The Swiss Equestrian Federation is proud to support Swiss candidate Pierre E. Genecand on his bid to become the next FEI President at the FEI General Assembly in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 14th December 2014.
 
Pierre E. Genecand who already received an overwhelming welcome from the Equestrian Sport community recently released his Book of Intentions which outlines his vision for Equestrian sport and the main axes of his programme: Development & Solidarity programme for smaller National Federations, Protection of the Olympic status; Development of the Continental Equestrian Organisations; Reformatting of the series, championships and clarification of the FEI Calendar; Mediatisation of all 8 FEI disciplines and, above all, Horse Welfare. 

The Swiss Equestrian Federation supports the programme of Pierre E. Genecand as it is in line with the National Federation views and opinions, especially on the Welfare of the Horse, and coincides fully with the actions undertaken in our country.

Pierre Genecand benefits from an in-depth knowledge of Equestrian Sports and from an extensive experience of the World of Industry, being the Owner and Chairman of a renowned Insurance Broker company for over 20 years among other professional and personal achievements. 

Mr Genecand has no conflict of interest and is fully independent, having no commercial activities in Equestrianism.  He can therefore dispose of his entire time for the task at hands; he lives 30mn away from the FEI’s headquarters in Lausanne and has a perfect knowledge of the institutions, law system and politics of Switzerland, where the FEI is based.
 
His candidacy was not impulsive but was the result of a deep reflexion and dates back from October 2013, when FEI current President Princess Haya announced that she renounced seeking a third mandate. Over the past 13 months, Pierre Genecand had the time to collect information, put together his programme and seek support from all stakeholders of the sport who were all very keen on supporting his candidacy.  

Pierre E. Genecand received full backing of the Swiss Government and of the Sport’s Governing Body.  

Mr Ueli Maurer, Federal Councillor,
Head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports said:
 “I am convinced that the FEI would benefit a lot from a Swiss Expert. Switzerland is very honoured to host the International Olympic Committee and many International Federations to which we are pleased to count the FEI as well.”

Jörg Schild, Chairman of Swiss Olympic, confirmed:
 “I am supporting the candidacy of Mr Pierre E. Genecand whose experience, energy and personal commitment to Equestrian Sports, make him the ideal candidate to lead the FEI for the years to come”. 

For all those reasons, the Swiss Equestrian Federation is deeply convinced that Pierre E. Genecand is the best candidate for the position of FEI President and strongly encourages all National Federations to vote for the Swiss candidate on December 14th, 2014 during the FEI General Assembly in Baku. 
 
Note to Editors:
For Pierre E. Genecand exhaustive biography, please refer to his Book of Intentions enclosed.