Six Candidates Compete to Replace Princess Haya as FEI President

The FEI (International Federation of Equestrian Sports) has revealed six European candidates will vie for the presidency of the FEI in December.

The election will end a 60-year run of royal leadership of the world governing body for horse sport after Princess Haya bint Al Hussein revealed her intention to step down from the role at the end of her term.

The FEI today released the final list of candidates, story following the September 1 deadline for nominations.

They are, in order of the filing of their nominations: Pierre Genecand, of Switzerland; Ulf Helgstrand, of Denmark; John McEwen, of Britain; Javier Revuelta del Peral, of Spain; Pierre Durand, of France; and Ingmar De Vos, of Belgium.

Brief intro to candidates:

-Pierre Genecand, 64, is proposed by the Swiss Equestrian Federation. A businessman, banker and insurance broker by profession, Genecand served as president of the Geneva International Horse Show from 1989 to 2003.

–Ulf Helgstrand, 63, is proposed by the Danish Equestrian Federation. A medical doctor by profession, Helgstrand is a professor of vascular surgery. He has served as President of the Danish Equestrian Federation since 2003.

–John McEwen, 69, is proposed by the British Equestrian Federation. A qualified veterinary surgeon with wide international experience, McEwen served as veterinary surgeon to the British Show Jumping and Dressage Teams until the London 2012 Olympic Games. He was vice chairman of the FEI Veterinary Committee from 1999 to 2003 and has been the Committee’s chair since 2006.

–Javier Revuelta del Peral, 57, is proposed by the Spanish Equestrian Federation. Revuelta is a lawyer and attorney at law for the Spanish government. He has held senior management positions at various Spanish and international companies in the telecommunications, media, food, financial, and renewable energy industries.

–Pierre Durand, 59, is proposed by the French Equestrian Federation. Durand holds a degree in business law, is a former professional rider and wine grower. He was Olympic Jumping champion at the 1988 Seoul Games with the 13-year old gelding Jappeloup. He also competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and became European Jumping champion in 1987.

–Ingmar De Vos, 51, is proposed by the Belgian Equestrian Federation. De Vos holds degrees in political science, business administration and international and European law and started his career as an advisor to the Belgian Senate

The election is set to take place on December 14 during the FEI General Assembly in Baku, Azerbaijan.

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