On 27 July 2015, the Competition College of the Belgian Competition Authority imposed on the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (“IFE”), as a provisional measure, a partial suspension of the exclusivity clause in Article 113(4)-(6) of its General Regulations with regard to the Global Champions League. This clause excluded athletes and horses from participating in an IFE-approved competition if they had participated in a non-approved competition in the previous six months. The aforementioned clause was considered by the College as potentially violating the rules of competition law.
On 24 November 2015, to ensure the effectiveness of the provisional measure, the College decided that the IFE should officially publish the partial suspension obligation on its website (before 30 November), subject to a penalty payment (in addition to publication by national and international federations of equestrians). This measure was implemented by the IFE on 27 November 2015.
Currently, the investigation into the merits is being led by the Prosecution Service.
