Hallvard Sommerseth, DVM, head of the veterinary department at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Equestrian Federation (EEF), has been provisionally suspended as a Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) official.

Sabrina Zeender, FEI secretary general, suspended Sommerseth for noncompliance with FEI Rules and Regulations and his involvement in a number of events from which duplicate results were submitted to the FEI. The secretary general’s decision has the full support of FEI President Ingmar De Vos.

The provisional suspension, which is in accordance with Article 156.1 of the FEI General Regulations and which comes into immediate effect, is for an indefinite period. For the duration of the suspension, Sommerseth may not take part or be involved in the organization of any FEI competitions or events or any event under the jurisdiction of a national federation.

The suspension has been imposed as a result of Sommerseth’s consistent failure to comply with FEI Rules and Regulations over a period of several years. Zeender stated that Sommerseth had failed to observe the FEI Rules and Regulations while acting as an FEI official at a number of FEI international endurance events over a three-year period from April 2012 to February 2014. By allowing the events to take place without accurate timing systems he failed in his responsibility as technical delegate and this failure was a contributory factor in duplicate results being submitted to the FEI. In addition to his role as a technical delegate, Sommerseth also acted as a ground jury member at several of the events