(Click here to view the video replay and slides of the 2023 ICHSWJ conference held in Paris on September 28.)

Mission

• The mission of the Jockeys Health & Wellbeing Committee (JHWC) has been to ‘provide a forum to discuss and implement strategies to raise the standards of safety and the standards of care provided to jockeys’ and its vision has been to ‘create a safer and healthier everyday life for jockeys when they participate in the sport.’

Objectives

• The JHWC’s stated objectives are as follows:
  • Raise awareness of jockeys' health, safety and welfare issues
  • Harmonise standards and procedures throughout the world
  • Harmonise the collection of injury data
  • Provide a forum for the sharing of information
  • Share research findings and foster collaboration
  • Propose strategies to deal with issues on a global basis
  • Set-up a more effective communication mechanism between countries

Key Functions

• The JHWC continues to perform two key functions:
  • the biennial conference to facilitate the sharing of information and practices, and the development of reforms related to the health, safety and welfare of jockeys;
  • the progression of reforms for integration into the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering or other project work (such as research work).

Timeline of Conferences

The first conference was held in Tokyo, Japan in 2006 and the ICHSWJ was officially recognised as one of the sub-committees of the IFHA in 2009. 

Eight conferences have been conducted to date, in different parts of the world:

• • Tokyo, Japan (2006)
  • Antalya, Turkey (2008)
  • Monmouth Park, USA (2012 & 2013)
  • Hong Kong (2015)
  • Dubai, UAE (2010, 2017, and 2019)
  • Paris (2023)

JWHC Steering Committee

At the February 2023 Executive Council meeting, the new structure of the JHWC and its membership composition was approved.


The membership composition of the JHWC Steering Committee is as follows:
 

• • Darragh O’Loughlin (Chair);
  • Stephen Higgins (nominee for Asia);
  • Jennifer Pugh (nominee for Europe);
  • Jerry Hill (nominee for Europe);
  • Mayra Frederico (nominee for South America)
  • Andrew Chesser (IFHA Executive Office)
  • Matt Orr (IFHA Executive Office).

 

• Note: North America will provide its nominee at a later date.

In 2024, the Committee was re-named the IFHA Jockeys Health & Wellbeing Committee (JWHC).

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