EFI hope to announce new team manager by end of the month
Not surprisingly, thought, the EFI yesterday refused to disclose the identities of the applicants, or, say how many had put their names in the hat.
The deadline for applications came on Wednesday and the EFI is aiming to be in a position to announce the successful candidate following its executive meeting on February 27.
Robert Splaine was in line for the position before the recent deterioration in relations between the EFI and the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI). In a ballot among riders last year, he was chosen ahead of John Ledingham, but his accession to the post came unstuck during negotiations for his contract. Nevertheless, the Corkman is still many people’s favourite, carrying a wealth of experience as a rider and considered an “independent” man.
Ledingham declared in this column a couple of weeks ago that he was not interested in the position.
A five-person panel, consisting of two SJAI members, two EFI members and a chairman appointed by the Irish Sports Council will, as the EFI puts it, “resolve” the selection of a team manager. The panel chairman is expected to be decided in the next few days.
Meanwhile, in what is becoming a farcical situation, the EFI this week again announced it was taking over sole selection of the Irish show jumping team. This latest exclusion of the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI) came after a request by the Irish Sports Council to meet the EFI executive last Monday. The SJAI was previously stripped of selection rights on January 20, with EFI secretary general Dan Butler and EFI president Charles Powell conveying the decision to SJAI chairperson Patricia Furlong and acting director general Liz Pottie. This was reversed three days later by the EFI executive, with representatives of its affiliate organisations supposedly seeking compromise rather than conflict and opting to include the SJAI in selection matters. Last Monday’s EFI executive meeting resulted in another about turn, however.
It came as no surprise that the SJAI’s chairman of international affairs Paraic Geraghty was unhappy.
“The International Affairs Committee of the SJAI is a voluntary group whose aim is to put out the best teams for Ireland at all times, which is something we have done consistently,” said a disheartened Mr Geraghty.
He said the SJAI representatives on the EFI executive had been asked to leave last Monday’s meeting to allow discussions to take place, which he said was legally unsound.
“Fundamental policy decisions were taken without all the directors being present, which was wrong, according to our legal advice.”
He also said the Irish Sports Council had claimed the majority of riders were in favour of this latest move, but Geraghty disputed this, explaining that the council was listening to a “vociferous minority”.
Mr Geraghty added: “It is a slight on members of SJAI that the EFI and Sports Council feel their representatives are not up to standard.
“Once again, I’m afraid to say, the Minister for Sport John O’Donoghue and the Sports Council have got hold of the wrong end of the stick.”
Meanwhile, this week the EFI set about putting in place a structure for team selection, with work underway to form a committee. It is hoped that its composition will also be announced at following EFI executive meeting of February 27.
* IRISH HORSE BOARD chairman Joe Walsh this week praised initiatives taken by the RDS as part of its development of Dublin Horse Show. The measures are aimed primarily at supporting the breeding of Irish horses as part of the society’s five-year strategy for the show and Mr Walsh said: “The show was founded to foster and promote Irish equestrianism and the Irish horse industry and it continues to do this by providing an outlet for quality horses. The new initiatives taken by the RDS focus on the advancement and promotion of the industry and are a welcome support to the policies of the Irish Horse Board in terms of breeding and production.”
Notably, the 2006 show will see a number of classes confined to horses bred in Ireland and among the initiatives to be unveiled at this year’s show are:
* The introduction of young event horse classes for four and five-year-olds. The classes are designed to promote potential high-class event type horses and create a platform for breeders and producers to display their quality young stock.
A prize fund of €20,000 and a qualifier system in conjunction with the Future Event Horse League will be put in place for these classes.
*An increase in prizemoney for what the RDS terms as its Commercial Industry Classes: the three-year-old loose jumping, the four-year-old hunter classes, the three-year-old showing classes and the four-year- old jumping competition. The increases will help to emphasise the significance of these classes to the Sport Horse Industry and to encourage breeders and producers to exhibit their quality young stock, says the RDS. A prize fund of €30,000 will be divided between the three three-year-old showing classes; a further €15,000 has been allocated to the four-year-old ridden hunter classes. The three-year-old loose jumping competition will be re-launched and an additional prize fund of €15,000 allocated to it. The four-year-old jumping championship has been boosted by €15,000 in prize money, giving a prize-fund of almost €19,000. This class will be restricted to horses bred in Ireland, after it was noted that the 2005 show showed a big increase in the number of horses bred outside of Ireland competing in such classes.
A limited number of other classes are also confined to Irish-bred horses: the three-year-old loose jumping, the ridden hunter classes, the young horse classes and the mare and foal classes.
A number of classes that the RDS considered “made a relatively lower contribution to the industry and to the entertainment value of the show” have been dropped. These are: the leading rein, the first ridden, the six and seven-year-old novice pony class and the riding clubs competition. The 9-12 year old jumping competition will be replaced by a class for 8/9-year-olds, with the RDS saying: “A class for younger horses will have greater relevance to the production side of the industry.”
* EQUESTRIAN sport this week saw an increase in its High Performance Grant from the Irish Sports Council, with e30,000 being added to the 2005 figure for a 2006 total of €480,000.
This is the largest High Performance Grant made this year to any eligible sport, with only boxing receiving an equal amount, according to the Equestrian Federation of Ireland.
In a press release, EFI president Charles Powell welcomed the increase: “We are very grateful for this endorsement of our sport, and the ongoing faith shown by Sports Minister John O’Donoghue and the Irish Sports Council in the equestrian industry. This generous grant will underpin the work already done for this year’s World Equestrian Games and Samsung Super League, together with preparations for the Olympics in 2008.
“I look forward with continuing optimism to a good season ahead for all disciplines in equestrian sport.”
Equestrianism does not operate a carding scheme and, thus, it is up to the EFI to distribute the grant to riders. Last year, the EFI allocated a portion to the SJAI for disbursement, but since it is currently withholding 2006 funding from the latter, it will undertake to give funding directly to riders.
Recently, the EFI announced an increase in the Sports Council’s Core Grant for equestrian sport of €13,000, bringing the total to €338,000.
lJESSICA KÜRTEN lines out in Vigo, Spain, this weekend, bidding to secure qualification for the World Cup finals, having greatly increased her chances in Bordeaux last Saturday
The 36-year-old Antrim-born rider finished fourth in the French competition, having been one of nine to make the jump-off.
Riding the 12-year-old mare Quibell, she was second to go and had little difficulty producing another clear. Her time of 38.85 seconds was open to question, which proved the case, with Italy’s Juan Carlos Garcia reducing it by most on the 18-year-old Loro Piana Albin to take the top prize.
Kürten’s performance elevated her to ninth place on the Western European League on 35 points. Traditionally, anything over 40 is good enough to secure qualification for the finals, which this year take place in Kuala Lumpur on April 26-30.
If Kürten fails to reach her target this weekend - and one would get long odds on this - she has further opportunities in Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, (March 23-26) and Gothenburg, Sweden, (April 13-16).
