The first sports seminar of the year
Laurent Cellier, sports director on the Normandie 2014 Organising Committee, brought together the discipline managers and members of the FFE’s National Technical Directorate at the OC’s head quarters on 29 and 30 January 2013. This first sports seminar of the year was the occasion for all the French and International equestrian senior executives to assess what had already been done and to identify the major tasks that still lie ahead. Organised for the third time since the nomination of the eight discipline managers in 2012, this particular seminar focused on five key areas: volunteers, officials, space and technology requirements and the test events for 2013.
5 MAJOR TOPICS
It was noted that together with the Regional Council of Normandy, everyone has been looking at ways of getting the very best out of the “Games volunteers” who will be present at all the sporting competitions. As the reining manager, Michèle Pfender rightly said, “When it comes to the Games, well so much hinges on our volunteers”. During the test events this coming summer, special attention will be given to the thousand or so volunteers expected at this time.
The Normandie 2014 Organising Committee and the Fédération Française d’Equitation have now proposed a list of twelve French officials for the fortnight of competition. This is only a provisional list for the moment as the final decision will be down to the Fédération International d’Equitation (FEI).
In addition, specifications in terms of space requirements for stables, administration offices for the different disciplines, veterinary clinics, competition and training grounds etc. have all been finalised. Technological requirements (processing data such as competition results or timekeeping) are still to be validated.
A SHIFT TOWARDS THE CORE ORGANISATIONAL SIDE
The Organising Committee is now turning its attention towards the core organisational side of the event, as Laurent Cellier indicated: «We are now moving into the purely operational phase of our organisation having spent a lot of time on the planning stage. It’s true that we’ve already managed to do so much but there’s just as much left to be done.”
The next most important deadline will be at the end of August when team leaders from the sixty countries participating at the Games will be brought together. “We have six months to finalise everything in order to meet our deadlines. The operational phase needs to start at the end of the summer“, adds the head of sports. “That will leave us a year to get everything ready in time for 24 August 2014.”
DISCIPLINES MANAGERS RISING UP
It has therefore been decided to hold a further three seminars in 2013 for the members of the Organising Committee, the discipline managers and the FFE. This will allow everyone to nail down the planning stage in the very best conditions. The frequency of these working meetings will be stepped up in 2014. The discipline managers will be working full-time in the months running up to the beginning of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy in order to guarantee the success of the event.