Double Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl criticizes the World Equestrian Federation FEI for what she considers to be unfair maternity leave rules.
Dressage Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has to do her planned comeback postpone involuntarily after the baby break. After the birth of her daughter in August, the world association FEI refused the 36-year-old permission to start at the Ludwigsburg Horse Festival (September 22nd to 25th).
in one statements on their Instagram-Kanal criticized von Bredow-Werndl the interpretation of the “Maternity Leave Rule” by the FEI as “simply unfair” and incomprehensible. The rider became a mother for the second time in mid-August.
Loss of world ranking points
The regulations are primarily about world ranking points. If you apply for maternity leave, you can keep half of the points for six months, but according to the FEI, you can only ride again after half a year. Whoever starts earlier, as the German dressage rider had planned, loses the points retrospectively during the entire pregnancy break according to the FEI interpretation.
Since a short-term decision by the FEI tribunal did not seem realistic, she decided against filing a lawsuit. “I wish for the future (for my colleagues) that the regulations will be adjusted”von Bredow-Werndl concluded her statement and added the hashtag #professional ban.
Show jumper Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann is also fighting
Bredow-Werndl received support from the German association FN. It is not regulated “that an athlete also has to take a break of six months”, said FN legal advisor Constanze Winter in a statement. In their opinion, the athletes can also take maternity leave “finish earlier”.
The show jumper Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann has been fighting against the FEI interpretation for months. After the birth of her son Friedrich, she started riding again at an early age. That’s why she crashed in the world rankings and, according to her own statement, did not receive permission to start at some international tournaments.