Fédération Equestre Internationale President, HRH Princess Haya, announced that the Saudi Equestrian Fund will finance a revitalization of the FEI Nations Cup™ series.

Announcing the agreement at the opening of the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne (Switzerland), Princess Haya informed delegates that officials of the Saudi Equestrian Fund will provide full financial support for the 2012 series and have also agreed to a five-year title sponsorship commencing in 2013, once the remodeling process has been finalized. The announcement was greeted with spontaneous applause from the 250 delegates attending the Sports Forum.

The Saudi Equestrian Fund was created by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz by royal decree in November 2009 to give the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a lasting legacy in equestrianism through sport and cultural events. “We believe this is a fantastic opportunity to preserve one of the flagship events and heritage of the FEI. We want to be part of the process that will enhance the Nations Cup concept, and help it become a truly global, contemporary product. The objective is to make the Nations Cup universal, fresh and exciting”, said HH Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Equestrian Board of Trustees.

“Supporting the Nations Cup series fits perfectly with our mission to improve and promote the growth of equestrian sport inside and outside Saudi Arabia”, Ziyad Abduljawad, Managing Director of the Saudi Equestrian Fund said.

“The Nations Cup should be the pinnacle of equestrian sport. National pride and competing for your nation provide an extra dimension that drives the individual to produce peak performance. We believe in the power of the Nations Cup to bring the best of equestrian sport to the world.” Referring to the historic agreement in her opening speech at the Sports Forum, FEI President HRH Princess Haya said: “We want to express our very special gratitude and thanks to the Saudi Equestrian Fund, and particularly to HH Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah, for this wonderful support of the Nations Cup series and its future, and for what they are doing for our sport. They are truly visionary.”

Organizers of the eight FEI Nations Cup™ Top League events were informed at a meeting with the FEI in Geneva last December that a funding solution had been found for the series, but no details of the agreement were released at that time. The FEI had been in ongoing discussions with the Saudi Equestrian Fund to formalize the agreement since then. The Saudi Equestrian Fund will participate in discussions with the FEI about prize money, branding and revitalization of the series, with the twin goals of improving the overall prize money for each event and the overall level of competition.