FEI's Ingmar De Vos elected President of Association of Summer Olympic International Federations

Dressage

FEI

Belgium’s Ingmar De Vos, who has served as the FEI President since 2014 and is in his last term, has been elected unanimously as the new President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

The election took place on 9 April 2024 at the 48^th ASOIF General Assembly held in Birmingham (GBR) during the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit.

Unopposed

Ingmar De Vos ran unopposed and was elected by secret ballot for a term of four years. He will take up his new position on 1 January 2025.

“I am humbled by today’s result and would like to express my deep gratitude to the Summer Olympic International Federations for their trust,” the newly elected ASOIF President Ingmar De Vos said. “In January 2025, I will be taking over from Francesco Ricci Bitti, a hugely respected figure in the Olympic Movement. I would like to take this opportunity already to pay tribute to his leadership and achievements and thank him for his unwavering support, wise counsel, and great friendship. I am fully aware of the fact that I have big shoes to fill and during my mandate I will make it my mission to continue strengthening the role of the Summer International Sports Federations in the Olympic Movement, focus on an open and constructive dialogue with the IOC, further intensify the communications with and between our IFs, and develop a strategy for the future so that together we can keep contributing to the popularity, appeal, and sustainability of the Olympic Games.”

Cooperation between IOC and ASOIF

Key Olympic officials congratulated Ingmar De Vos on his election.

IOC President Thomas Bach commented, “we are looking forward to the continuation of the excellent cooperation between the IOC and ASOIF. The International Federations are a fundamental pillar of our Olympic Movement. Since its establishment in 1983, ASOIF has played a vital role in promoting and strengthening the IFs by bringing together the shared interests of each sports federation. In doing so, ASOIF has safeguarded the autonomy of sport and preserved the unity of the Olympic Movement in times when it mattered the most. In his new role, Ingmar De Vos will benefit from his experience as FEI President and an IOC Member.”

Incumbent ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said, “having served as ASOIF President for almost 12 years, I know that Ingmar De Vos has the experience and stamina needed to lead our organisation. I have had the pleasure to work with him not only at ASOIF, but also in other positions. Ingmar is highly experienced, solution-oriented and, most importantly, he has high human qualities. It is also great to know that he enjoys the full support of our membership – something which is key for success. This is a good day for ASOIF and the Olympic Movement.”

"At the Belgian National Olympic Committee, we know Ingmar as a very reliable and hard-working official, who has great integrity and a heart for sport,” said former Belgian table tennis player Jean-Michel Saive, who is now President of the Belgian Olympic & Interfederal Committee (COIB). “We are very fortunate to be able to build on his expertise for key strategic decisions. I would like to congratulate Ingmar for taking on the key task to lead such a vital organisation within the Olympic Movement as its first Belgian President. I am convinced that he will serve as an excellent President for ASOIF. I wish him all the best."

Biography

A Belgian native, Ingmar De Vos was born on 5 August 1963. He holds Masters degrees in political science, international relations, and international and European law from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BEL). He also served as a former local politician for the Belgian liberal party (VLD) in his home town Kapellen.

He began his professional career as an advisor to the Belgian Senate. He joined the Fédération Royale Belge des Sports Equestres (Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation) as Director General in 1990 and from 1997 to 2011 served as the Federation’s Secretary General.

De Vos was the co-founder of the European Equestrian Federation (EEF), where he served as Secretary General from 2010 to 2011 under FEI president Princess Haya (JOR).

In 2011, Ingmar De Vos joined the FEI as Secretary General, succeeding Alex McLin.

On 14 December 2014, at the FEI General Assembly held in Baku (AZE), after three years as FEI Secretary General, the Belgian native was elected FEI President in a contested election by an overwhelming majority in the first round of voting. Four years later, at the FEI General Assembly in Manama (BRN) on 20 November 2018, he stood unopposed and was unanimously re-elected for another four-year term. On 13 November 2022, De Vos was re-elected for a third and final term in office by the FEI General Assembly in Cape Town (RSA). He ran unopposed as had been the case four years earlier.

Ingmar De Vos was elected as a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September 2017 and is a member of the following IOC Commissions: Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad Los Angeles 2028 (2019 - ); Legal Affairs (2018 - ); and Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2019 - ). He is a member of the Belgian Olympic Academy and since 2017 he sits on the Board of the Belgian National Olympic Committee (BOIC/COIB).

Since 2016, he has been a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) Governance Taskforce. In 2019 he joined the ASOIF Council.

He has been a member of the Executive Committee of SportAccord, the world sport and business summit, since 2021.

From 2018 to 2022, Ingmar De Vos served on the Foundation Board of the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA). Since 2018, he is a member of the WADA Executive Committee.

In 2014, he was a delegate to the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC). He was the organisation’s Vice President (2014-2019) and President from 2020 to 2022. He is currently IHSC Vice President.

Ingmar De Vos is a Gender Champion for the United Nations and is fluent in Dutch, English and French.