The ongoing administrative turmoil within the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) has led to the cancellation of at least 24 national and international equestrian events, severely impacting Indian riders and the sport’s development in the country, as per a report from PTI.
The cancellations come after EFI failed to clear payments worth approximately ₹27 lakh to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) for officiating services during events held between January and March 2025. With the federation’s bank account now frozen amid internal power struggles, the FEI has withdrawn the events from its official calendar.
In total, EFI is reported to owe nearly ₹2 crore, covering unpaid salaries, event- costs from the past year, and other outstanding liabilities.
“Remuneration for FEI officials at multiple events in Delhi, Meerut, and Jaipur — covering disciplines such as Eventing, Show Jumping, and Dressage — remains unpaid. Due to internal disputes, multiple factions within the federation have laid claim to the bank account, prompting the bank to freeze it,” an EFI official told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has reportedly been informed of the escalating infighting.
Courtroom battle and Governance disarray
EFI was initially scheduled to hold its elections in September 2023, but legal challenges delayed the process. In response, the Delhi High Court appointed a Committee of Administrators (CoA) on May 21, 2024.
However, the court reinstated the federation’s Executive Committee (EC) just eight days later — on May 29 — citing the urgency of Indian riders’ preparations for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Amidst this leadership tussle, the EC moved to suspend Secretary General Colonel Jaiveer Singh during an April 11 meeting that did not include court-appointed observer SY Quraishi. The observer later advised that such a move required court approval before taking effect.
Colonel SS Ahlawat subsequently approached the court on May 5 seeking validation of the suspension, but the plea was rejected on May 7 on legal grounds.
“Despite lacking court clearance, the faction that removed me informed the FEI and claimed control of the federation’s bank account,” Col. Jaiveer Singh told PTI. “The EFI constitution clearly states that only a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly can remove executive members, which never happened. The court rightly dismissed the plea.”
According to communications from the FEI, the global body had initially cancelled an Eventing competition scheduled for February 24–28 in Meerut after EFI failed to meet a February 7 payment deadline.
The FEI has now mandated upfront payments for any future events, threatening further cancellations if dues remain unpaid.
As of June 16, 2025, EFI has already lost 12 events, including a para-dressage workshop, and stands to forfeit 12 more by mid-October. Key events at risk include the Para Dressage World Challenge (October 10–12, Bengaluru), the World Dressage event (October 8–9, Bengaluru), and an FEI Jumping CDS (July 24–27, Bengaluru).
