Lausanne (SUI), 25 July 2011 – The equestrian community has only six more days to nominate its heroes for the five categories of the FEI Awards 2011.
Nominations for Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Against All Odds, Development and Best Groom have so far arrived from France, Great Britain, Australia, The Netherlands, Canada, Africa, Italy, Mexico, Germany, the USA, South Africa, Cambodia, Norway, Malaysia, Thailand, Sweden, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Belgium and Ireland.
FEI Secretary General and CEO Ingmar De Vos said: “Anyone who loves horse sport is welcome to send nominations, but I very much hope that the 133 National Federations affiliated to the FEI will, over the next few days, seize this rare opportunity to shine a spotlight on their athletes and grooms, as well as on people and organisations that are working to take the pleasure of equestrianism to others.”
The winners of the FEI Awards will receive their awards in November at a gala evening at the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Lausanne (SUI), 15 July 2011 – HSBC is for the third consecutive year supporting the Rising Star category of the awards scheme organised by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the governing body of equestrian sport.
The HSBC Rising Star category of the FEI Awards rewards an equestrian athlete aged between 14 and 21 who demonstrates outstanding sporting talent and commitment in any of the FEI-regulated disciplines (Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage, Eventing, Driving and Para-Equestrian Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining).
HSBC is a platinum partner of the FEI in the discipline of Eventing. It is title sponsor of the FEI Classics series, which unites the five elite-level competitions staged between April to October, and the FEI European Eventing Championships, which will this year take place in Luhmühlen (GER) from 25 to 28 August.
In addition, HSBC is committed to the development of sport through investment in youth and education in local communities around the world. It supports junior and young rider schemes in the hope that participants will go on to represent their countries at the highest level.
Lausanne (SUI), 6 July 2011 – Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, author and horse-lover William Shatner is supporting the HSBC Rising Star category of the FEI Awards, the scheme organised annually by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the governing body of horse sport, to celebrate equestrian heroes.
Shatner’s role as Captain James T. Kirk in the science fiction TV series Star Trek, which was first broadcast in 1966, made him a cultural icon and earned him worldwide fame. His more recent role as Denny Crane in The Practice and Boston Legal earned him two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.
The actor breeds and shows American Saddlebreds and Quarter Horses and spearheads the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, which brings together world-class Reining horses and riders to raise money for a therapeutic riding organisation that works with severely disabled children.
Speaking of the HSBC Rising Star category of the FEI Awards, which is open to equestrian athletes aged 14 to 21 who demonstrate outstanding sporting talent and commitment, Shatner commented:
Lausanne (SUI), 1 July 2011 – A month before nominations close for the FEI Awards 2011, Ros Spearing, founder and director of the London-based Ebony Horse Club, the winner in last year’s Development category, recalls her pleasure in receiving it.
Ros Spearing, founder and director of the Ebony Horse Club, a charity that has in 15 years enabled more than 300 children living in one of London’s most deprived boroughs to enjoy the benefits of riding and caring for horses, said: “Receiving international recognition from the FEI was a fantastic boost after years of hard work.”
When Spearing accepted the FEI’s Development Award on behalf of the Ebony Horse Club in November 2010, the charity was £79,000 away from its goal of raising £1.4 million to build a community equestrian centre in Brixton, south London.
The club achieved its objective several weeks after the FEI Awards ceremony. Building work on the equestrian centre is currently underway and the first riding lessons will take place in October of this year. More information is available at www.ebonyhorseclub.org.uk.
The FEI’s Development Award rewards a person or organisation dedicated to making equestrianism accessible to a wider public or developing the sport in some way. It is one of five FEI Awards that reward equestrian heroes from around the world.
This year’s winners will fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to attend the FEI Awards ceremony at a gala evening organised at the Copacabana Palace, the famous Art Deco hotel facing Copacabana Beach.
Nominations in the five awards categories (Development, Against all Odds, Reem Acra Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Best Groom) should be made via the dedicated website www.feiawards.org.
Lausanne (SUI), 20 June 2011 – The Fédération Equestre International (FEI), the governing body of equestrian sport, is pleased to announce the FEI Awards 2011 judging panel, which will be presided by FEI President HRH Princess Haya for the third consecutive year.
Diane Fissore-Wathelet, President of the Monaco Equestrian Federation, Zoë Kayes, Secretary General of the Malawi Equestrian Federation, and Juan Andres Sauce, International Delegate of the Venezuelan Equestrian Federation, will have the tough task of deciding which nominees will be applauded for their contribution to the sport at the FEI Awards Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November. HRH Princess Haya will attend the ceremony, which will take place at the Copacabana Palace, the famous Art Deco hotel that opened its doors in 1923 and has played host to celebrities ranging from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to Madonna, Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti and the Rolling Stones.
Diane Fissore-Wathelet is a qualified lawyer and has presided the Monaco Equestrian Federation since 1995. She has also been president of Jumping International de Monte-Carlo since its creation in 1995. In parallel to her activities within the Federation, Diane Fissore heads a communications, publishing and event management company. Despite her professional commitments, Fissore, who began riding when she was very young, continues to live her passion for horses. She is a Dressage rider and owns many horses.
10 June 2011 – International fashion designer Reem Acra, sponsor of the prestigious FEI World Cup Dressage series, is supporting the Best Athlete category of the FEI Awards for the second consecutive year.
The Beirut-born designer, whose clientele includes celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Beyonce Knowles, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Eva Longoria, built her successful design business with the same drive and determination that takes equestrian athletes to the summit of the sport. Commenting on the FEI Awards, which were launched by the governing body of international horse sport in 2009 to reward talent in and out of the arena, Reem Acra said:
“I am delighted to support the Best Athlete Award again this year. I have seen equestrian sport at its best and I know from my experience in the fashion world how tough it is to succeed when there is so much talent to compete with. This FEI Award will go to an athlete who has combined focused ambition with fair play, to a horse whose outstanding character and performances have endeared it to the public or to a really remarkable human and equine partnership. I hope the entire equestrian community will seize this opportunity to nominate their heroes, as it is a way of thanking them for the pleasure their inspirational performances have given us.”
Last year’s Reem Acra Best Athlete Award went to a combination – the superstar Dutch duo Edward Gal and Totilas – for their memorable contribution to equestrian sport. Gal, whose partnership with the much-loved black stallion ended in style in 2010 with, notably, three gold medals at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, said that receiving the award had been “the icing on the cake”.
This year’s winners will receive their awards in November at a gala evening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the FEI General Assembly is taking place.
Nominations for the five-category FEI Awards (Reem Acra Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Against All Odds, Development and Best Groom) are open until 31 July at www.feiawards.org.
1 June 2011 – Multiple award-winning actor and producer and United Nations Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas has lent his support to the FEI Awards 2011 by highlighting their significance and calling on the worldwide equestrian community to make nominations.
Commenting on the FEI awards, which reward the horses, men, women and youngsters who have contributed to the progress and excellence of equestrian sport, Douglas said:
“The FEI Awards provide a platform for the global community to applaud riders and organisations for their outstanding achievements. I am delighted to offer my support and urge you to submit your nominations for the 2011 FEI Awards. At the end of the year, in Rio de Janeiro, we will pay tribute to equestrians who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and in doing so, celebrate the very best of equestrian sport.”
Over his hugely successful career, Douglas has walked the red carpet numerous times to receive prestigious awards. These include two Oscars (Best Picture for his production of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1979) – a film that scooped Oscars in five categories – and Best Actor for his role in Wall Street (1987).
Lausanne (SUI) 25 May 2011 – A week after nominations opened for the FEI Awards 2011, Michelle Tipper, the British winner in last year’s Best Groom category, has called on athletes and horse-owners to make their nominations.
“I highly recommend that employers nominate their staff,” said Tipper. “It is such a boost to your motivation to have this recognition and it’s great for the employer, as good grooms work so much better for employers who care.”
The freelance groom, who works regularly with British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler and Nicky and Richard Barrett, said it was an “honour and a privilege” to win the 2010 Best Groom Award. “It is fantastic that the hard work that grooms do behind the scenes is being recognised internationally,” Tipper said.
Nominations for all five categories of the FEI Awards (Best Groom, Reem Acra Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Against All Odds, and Development) can be made via the dedicated website www.feiawards.org.
The winners will fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to attend the FEI Awards Ceremony at a VIP gala dinner, which will take place during the FEI General Assembly in November.
The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the governing body of equestrian sport, is pleased to announce that nominations for the FEI Awards 2011 are now open.
Members of the worldwide equestrian community are invited to make their nominations via the dedicated website www.feiawards.org.
The awards, which were launched in 2009, aim to acknowledge outstanding achievement in the following five categories:
* Reem Acra Best Athlete, for the athlete (equine or human) or combination that, over the past year, has demonstrated exceptional skill in the arena and taken the sport to a new level;
* HSBC Rising Star, for a rider aged 14-21 who has demonstrated significant talent and commitment;
* Development, for a development project, individual or organisation demonstrating skill, dedication and energy in expanding the sport;
* Against All Odds, to celebrate a disabled rider or an individual who has overcome extreme personal difficulties to achieve proficiency in equestrian sport;
* Best Groom, for the often uncelebrated, yet important person who works behind the scenes.
News: HRH Princess Haya Re-elected FEI President – www.fei.org
News: FEI Annual Awards Presented at General Assembly – www.fei.org/media/press-releases
Winners of the 2010 FEI Awards are:
Reem Acra Best Athlete Award – Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas
HSBC Rising Star Award – Caroline Roffman
Against All Odds – Angelika Trabert
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