(ATR) The International Equestrian Federation is investigating a number of alleged "phantom races" in the Middle Eastern region.
The FEI has enlisted sports integrity agency Quest LTD to determine if two endurance races staged in the United Arab Emirates actually occurred, The Telegraph reported on March 11.
Concerns have arisen over the results of the races, supposedly run Dec. 23, 2014, and Jan. 21, 2015, respectively. Details on these two races, published and verified by the FEI, are identical to the data of previous races, suggesting the two "phantom" races were never held and only exist as a set of forged results.
If Quest determines that the races were "phantom," it will be a huge scandal within the discipline of endurance racing. Forging results allows a horse to proceed to a level which it is not prepared for, thus putting the horse’s health at great risk.
Other news:The FEI plans to launch a new North American league at the Sportel World Sports Media Convention in Miami, Florida, United States next week.
FIFA Presidential Candidate Gains Headway
Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein’s bid to oust Sepp Blatter as FIFA president gained further momentum after Bahrain and Brunei announced their support.
Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa met Prince Ali in Manama on Monday. According to Jordan's Petra News Agency, he confirmed Bahrain's support for the Jordanian FA chief’s quest to unseat Blatter.
Al Khalifa’s support is significant because the Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa is Bahraini and a Blatter loyalist. Salman and Ali were involved in a bitter dispute last year concerning the merging of the AFC presidency with the FIFA vice presidential seat for the region.
At his manifesto launch in London last month, the 39-year-old Jordanian said he received the five nominations required to become a name on the ballot sheet on May 29.
The football federations of England, Malta, Georgia, Belarus and the USA as well as Jordan are already behind his campaign.
Written by Andrew Murrelland Mark Bisson.
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