BCA imposes penalty payments on the FEI, Global Champions League and Tops Trading Belgium

The Competition College of the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) has in a press release announced that it on April 13th 2018 imposed penalty payments on the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the SPRL Global Champions League and the SPRL Tops Trading Belgium (hereafter GCT/GCL) for lack of implementation of the provisional measures imposed by the College in its decision of December 20th 2017. The measures concerned the invitation rules for groups of riders who must be invited to jumping events organised by the Global Champions Tour.

The BCA can impose penalty payments when provisional measures have not been implemented, of up to 5% of the average daily turnover in Belgium of the undertakings concerned.

"On the basis of their estimated turnover a penalty payment of 182 EUR is imposed on the FEI until the date of implementation of the provisional measures.

The College has accepted that GCT/GCL can not modify unilaterally the invitation rules, but that initiatives could have been taken to approach the intended result. On the basis of the allocated turnover a penalty payment of 466 EUR has been imposed until the Investigation and Prosecution Service considers that there has been a reasonable degree of implementation of the provisional measures," reads the press release.