In the run-up to the endurance conference on 9 February 2014, the Swiss Equestrian Federation (SEF) is concerned about the quality of the data to be used as a basis for the upcoming discussions. The endurance strategic planning group has compiled the data based on responses from national federations to a questionnaire sent out by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). In the opinion of the SEF, these responses have not been evaluated using scientifically correct methods.
After receipt of all questionnaires, they were submitted to the national federations for inspection. Based on this inspection, the SEF found fault with the following points in its letter to the FEI dated 30 January 2014:
• A number of federations responded more than once and the answers were taken into account more than once
• Not all answers were evaluated, with the result that the evaluation was seriously distorted
• Some responses from certain federations were not passed on for information to all federations, that is to say they were withheld
• Some questionnaires received by the FEI after the deadline for receipt were included in the evaluation, others were not
• Based on just 19 questionnaires submitted (from a total of 132 national federations), the evaluation does not appear to be very meaningful.
In the light of this questionable starting point, the SEF views the discussions at the forthcoming conference in Lausanne (9 February) with mixed feelings. “We also have little hope of achieving conclusive results”, says SEF President Charles F. Trolliet.
The SEF also poses the question as to whether the FEI is truly minded to combat the problems in endurance sport convincingly and with effective measures. For example, the SEF is still awaiting the enforcement it demanded of the proposed immediate measures to combat doping problems and irregularities in endurance sport. Regrettably, this demand has not been met since March of last year.