Finnish Equestrian Federation Board Denied Confidence Vote Amid Grant Scandal

Members of the Finnish Equestrian Federation convened for a lengthy meeting, ultimately withholding a vote of confidence for the federation's board. The session, which stretched late into the night, focused on the recent scandal involving the loss of ministry grants and its fallout.

During the over nine-hour meeting, members voted on granting the board a discharge of responsibility concerning the grant issue. However, no board member received this approval. Additionally, the proposed 2025 financial statement was not accepted, with members calling for further details and revisions.

The controversy erupted earlier this year when it was revealed that the federation had lost a total of €330,000 in grants from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for 2023 and 2024. The ministry withheld the funds due to errors in the application process. As a consequence of the scandal, the federation's executive director, Jukka Koivisto, who was responsible for submitting the applications, had his employment terminated.

Both an external investigation commissioned by the board and a report from a member-appointed working group concluded that the board had neglected its duty to supervise the executive director's work and the application process. Many members expressed disappointment with the board's actions. Board chair Marjukka Manninen stated the board would not resign preemptively, preferring to await a decision at the September general meeting. However, members pushed for an extraordinary meeting in late August to address the board's potential resignation and the election of a new one.

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It has been terrible to read stories about the Finnish Equestrian Federation; the reputation of equestrianism has sunk quite deep.