Lausanne, Switzerland – March 31, 2026 – The second and final day of the FEI Sports Forum 2026 opened with a dynamic session on the FEI Marketing and Communications Strategy 2026–2030. François Vergnol, FEI Executive Director, Commercial, Marketing & Communications, delivered a comprehensive presentation that quickly sparked an engaging debate, with participants raising questions and ideas around social media, TV coverage, and collaboration with National Federations and stakeholders.
“In the attention economy, we compete not just with other sports, but with every form of entertainment — streaming, social media, gaming, podcasts, and more,” François Vergnol said. “Content consumption is evolving rapidly. Live TV remains important, but it’s no longer enough. Today, data drives success: understanding who our audiences are and what they truly want is critical. We want to carve out more free-to-air content so that we can quench the thirst of the new fan and also serve the super fan.”
The presentation also underscored the central role of horse welfare in the success of the Strategy. “Proactively telling the story of the genuine care we provide for our equine athletes—embedded in the very fabric of the sport—is essential. It shows how we improve horses’ lives and inspires others to do the same,” concluded François Vergnol.
Notably, the contributions from young athletes stood out, adding fresh perspectives and practical suggestions to the discussion.
Sessions 5 and 6 focused on key proposed changes to the FEI Veterinary Regulations and the FEI Para Dressage Rules, both undergoing full revision this year. Session 7 turned to the FEI Event Stable Manager initiative, presented in a concise overview. The FEI Sports Forum 2026 concluded with an update on data-driven welfare and safety research projects.
In her closing remarks, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez highlighted the key takeaways from each session and praised the consistently high standard of presentations over the two days. She thanked the panellists, moderators, and delegates for the quality and depth of the discussions, giving special recognition to the young athletes whose contributions brought renewed energy and perspective to the debate. She also extended her thanks to the FEI HQ team for delivering another successful edition of the FEI Sports Forum.
Session Summaries
Summaries from each of the day’s four sessions are available at the links below:
Session 5: Veterinary Matters: Advancing Rules, Research & Responsibility
Session 6: FEI Para Dressage Rules
Session 7: FEI Event Stable Manager
Session 8: Data Driven Welfare and Safety
Presentations
The PowerPoint presentations from each session are available as PDFs in the FEI Sports Forum 2026 online hub (Session Documents section).
We encourage you to download, share, and distribute them widely.
Watch on Replay
All the Sessions can be viewed on replay here.
Source: Press Release from FEI Communications for the FEI – Fédération Équestre Internationale
Photo: © FEI / Germain Arias-Schreiber
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