Equestrian representatives from around the world gathered online and in-person to ensure a sustainable future for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Series during a Fédération Equestre International task force meeting held Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

About 50 participants from over 20 nations representing the interests of jumping athletes, national federations and regional associations, organizers, chefs d’equipe, owners and the FEI participated in the meeting.

FEI President Ingmar de Vos (left) addressed the representative stakeholder panel at the afternoon session of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup task force meeting, held Oct. 25 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The panel consisted of (from left): Athlete representatives Steve Guerdat (Switzerland) and Kevin Staut (France); organizers Nayla Stössel (Switzerland) and Daniela Garcia (Mexico); Swedish Chef d’Equipe Henrik Ankarcrona; FEI Jumping Committee Chairman Stephan Ellenbruch (Germany); and FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez (Switzerland). Anouk Ruffieux/FEI Photo

FEI President Ingmar De Vos started the day talking about the long history and evolution of the Nations Cup series and the need to adapt it to a changing sporting and media landscape. FEI staff then made presentations explaining the current situation in relation to the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Series, including the sporting context, the bidding process and legal requirements, the pool of events available to host qualifiers, as well as an increasingly competitive calendar. International jumping events have increased from 720 in 2007 to 1,771 in 2022. They also discussed the changing media landscape, commercial implications and a lack of identity for the series.

The second part of the day focused on input from different stakeholder groups and their ideas for securing the future of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Series.

As the day progressed, with ample feedback from the panel, constructive contributions from the participants in Lausanne and a detailed proposal from U.S. jumper Beezie Madden, who participated online, there was no shortage of ideas. There was both consensus and an appetite to address certain challenges in the redesign of the series going forward.

“All the participants [expressed] their commitment to the series and everything it stands for and a strong desire to see it succeed and maintain its place as the pinnacle of our sport,” De Vos said.

“But to do this, we need a clear and easy to understand concept and a unique identity which reflects this status as the pinnacle of the sport, a global series with top events, and a narrative that can attract fans, inspire teams and create that strong sense of pride which goes hand in hand with the heritage of the FEI Nations Cup,” he added. “There is no shortage of commitment to the series, but we need to secure and ensure meaningful change if we are to guarantee the viability of the series for generations to come, and we need the active help of our national federations to provide us with the right tools to make this happen.”

FEI staff will take input from the meeting to draft proposals for a stronger framework for the series, and a follow-up task force meeting will be scheduled in the first quarter of 2023.

For more information on the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup, click here.