FEI launches #WeDontPlay Tokyo 2020 campaign

The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) has launched the #WeDontPlay Olympic and Paralympic campaign which celebrates the unique connection between horse and athlete, and puts the spotlight on a sport where all genders compete against each other, and age is no barrier.

The digital campaign has kicked off with a powerful video created around the message “We Don’t Play. We jump, we fly, we ride!” It highlights why equestrian really is a sport like no other, and brings together the equestrian community in the spirit of Olympism after some challenging times created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The beauty of equestrian is that it does not rely on the physical strength, stamina and physique of the athlete,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said.

“Every human athlete knows that they can only jump, fly and ride by building a unique bond with their horse. This communication is done with empathy and not through words. And there is nothing more satisfying than when human and horse are perfectly synchronised in movement and feeling.”

“This trust between the human and equine athlete needs to be seen and not described. And this digital campaign is perfectly placed to help us transmit the emotion of equestrian sport to people around the world during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The FEI is working with London-based marketing agency Redtorch to deliver the global campaign to engage Tokyo 2020 audiences. Since its launch in mid-July, the #WeDontPlay video has had over 612,000 views, a reach of 5.6 million and 53,500 engagements across the FEI’s digital channels including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

“We are pleased with the global reaction to the start of the #WeDontPlay campaign,” FEI Commercial Director Ralph Straus said.

“The messages in the launch video clearly speak to equestrian fans who will be tuning in globally to watch their sporting heroes in Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a fantastic platform to take equestrian to the world and we hope that it will inspire people to learn more about, and get involved with, the sport.”

Equestrian, which has been in the Olympic Movement for 109 years, is the only sport in the Olympic movement in which men and women compete head–to-head for the same medals. Para Dressage is the only Equestrian discipline included in the Paralympic Games, where it has been a regular fixture since 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

As a gender neutral sport, equestrian allows athletes of all sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions to compete on a level playing field. There are no gender based biological advantages to being an equestrian athlete and there is no gender identification required to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics.

Equestrian is a sport known for the longevity of competitors who have proved time and again that age is really just a number. The oldest competitor at equestrian in Tokyo 2020 is Dressage athlete Mary Hanna from Australia, who will be 67-years-old at the end of 2021. Japan’s Hiroshi Hoketsu was 71 years and 134 days when he competed in Dressage at London 2012, having made his Olympic debut at Tokyo 1964, aged 23.

On the other end of the spectrum is Jumping athlete You Zhang from China, who at 20 years is the youngest equestrian to compete in Tokyo 2020. At the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, Luiza Tavares de Almeida became the youngest-ever Olympic equestrian at age 16 when she competed with the Brazilian team in Dressage.

The campaign will feature a number of fan engagement activations throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. And fans are encouraged to share the photos and videos that celebrate their connection with their horse with the #WeDontPlay hashtag.

About Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) www.fei.org

The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm.

The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining.

The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its seven able-bodied disciplines when Para Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para Dressage and Para Driving.

About RedTorch

Redtorch is a multi award-winning digital marketing agency trusted by the biggest organisations in the world of sport. We provide clear, data-driven insights and creative solutions to deliver business outcomes that matter to our clients.

Quick Links to #WeDontPlay launch

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vADszWRpxDY

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CRbvPTVCvA2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Facebook: https://fb.watch/v/1Lhh53WKz/

Twitter: http://fei.org/twitter

As a service to our readers, Around the Rings will provide verbatim texts of selected press releases issued by Olympic-related organizations, federations, businesses and sponsors.

These press releases appear as sent to Around the Rings and are not edited for spelling, grammar or punctuation.