02 Sept 2006
Less than six months after becoming the youngest-ever President of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the international governing body for all equestrian disciplines, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain has embarked on an ambitious programme in a bid to boost the sport's profile.
While acknowledging that the task was not easy, she stressed that she was determined to take equestrian sports to a larger worldwide audience than ever before.
Speaking at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany Haya, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: "We are attempting to change perception and provide a heavy dose of reality and pragmatism to everything we do.
"I promised leadership that was guiding and sustainable. I promised hard work and energy, I promised to fulfil this and to give my successor an organisation that can be run based on sustainable principles and that is what I will deliver."
When Princess Haya announced her candidature for the presidency of the governing body of world equestrian sport, it was a move into uncharted territory. For the FEI, despite having over 100 National Federations as members, was viewed as a body controlled by a few select member countries.
It was the first time that the post of President was to be decided by an election and after campaigns by the candidates, it resulted in a mandate for change.
Princess Haya became the first person from the Arab-Asian-African continent to take over the FEI leadership.
But having represented Jordan in the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games in showjumping it gave the FEI a President who truly represents the equestrian fraternity.
Elected on May 2 this year, the task ahead for Princess Haya is indeed challenging.
She has promised to build on the six pillars which according to her are the foundation of the FEI - Governance, National Federations, Development, Commercial, Welfare and the International Olympic Committee.
"For me the FEI was this dinosaur that never told us what we could do but instead told us what we could not," said Princess Haya. "The FEI's face will become that of an efficient servant to all equestrian sports and in time, the FEI will attain its own positive identity as it is recognised."
The FEI is responsible for Show Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Endurance, Reining and Vaulting. Horseball and Tent Pegging are two other disciplines of horse sport that are being developed.
High achiever
An accomplished athlete, Princess Haya has represented Jordan in the Olympics and World Equestrian Games.
RECAP
The goals
-- Ensuring that development of the sport is of paramount importance to achieve universality.
-- Making the FEI a beneficial partner to national federations, athletes and organisers, adding value rather than just collecting taxes to administer the sport.
-- Putting the word integrity into equestrian sport to ensure that it is clean and provides an effective deterrent to corruption or behaviour that might bring it into disrepute.
The vision
-- My vision is similar to that of the International Olympic Committee - for the athletes by the athletes.
-- We are attempting to change perception and provide a heavy dose of reality and pragmatism to everything we do.
-- Sport bridges the vast separations that politics creates. Horses bring people together and bind our diverse community in the FEI from Mongolia to Jamaica, from Jordan to Germany and they unite us.
-- Like everything in business, we have to have a clear idea of where we want to end up and then how we will get there.
-- I was elected on a clear mandate for change, a change that protects our traditions but modernises our organization and its culture. But I am not change, change comes from within, my job is to guide it.
By M. Satya Narayan
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
