The Fédération Equestre Internationale officially opened its new headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on May 6.
Almost 200 guests attended the ceremony at the HM King Hussein I Building, which was named after FEI President HRH Princess Haya’s late father, HM King Hussein I of Jordan, a leader committed to peace and democracy and a lifelong lover of horses and sport.
The inauguration of the new headquarters was timed to coincide with the FEI Extraordinary General Assembly meeting, so that attending national federation representatives could join in the celebrations.
The new headquarters, which were gifted to the FEI by Haya in 2007 following a personal fundraising effort, are conveniently located close to the International Olympic Committee and other international sports federations.
In 2008, the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss Minergie construction standard for environmental responsibility, which reduces energy consumption by 25 percent. Only two percent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards.
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As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 national federations, the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art interactive gallery showcasing equestrian sport.
The interactive gallery will be open to the general public to help people of all ages discover or re-discover human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history.
“The building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sport,” said Haya. “I also feel an immense sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people.
“Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our national federations over the coming years. It will be the environment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide, while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the center of all that we do.”
The FEI was created in 1921 and was headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, until the 1970s when it moved to Bern, Switzerland. In 1991, the FEI moved to Lausanne.
