of international experts\u00a0 A kingdom for a horse? Or a perhaps a horse for a Princess? The recent General Assembly of the FEI in Montreux certainly would have delivered enough material for dear old Shakespeare to write another sequel to Richard III, this time with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[429,1250,813,1248,1247,1249,1251],"class_list":["post-24100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-fei","tag-jacob-melissen","tag-jan-tonjes","tag-kenneth-braddick","tag-princess-haya","tag-sohnke-lauterbach","tag-ute-raabe"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24100"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32522,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24100\/revisions\/32522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}