The General Assembly of the UET – European Trotting Union – meeting at the racecourse in Paris Vincennes confered on Italy, in the person of Tamara Papiccio, the vice presidency of the Association that reunites the trotting authorities of 21 European countries.
A great result for the General Directorate for Horse Racing, which, in its first year of activity, has managed to win back the trust of the sector also at international level. In fact, the first Vice-President of the UET for the next three years will be Italian within a totally renewed Bureau and, after decades, Italian horseracing will once again be able to play an incisive role in the highest body of European trotting.
The appointment of Tamara Papiccio, coordinator of the national horse racing planning at MASAF, was made on the unanimous proposal of the 10 countries that make up the UET Board: Sweden, France, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Norway, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and, of course, Italy. The election of Tamara Papiccio represents an important step forward for the horse racing sector and marks a huge discontinuity at international level, after so many years of absence on the part of Italy, thanks to the valuable work carried out by the General Directorate for Horse Racing and the Ministry of Agriculture.
President of the European Trotting Union was elected Austrian Peter Truzla, a technical pillar of the Association for 30 years, to whom Italy extends its warmest wishes for a mandate that, thanks to his moral stature and experience, will certainly consolidate the reputation of the Association, increasing its sphere of influence. The second Vice-Presidency was assigned to Finland, with Minna Maenpaa, while General Secretary Guillaume Maupas was confirmed for France.
“Horses are a very important part of my life. I recognize that I owe them a great debt of gratitude, because they have taught me essential qualities in my profession, such as respect, open-mindedness and the ability to mediate. Thanks to horseracing, I have been lucky enough to make my passion my job and over the past year MASAF has given me the opportunity to be part of the sector reform project conducted under the aegis of the new General Management for Horseracing.
It is a precious privilege for me to be able to offer my contribution to the overall restructuring and repositioning of Italian horse racing, inaugurated by Minister Lollobrigida and Undersecretary La Pietra. Under the leadership of General Manager Remo Chiodi, Italian horseracing has begun a new season of cooperation, also at international level. The assignment to Italy of the second most important position in the European Trotting Union is a major achievement, which seemed beyond our reach until a few months ago. We had been absent from international meetings for decades, but, in just one year, the General Management for Horse Racing has managed to regain the trust of the members of this association, which has made unity of action among horse racing authorities its strength for over 50 years. My appointment as First Vice-President of the UET is a great honor for me, the result of exceptional teamwork that has allowed Italian horseracing to become a protagonist again, as it was in 1973 when, together with Sweden, Austria, France, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and The Netherlands, it gave birth to the European Trotting Union.
The values of the UET are centred on the welfare of the horse, which must remain a priority at all times, without ever being subjected to the reasons of competition and economics.
The adoption by the UET, last July, of the new rule revolutionizing the use of the whip in trotting races, transforming it from an instrument of coercion to a means of communication between horse and driver, places the trot at the forefront of horseracing and equestrian disciplines worldwide.
MASAF has made the protection of the horse’s welfare a top priority, profoundly reforming its regulations, giving incisiveness to the fight against doping and creating the conditions for the renewal of Italian racecourses.
I am certain that, within the presiding bodies of the UET, the General Directorate for Horse Racing will be able to play an important role in the development of trotting at an international level in the name of horse welfare, so that horse racing is increasingly able to take care of its protagonists throughout their whole lives’.
The Undersecretary at Masaf, Senator Patrizio La Pietra, wished to personally congratulate Tamara Papiccio on her election as vice-president of the UET as ‘this appointment is an acknowledgement of the unquestionable professional qualities of the person, but also a just recognition of the new course that Masaf and the horse racing management are imprinting on the entire sector. A turning point that is being recognised nationally and now also internationally with a prestigious and highly responsible appointment, which will certainly be a stimulus and flywheel for further growth of the entire Italian horse racing sector’.
