FEI Officials Discuss Worldwide Development of the Equestrian Sports

Interviews with Michael Stone and Leopoldo Palacios now available on-line

Development of the equestrian sports in all regions of the world was an important focus of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) General Assembly, held 24 – 27 April, 2001 in San Francisco, CA (USA).

In exclusive interviews with SportsQuest International, FEI Assistant Secretary General Michael Stone (IRL) and Olympic Course Designer Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) have discussed the scope and impact of FEI sponsored development programs. Video excerpts from these conversations are now available in the “Previews” section of the SportsQuest International web site http://SportsQuest.webjump.com.

Under Mr. Stone’s direction, the FEI Development Department aided national equestrian federations in thirty-four (34) countries during calendar year 2000. Over the past three and a half years, the FEI has committed over one million Swiss francs (US $571,916.00) to the development fund. Additional funding from the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity Program supports training courses and provides technical assistance to equestrian sports federations on every continent.

Mr. Palacios designed the showjumping courses utilized at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The Caracas based construction executive and former international showjumping competitor serves as Chairman of the FEI’s Regional Group V. Countries in this grouping include: Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. According to Mr. Palacios, qualified teachers (“Professors of Riding”) and better footing at training and competition facilities are among the primary needs of equestrian programs in developing countries

The interviews, conducted by SportsQuest International’s Senior Producer, Melvin Cox, are to be included in the upcoming television series “With Equestrian Tact: The International Video Magazine of the Equestrian Sports”.

The “With Equestrian Tact...” series will feature “State of the Sport...” segments, presenting the viewpoints of noted equestrians from many nations.

The Fédération Equestre Internationale is the international governing body of Equestrian sport recognized by the International Olympic Committee. It is the organization, which establishes rules and regulations for the conduct of international equestrian events in the Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Vaulting and Endurance Riding disciplines.

SportsQuest International is a privately held multimedia production company specializing in the development and promotion of sports related programming that presents positive, informationally rich themes. The company is based in Oakland, California (USA). Further information can be obtained from the SportsQuest International web site: <http://SportsQuest.webjump.com>, or by phoning 877-892-9645 (510-547-6437, from outside the USA).