
One of the many pleasures of being President of the Federation Equestre
Internationale (FEI), is that of welcoming you to Minsk for this wonderful
event which will include the FEI World Cup™ Eventing Qualifier.
In the six years since its inception in 2003, the FEI World Cup™ Eventing
series has become one of the great success stories of the FEI’s competition
calendar. It is also possibly the most spectacular series in sport, not just
for the quality of the competitions but for the beautiful natural settings in
which it is held and the historical backdrops, which must surely be the finest
in international sport.
In this Olympic year I would like to highlight the vital role that this series
will have formed in the preparation of Olympic athletes both riders and horses.
It is always encouraging to see the number of competitions increasing but
for me the particularly exciting feature of this year’s qualifiers is that the
FEI World Cup™ Eventing series is welcoming not only Belarus but also
Canada into the series. The continuing increase in Eventing’s global reach
is a powerful and positive way of further strengthening this vital discipline’s
place at the heart of the Olympic movement.
The establishment and annual running of an event in this discipline is one of
the most demanding organisational feats in horsesport and I would like to
thank all of you, the organisers, sponsors, volunteers and followers of
horsesport for the support you have shown this magnificent discipline in its
efforts to provide the highest quality competition for athletes, owners and
their horses.
I wish you all, in whatever capacity you are attending the event, an enjoyable visit.

HRH Princess Haya FEI President
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