The European Equestrian Federation (EEF) met in Greenwich last week for their annual Sport Conference and General Assembly. Hosted by the British Equestrian Federation, the conference, which ran 26-29 September, saw 33 National Federations and Associate Members and over 70 delegates in attendance, including the FEI's President, Princess Haya and Secretary General, Ingmar de Vos, and Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP.
President of the EEF, Hanfried Haring, opened the Conference along with the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP and Chairman of the British Equestrian Federation, Keith Taylor.
The Minister commented; "Equitation has a seat at the top table in this country; it is built into the DNA of both the British Olympic movement and the wider political world. We welcome you to Greenwich, host to the Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian events, right at the heart of 2012 and look forward to seeing you all here next year".
Hanfried commented; "The 2011 Sport Conference and General Assembly of the EEF has been a great success.The communication between upcoming and leading nations to solve common problems started to become successful. Reasons for this have been not least the excellent organisation of the British Federation and the spirit of the location. Everybody left with the clear impression that the competitions at the historic site of Greenwich will put equestrian sport in the limelight of the Olympic Games as nearly never before."
Keith Taylor commented; "It is a privilege for the BEF to host this GA and Sport Conference. The continuing support of UK Sport helps make it possible for the leaders of European National Federations to not only conduct the important business of the General Assembly, but to also discover Greenwich Park, the site of the London 2012 equestrian events."
The Sport Conference, which ran over two days, discussed a wide range of topics including challenges faced in equestrian sport in Europe and preparations and progress ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which take place in Greenwich Park next year.
Competition Manager for LOCOG, Tim Hadaway, addressed delegates on the first day of the conference, before providing a tour of the venue. Director of the National Maritime Museum, Dr Kevin Fewster and Assistant Chief Executive to the Borough of Greenwich, Katrina Delaney joined delegates on the final day of the conference, sharing their organisations updates with less than a year to go to the Games.
The EEF General Assembly was held alongside the Sport Conference and this year saw the second election and appointments to the board. Chief Executive of the BEF, Andrew Finding, was re-elected to the board, along with Michal Wroblewski (Poland) and Armagan Ozgorkey (Turkey). Manuel Bandeira de Mello, who steps down from the board this year to take over as EEF Secretary General, was succeeded by Theo Ploegmakers (Netherlands).
Andrew Finding commented after the General Assembly: "The feedback we have had from the attending Federations has been excellent providing a strong sense that our guests now hold the view that Greenwich will host a truly spectacular event next year. The view from our friends and colleagues has been that the first sport conference to be held by the EEF has provided a fantastic opportunity to improve communication within the equestrian community throughout Europe. We are very grateful to UK Sport for their funding support and to all of our delegates and speakers for joining us this week."
For more information about the European Equestrian Federation visit www.euroequestrian.eu
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