After two years of convening virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 56th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, organized by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), will return to being an in-person event on Oct. 3, 2022, in Paris, France.
The Conference will aim to reunite members, highlight the work of the Federation, and orient the industry on key current and future issues. Topics to be covered include the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) in the United States, broadening horse racing's appeal globally, addressing climate change through sport, and learnings from the pandemic.
“As the first in-person conference in three years, this event convenes at a critical junction of our industry as we examine the key reforms and issues impacting the sport and look forward to the key opportunities and challenges ahead,” said IFHA Chair Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, who will deliver the Conference's opening and closing remarks. “I personally look forward to the sharing of ideas that the conference will bring, and for us to connect in person once again.”
The first focus of the Conference will be the impact of HISA, which was signed into federal law in 2020 and is responsible for drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Stuart S. Janney III, Chairman of the U.S. Jockey Club, and Lisa Lazarus, CEO of HISA, are scheduled to present.
The Conference will examine ways to broaden racing's appeal to new fans as well as the lessons it can take from other sports on fan engagement. A planned pre-recorded interview by Rishi Persad of Tony Parker, who is a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player and current racing enthusiast, will delve into Parker's experiences and insights. Emmanuel Vacher, the Chief Marketing Officer of the PMU, and Julien Levilain, Manager Director of Buzzman, the ad agency responsible for a number of PMU campaigns, are scheduled to discuss the topic in-person with Persad as well.
Climate change through sport will also be in the spotlight during the Conference. Presenters will include Brant Dunshea, the British Horseracing Authority's Chief Regulatory Officer and Project Executive Sponsor for the report on Environmental and Sustainability in British Horseracing.
The Conference will also examine what lessons have been learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and how different racing nations approached the challenges it has created. Anticipated presenters include Masayuki Goto, President and CEO of the Japan Racing Association; Vee Moodley, Chief Executive Officer, The National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa; and Daniel Krüger, Managing Director, Deutscher Galopp e.V. (Germany).
Additionally, Carly Dixon, Executive General Manager, Stakeholder, Customer & Corporate Affairs, Racing Victoria, in her capacity as Executive Director of the 39th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) Organizing Committee, is scheduled to showcase the 39th ARC, which will be held in Melbourne in February 2023.
A live video stream of the Open Forum of the International Conference of Horseracing Authorities will be available on the IFHA's website. A replay of the live video stream and presentations will be available in the days following the event.
The first International Conference of Horseracing Authorities was organized and hosted by the Société d'Encouragement in Paris, France, on October 9, 1967. Since 1994, the annual conference has been organized by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities at France Galop. In 2019, the last year the Conference was held in-person, delegates from more than 50 different countries convened along with a number of other racing executives and media members.
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