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