[LEXINGTON, Ky.] â?? Alltech and the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists (IAEJ) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Alltech â??A+â?? Awards for outstanding coverage of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamesâ?¢ 2014 in Normandy.

The A+ Awards were established in 2010 by Alltech, in collaboration with the IAEJ, to reward creativity, passion and excellence in equestrian journalism. The focus of the awards program this year was the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

The highly competitive contest, which attracted entries from around the world, was judged by Grania Willis, FEI communications director; Alan Smith, former Daily Telegraph equestrian correspondent and photographer Peter Llewellyn, photo manager for the 2012 London Olympics and 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games. 

â??We witnessed tremendous equestrian athleticism and dedication during the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, but behind the scenes there were some heroes. Those heroes were the journalists in the press center, who battled the elements and survived on very little sleep in order to deliver the triumphant stories and unforgettable images of the Games to fans throughout the world,â? said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech. â??We are delighted to honor these equestrian sport journalists for their passionate dedication and skilled storytelling.â?

 The winners of this yearâ??s Alltech A+ Award are:

·       Article Category: Sébastien Roullier (with Pauline Chevalier), France; “La Semaine Qui A Changé La Vie du Rudolphe Scherer,” published in Grand Prix Magazine

·       Broadcast Category: Jan Tönjes, Germany; Final Four show jumping broadcast from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games� 2014 in Normandy, broadcast on St. Georg LIVE.

·       Photo Category: Mollie Bailey, USA; photo of Sandra Auffarth, gold medalist in eventing at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games� 2014 in Normandy, published in The Chronicle of the Horse

Jan Tönjes, the editor of St. Georg magazine, is a two-time winner, having also scooped the award in 2013. Each of the winners receives an Alltech â??A+â? award and a $500 prize.

 â??The IAEJ is extremely grateful to Alltech for its continued recognition of the media and its contribution to equestrian sport,â? said Pamela Young, IAEJ president. â??Alltechâ??s generous support for these awards is much appreciated by our members who work tirelessly to convey the passion and beauty of our sport worldwide.â?

Award recipients will be honored at major events throughout the summer. Details will be coordinated with the winners. Alltech, which also sponsored the Hoofbeats grants in 2014, will continue to sponsor the Alltech A+ Awards in 2015. Guidelines will be announced on the IAEJ website: equijournalists.com.

 

IAEJ members intending to cover this summerâ??s Pan Am and/or Parapan Games in Toronto should be advised that parking at venues is limited and that parking permits are necessary. Permits run from $300 for a single venue to $1300 for all venues.

Gamesâ?? photo manager Peter Llewellyn reports that parking at the main Equestrian venue at Caledon is quite near the Venue Press center and no more than a five minute walk along paved walkways. Access to parking in this lot will require purchase of a VAPP (venue access parking pass) through the rate card system. With regard to the cross-country venue, Peter does not recommend anyone to use the parking (VAPP also required), as it is some considerable distance to the media center. Instead he suggests it would be better to use the parking lot at the main venue at Caledon and then use the shuttle bus system which will drop off a short two minute walk to the cross-country media center.

Peter has also confirmed that the lockers at Caledon are the same size as used at the London Olympics, i.e., plenty large enough for all a photographer’s gear, including bags, long lenses, etc.

The Equestrian press manager has not yet been confirmed. Same goes for the venue photo manager. However, Peter says that the OC is just coming to the end of the recruitment process and are slotting names into the various roles. â??Rest assured, those appointed will have extensive equestrian experience,â? he said.

Media wishing to attend the FEI Sports Forum 2015 and FEI Extraordinary General Assembly, which takes place April 27-28 in Lausanne, Switzerland, must register online at  http://www.fei.org/fei/about-fei/sportsforum/2015 by April 10.

The opening dayâ??s agenda items include an evaluation of the FEI World Equestrian Gamesâ?¢ and its future, the future of Dressage and Eventing and the impact of the Olympic Agenda 2020 on the FEI.

A vote on making the office of president a salaried position is likely to be the focus of Tuesday morningâ??s  Extraordinary General Assembly. After which, discussions on the future of Jumping and non-Olympic sports feature as well as a Reining Round table.

Full details of the forum agenda and practical information, are available at http://www.fei.org/fei/about-fei/sportsforum/2015.

Please note the registration deadline is April 10. The congress fee (350 CHF) does not apply to the media. Please email feisportsforum@fei.org, should you have any questions regarding your registration.

Please note that the accreditation deadline for this yearâ??s World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany (May 29 -31) is April 30, 2015. Go to the website: chioaachen.de click on Services and then Media or go direct to: press-accreditation@chioaachen.de. Aachen have pushed forward their traditional CHIO from July to the new May date because they are staging the European Championships for five disciplines in August (11-23) .

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission saw solid progress being made during its eighth visit (February 23-25) to the 2016 host city of Rio de Janeiro. Sports venues are taking shape and numerous engagement initiatives like ticketing, volunteering and the Olympic Torch Relay are up and running.

Commission Chair Nawal El Moutawakel noted: “The advancements made on both the Barra and Deodoro Olympic Parks were very encouraging. With 21 test events planned for this year and a significant number of the worldâ??s best athletes coming to Rio to try the venues, Rio 2016 will have a lot to deliver while still preparing for the Games. She said organisers had â??an intense year ahead, filled with thousands of detailsâ? that will need to be dealt with. â??They will also need to ensure that the venues are delivered in time to host the test events. The golf course, velodrome and equestrian cross-country venues all have very aggressive timelines that will need to be met over the coming months.â?

During the meetings, the Commission highlighted a number of areas of focus for the local organisers, including accommodation and transport, where a significant amount of work needs to be completed this year to ensure that the Games experience is delivered at the highest level for the athletes, participants and spectators.

The FEI is reminding all written and photographic press hoping for accreditation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to contact the National Olympic Committee (NOC) in the country in which their media organisation is based (Click here for the contact details of your NOC).

Specialized equestrian media who have been unable to secure accreditation through the relevant NOC, should contact the FEI Press Relations Department by email (malina.gueorguiev@fei.org) by Friday, 20 February 2015.

Applications sent to the FEI should provide full contact details of the media outlet, including email, mobile telephone number and website, comprehensive information regarding its circulation and/or the number of unique visitors per month, and outline in detail the coverage planned for the Rio 2016 Olympic equestrian events.

Media who have applied through the FEI will be informed whether their application has been successful directly by the IOC.

KEY DATES

5 March 2015

The Rio 2016 Organising Committee distributes the Press by Number Accreditation forms and related press publications via their Extranet to NOCs.

5 June 2015

Deadline for NOCs to return the completed Press by Number forms to Rio 2016 and inform the press organisations within their territory of their accreditation allocations.

5 November 2015

Rio 2016 distributes the Press by Name accreditation forms sent to NOCs that have returned their Press by Number forms.

5 February 2016

Deadline for NOCs to return the Press by Name forms to Rio 2016, listing the names of each press representative they have agreed to accredit.

May 2016

Rio 2016 Accreditation Department distributes the non-valid Olympic Identity and Accreditation Cards (OIAC) to National Olympic Committees to send to their press organizations.  The OIAC will act as a visa into Brazil.

5 – 21 August 2016

Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Full details on the accreditation procedure are available on the official website of the International Olympic Committee at www.olympic.org.

The FEI is aware of the high media interest for the 2016 Olympic equestrian events. Although the final decision on the allocation of Olympic accreditations does not rest with the FEI, the FEI will do its best to assist specialist photographers and journalists in the accreditation process for Rio. Please contact them with any questions you may have.

Looking for accommodation for this summer’s Pan Am Games?  There really is nothing close to the Caledon Equestrian Parkâ?¦and going downtown to Toronto is a 45 minute to 60 minute drive at the best of times. Jennifer Anstey has supplied the following as a guide to accommodation options in the vicinity of the CEP. It is for guidance only, not a list of recommendations. CEP will be a park and ride venue for the public.

While The Bolton Inn is closest to the venue – 10 minutes – there are some other bed and breakfast options a bit further on:

1)      20 Bells Lake Bed & Breakfast â?? 905-859-1555 â?? about 15 minutes from the CEP

2)      Bond Head Country Inn B&B â?? 905-775-6091 â?? about 30 minutes

3)      Island Lake B&B â?? 519-941-4570 â?? about 20 minutes

Other chain options that will be about 45min or so are:

1)      Holiday Inn Express & Suites Vaughan-Southwest â?? 905-851-1510

2)      Hampton Inn by Hilton Toronto/Brampton â?? 905-488-4888

3)      Best Western Voyageur Place Hotel â?? 905-895-2131