The FEI has presented The Duke of Edinburgh with a special award on the first day at Olympia in recognition of his dedication to equestrian sport.
Prince Phillip received the FEI’s (Federation Equestre Internationale) new Lifetime Achievement Award at a special ceremony on the first day of Olympia.
Designed by Tiffany & Co, this special crystal glass trophy is only awarded to what the organisation describe as “an extraordinary individual” for their long and dedicated service to international equestrian sport over an extended period of time.
The award was presented in the main arena by the Infanta Dona Pilar de Borbon of Spain.
Eighty-year-old Prince Phillip, who stayed on to enjoy the afternoon’s performance, described his 22 years as president of the FEI – the sport’s ruling body – as “the most challenging of my lifetime”.He added: “I should be in the Guinness Book of Records as the onlypresident of a federation have competed in a world championships in his own sport.”Prince Phillip, 80, was president of the FEI – the sport’s ruling body – for 22 years and as a competitive carriage driver, has competed at six World and three European Championships. He was a member of the British gold medal-winning team at 1980 World championships and part of the British bronze medal teams at the 1978, 1982 and 1984 World Championships.
In 1964, he was the instigator of the NationsCup events and strongly supported the World Cup series.
