Announcement

Wrong medals at the Olympiad Oradea

Due to a misunderstanding, the wrong medals were awarded at the Oradea Olympiad 2022 (the medal did not correspond to the category).

In order to distribute the medals correctly, the federations concerned were asked to return the medals to the FCI office so that the correct medals could be sent to the federations.
Unfortunately, not all federations followed this request.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The Romanian Federation has decided to reorder all medals in order to rectify this mistake once and for all. The Romanian Federation hopes to be able to send these new medals to the respective federations in May 2023.

We ask the respective federations to hand over the medals to the affected fanciers. We hope that this matter is finally resolved and that such a regrettable situation will
not be repeated in the future.

In the meantime, the FCI office and the NPO are working together to prepare the next
Olympiad in Maastricht in January 2024.
Yours sincerely,

Geert Philips
General Secretary FCI

On April 3, Xie Weixuan, the director of the Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shanwei City, Guangdong Province, and the deputy director, Chen Chujun, met with the President of FCI, Istvan Bardos, and the Vice President of FCI and President of Chinese Racing Pigeon Association, Xing Xiaoquan, in Shanwei City to discuss and exchange ideas on the “Intercontinental Cup” landing in Shanwei.

Bardos explained that in the world, pigeons not only symbolize peace, but also have the instinct to return home even from thousands of miles away. FCI hopes to promote the pigeon sport worldwide, guiding human behavior with the concept of peace, and making a contribution to world peace.

Bardos said that the technical level of the China’s pigeon sport has already stood at the forefront of the world’s pigeon sport development and has made a huge contribution to the development of the world’s pigeon sport. Pigeon racing is held in many parts of the world, but it is difficult to see the scale of participating pigeons and well-organized organization as in the competitions held in China. The purpose of this visit to China is, firstly, to express respect for the development of the China’s pigeon sport, and secondly, to seek more opportunities to empower the development of pigeon sport. He is pleased to see that the “World Cup” and “Intercontinental Cup” have successfully landed in China and hopes that China will continue to use its own advantages to make the development of pigeon sport better in the world.

During the meeting, Xing Xiaoquan introduced to Xie Weixuan about his meeting with Cui Jian, Director of the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau in Guangzhou. He expressed the hope that the Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau of Shanwei City could support the Guangdong Haixiang Racing Pigeon Co., Ltd. in its bid to organize the “Intercontinental Cup” branch race. Xing said that there are some requirements for organizing the “World Cup” and “Intercontinental Cup” to regulate the development of racing pigeon sports. Firstly, the organizer needs to be recognized by the local government or sports management department and be publicly approved. Secondly, it is necessary to require real-name registration of participating fanciers to maximize the fairness, impartiality, and openness of the competition.

Mr. Xie Wei Xuan pointed out that in order for sports projects to obtain the support of government departments, communication with relevant government departments is crucial while ensuring their own development. International sports events are part of public diplomacy and are important to a country’s international image. Therefore, as a sports management department, the Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports Bureau of Shanwei City attaches great importance to and supports the landing of the “Intercontinental Cup” in Shanwei City. They will report to the municipal government to obtain more public resources support, and then ensure the safety of the event.

During the meeting, Xing Xiaoquan suggested that Xie Weixuan should visit the one loft in Shanwei to conduct an on-site investigation and provide suggestions for the pigeon competition. Xie Weixuan gladly agreed and stated that Shanwei City is economically developed and capable of organizing more international competitions. He hoped that FCI and CRPA would bring more international events to Shanwei City to promote the development of pigeon sport in Shanwei.

Present at the meeting were Agnes Horvath, the General Advisor of FCI, Chen Weiqiang, the Specially Invited Vice President of the CRPA and President of the Guangdong Racing Pigeon Association, Li Zheng, Director of Events and Large-scale Activities Department of CRPA, Huang Jiangrong, President of the Shanwei Racing Pigeon Association, and Liu Haisheng, Chairman of the Guangdong Haixiang Racing Pigeon Co., Ltd.

On April 2nd, Istvan Bardos, the President of FCI, Xing Xiaoquan, the Vice President of FCI and President of Chinese Racing Pigeon Association, Agnes Horvath, the General Advisor of the FCI, Chen Weiqiang, the Specially Invited Vice President of CRPA and President of the Guangdong Racing Pigeon Association, and Li Zheng, the Director of the Events and Large-scale Activities Department of CRPA, arrived at Guangdong Haixiang Racing Pigeon Co., Ltd., the applicant for the 2023 “Intercontinental Cup” Autumn Race, for inspection, and had a friendly exchange with the company’s chairman Liu Haisheng and employees.

At the beginning of the communication, Guangdong Haixiang Racing Pigeon Co., Ltd. played a well-produced documentary film, which detailed the entire process of basketing, raising, and racing pigeons in the loft.

Bardos praised the professional and advanced operation mode demonstrated in the documentary film, which detailed the entire process of collecting, breeding, and competing at the Hai Xiang Racing Pigeon Co., Ltd. He stated that the advanced facilities and equipment, selection of superior young pigeons, meticulous care, and scientific liberation of pigeons at the loft are worthy of learning by the global racing pigeon community. He thanked China for establishing such an advanced loft and providing a high-level professional operation mode as an example for the world’s pigeon lofts.

Xing Xiaoquan explained that the one loft are an important component of the professionalization of pigeon sport in China. The one lofts have professional management personnel, as well as specialized feeders, trainers, and pigeon doctors. Each position has its own responsibilities, with the goal of raising healthy pigeons for pigeon owners and winning honors through competitions. This is one of the characteristics of China’s professionalization construction, and it is also the reason why CRPA is willing to share its advanced loft operation model with pigeon fanciers around the world.

Afterwards, the group led by Mr. Bardos and Mr. Xing visited the pigeon loft on site. During the visit, Mr. Bardos inquired in detail about the functions of the loft’s facilities, feed formula, training rhythm, as well as vaccination and disease prevention measures.

It is learned that Guangdong Haixiang Racing Pigeon Co., Ltd. was established in 2016. It is a racing pigeon event company that was approved by the Guangdong Racing Pigeon Association and provides referee services by Shanwei Racing Pigeon Association. The company is located in a plain area in Haifeng County, Shanwei City, Guangdong Province, covering a total area of 120 acres with lush vegetation, pleasant scenery, and no high-rise buildings around, providing a wide view and fresh air. It is suitable for racing pigeons to live and fly with a good homing route for racing pigeons. The pigeon loft of the one loft has a construction area of 2,400 square meters, with a feeding shed length of 135 meters and a width of 18 meters. It has 32 wooden pigeon houses, each of which is 72 square meters. The pigeon houses are all connected, and there are also auxiliary facilities such as an office and auction shed. The location of the one loft is convenient for transportation, and it is less than 15 kilometers away from the entrance and exit of the Chaoguan Expressway and National Road 324. The company has successfully held the Chinese One Loft Ace Pigeon Ranking Championship for two consecutive years and has a good reputation among pigeon fanciers.

The company’s chairman, Liu Haisheng, stated that he will adhere to the principles of “professionalism, dedication, and sincerity,” using scientific training and management methods and relying on intelligent professional equipment. He will lead the management team and trainers to always adhere to the principles of “fairness, impartiality, and openness” and create a high-level racing pigeon platform for pigeon fanciers.

After the inspection, Mr. Bardos took a group photo with the staff and issued commemorative medals from FCI to the staff of the one loft. He expressed his appreciation for their work.

On April 1st, Cui Jian, the Director of Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau, and Ma Liang, the Deputy Director, met with President of the Federation Colombophile Internationale, Mr. Istvan Bardos, and Vice President of FCI and President of the Chinese Racing Pigeon Association, Xing Xiaoquan, in Guangzhou. The two sides had friendly exchanges on the friendly cooperation between FCI and CRPA, as well as the landing of international events in Guangdong.

It is reported that the meeting was the first foreign affairs activity for Cui Jian, the Director of the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau, in over three months since he took office. He pointed out that FCI is an international pigeon sports organization that Chinese Racing Pigeon Association(CRPA) joined through approval by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it has over 70 member countries. China is not only a member state of the FCI, but also an important partner for the organization.

Cui Jian stated that the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau has a responsibility to make its due contribution to the development of the pigeon sport. Under the normative legal system, they should work together with CRPA to promote the healthy development of the pigeon sport.

Bardos said that pigeon symbolizes peace, and pigeon sport can bring health benefits to more people. FCI was established in Brussels, Belgium in 1937 and operates on five continents around the world. It plays a crucial role in the healthy development of pigeon sport and the effort to achieve globalization of the sport.

The mission and purpose of FCI are as follows: firstly, to comprehensively promote the development and standardization of pigeon sport, to strengthen friendly contacts between member federations and fanciers through organizing competitions at all levels and developing membership; secondly, to study issues related to pigeon sport; thirdly, to manage pigeon events and register equipment related to pigeon sport. To become a member of FCI, there must be a nationally recognized pigeon organization representing the country. Currently, the development of China’s pigeon sport has become a banner of the world’s pigeon sport, leading the world’s pigeon sport to continuously make progress through innovation.

In order to better develop pigeon sports on a global scale,FCI continues to strengthen its cooperation with CRPA and promote China’s development model of pigeon sport to the world. In 2023, one of the greatest achievements of FCI is to authorize China to host the 2026 Pigeon Olympiads. It is believed that CRPA will select a city that can represent the development of China’s pigeon sport and successfully host the 2026 Pigeon Olympiads. By hosting the Pigeon Olympiads, China’s high-quality development of pigeon sport will be shared with fanciers around the world.

During the meeting, Xing Xiaoquan, Vice President of FCI and President of CRPA, introduced the development of China’s pigeon sport to Director Cui Jian. He stated that pigeon sport is an official mass sports project approved by the General Administration of Sport of China. Since its establishment in 1984, the sport has gained widespread recognition worldwide through the continuous practice and efforts of pigeon fanciers. Looking to China for the development of pigeon sport and learning from China’s experience has become a consensus in the world of pigeon sport. In 2023, CRPA’s key focus is to promote pigeon sport and the culture of peace associated with it, while also furthering charitable work to create a positive image for the sport.

Xing Xiaoquan explained that currently, CRPA leads the organization of five major races, including the “National Race,” “World Cup,” “Intercontinental Cup,” “China Cup,” and “Chinese One Loft Ace Pigeon Ranking Championship.” Among them, the “World Cup” and “Intercontinental Cup” are international races open to pigeon fanciers worldwide, and they have been included in the 2023 foreign affairs plan of the General Administration of Sport of China. It is reported that two race organizers in Guangdong Province have already applied for the “Intercontinental Cup,” and it is hoped that the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau can strongly support the landing of international race events in Guangdong, and include the “World Cup” and “Intercontinental Cup” in the provincial sports event plan, so that the development of the pigeon sport in Guangdong Province can be further improved.

The development of the pigeon sport cannot be separated from standardization. Currently, the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau supports various race organizers in Guangdong Province to organize the “Intercontinental Cup” in compliance with the relevant regulations of the CRPA, and legally and properly organize the competition. After CRPA formulates the conditions and regulations for the bidding of the 2026 Pigeon Olympiads, the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau will actively consider the issue of bidding.

Attending the meeting were Agnes Horvath, the General Advisor of FCI, He Fan, Director of the Group Department of Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau, Lu Haiyan, Deputy Director of Guangdong Provincial Social Sports Training and Competition Center, Chen Weiqiang, Vice President of CRPA and President of Guangdong Racing Pigeon Association, Li Zheng, Director of CRPA’s Events and Large-scale Activities Department, Wu Haibiao, Secretary General of Guangdong Racing Pigeon Association.