Dear members, it’s me again đ
Maybe it’s already a little late for New Year’s resolutions, but here is one of mine: keeping our members better updated on what we, as the board, are doing to improve the situation of media representatives at events.
Of course, the biggest event in 2024 was the Olympic Games. Paris 2024 has been widely praised as the ultimate equestrian event. Thanks to Amy Powell, the Venue Media Manager for Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon, working conditions were excellent in Versailles, and when problems arose, they were solved with a smile. We were fortunate that Amy provided IAEJ members with valuable inside information before the games. It was conducted during a Zoom conference we organized at the CHIO Aachen 2024. A huge thank you goes out to Amy and her team, the Aachen media team, and Aachenâs head of media and communications, Tobias Koenigs. I also raise my glass to board members, who got everything sorted â from the invitation to tackling technical problems.
As we all know, there was more than just medals that made it into the headlines. The publication of the video featuring Charlotte Dujardin just days before the opening ceremony in Paris was exactly what those who believe equestrian sport is about animal abuse and shouldnât be part of the Olympic family anymore were waiting for. Additionally, social media highlighted the fact that there was more than just sunshine and roses in Paris 2024. Our sport will always be caught between those who understand and love equestrian sports and those who dislike it. This fact underscores how important the role of specialized media â i.e., we as journalists â remains.
In the most recent board meeting, which we hold regularly, we had extensive and fruitful discussions about the role we play as part of the broader group of stakeholders, always keeping in mind that the future of equestrian activities is intrinsically tied to our professional future. These discussions will continue, and if any of you are interested in contributing your thoughts on this subject, we would be happy to receive your emails. Another aspect of our day-to-day duties as board members is maintaining steady contact and interaction with the FEI media department. As many of you may already know, Olivia Robinson has left the FEI, which is currently without a Communications Director. However, we still have dialogue partners in Paul Stretton (Senior Manager, Sports Communications & Media Operations), Didier Montes Kienle (Manager, Sport Communications and Media Relations), and Vanessa Martin Randin (Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Media Relations), who are always willing to hear the IAEJâs views and ideas. One example of this was an interesting video call where we exchanged thoughts (and concerns) regarding the growing number of influencers flooding media facilities worldwide. We fear that the working conditions for ârealâ media (call me old-fashioned, but who, if not we, still uphold principles such as two-source research, pros and cons, etc.) may face challenges. This concern is more than just being annoyed when the bandwidth calls it quits as thousands of video clips are downloaded after a class. Good journalism is timeless (but today requires bandwidth âŠ).
Almost a year ago, we decided to send one representative to the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne since we felt in a time of changes and discussions about the horse sport our organization should be present there. Kim Lundin provided lots of in-depth information and insights that she shared through our website, the private IAEJ Facebook group, and LinkedIn. Afterwards, we received a lot of feedback which made us believe it would be good to also be present at the 2025 edition of the Sports Forum. Feel free to use the material of the reports and kindly credit them regarding the author and the IAEJ.
2024 is also the first year in which all members could benefit from a free subscription to Clipmyhorse. A huge thank you to Mollie Bailey and Jennifer Anstey for your effort. I am sure everybody enjoys the possibility of following the action wherever in the world, thanks to Clipmyhorse and Mollie and Jen!
Finally, my apologies for not being as communicative in the past few months as I should have been. My professional life, as some of you may know, has been quite a rollercoaster ride. So, if any of you want to reach me, please delete the st-georg.de email address from your contacts, as emails sent there will not reach me anymore.
I am happy to be able to announce that Aachen once more welcomes us to hold our general assembly via Zoom from the Aachen showgrounds during the CHIO. Details will be provided soon but most likely the date will be Wednesday, July 2 (probably in the morning). So any of you planning to travel to Aachen this year, please keep that date in mind when arranging your travels.
With the World Cup Finals in Basel coming closer and the indoor season in full swing, I on behalf of the entire board, wish you all a fantastic 2025!
Kind regards,