LIMA, Sept. 15 -- The President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), Ingmar De Vos, was elected on Friday a member of the International Olympic Committee.

In an exclusive interview to Xinhua, De Vos commented on his election, where he received 70 out of 78 votes, and professional sports management and the role of international sports federations.

"It is a big honor to me to be elected an IOC member. I believe it is also recognition for the work at the International Federation, especially in embracing Olympic Agenda 2024. I am elected as a representative of the international federations, so I believe that it is my role in the IOC membership to represent the interests of the International Federations in the best way possible," he said.

De Vos has long experience in this field: he started his career in equestrian sports management in the Belgian Equestrian Federation, then migrated to the European Federation. He has been in FEI since 2011, first as secretary-general and later as president, an is the first non-royal president in 60 years.

According to him, the international sports federations' management has become more professional in recent years. Equestrian sports are growing all over the world, and FEI has been working to keep up with the times. Both are moving into more professional management and connecting to the community and sports fans in a more ample manner.

"We have also been much more active in fields in which we were less active in the past, like the digital media, the social media. I try to connect to the fanbase through all new channels, and I believe we are moving into a more professional leadership in International Federations. I think it is the right thing, because in the end we need to serve our community and sport in a professional way," De Vos said.

The FEI president has also seen a lot of growth in equestrian sports in China, where he has been several times.

"China has a rich tradition with equestrian, with horses involved in the history of the country. I visited China in several occasions and I am going again next month for the Longines final of the Chinese League of the World Cup. We have seen tremendous growth in events and athletes in China; the number of registered horses is increasing in an exponential way," he said.

"We see the sport is really growing and we are looking forward to further develop the sport in China along with the Chinese Equestrian Association," he added.

In addition, De Vos commented on the increasing role of the international federations in the Olympic Games and other aspects involved in Agenda 2024, the effort to improve the organization of the Olympic Games and implement better governance to the competition.

According to him, the international federations will have a more active participation in the organization and delivery of the Games than they had in the past.

"I believe the role of the international federations in the delivery of the Olympic Games needs to be reviewed," he said. "In the past we only approved the technical requirements, but the Rio example showed that it is much more important to be involved in the delivery of the Games, not only setting the standards but also implementing them and helping the organizing committee in a very active way to deliver great Games."

LIMA, Sept. 15 -- The President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), Ingmar De Vos, was elected on Friday a member of the International Olympic Committee.

In an exclusive interview to Xinhua, De Vos commented on his election, where he received 70 out of 78 votes, and professional sports management and the role of international sports federations.

"It is a big honor to me to be elected an IOC member. I believe it is also recognition for the work at the International Federation, especially in embracing Olympic Agenda 2024. I am elected as a representative of the international federations, so I believe that it is my role in the IOC membership to represent the interests of the International Federations in the best way possible," he said.

De Vos has long experience in this field: he started his career in equestrian sports management in the Belgian Equestrian Federation, then migrated to the European Federation. He has been in FEI since 2011, first as secretary-general and later as president, an is the first non-royal president in 60 years.

According to him, the international sports federations' management has become more professional in recent years. Equestrian sports are growing all over the world, and FEI has been working to keep up with the times. Both are moving into more professional management and connecting to the community and sports fans in a more ample manner.

"We have also been much more active in fields in which we were less active in the past, like the digital media, the social media. I try to connect to the fanbase through all new channels, and I believe we are moving into a more professional leadership in International Federations. I think it is the right thing, because in the end we need to serve our community and sport in a professional way," De Vos said.

The FEI president has also seen a lot of growth in equestrian sports in China, where he has been several times.

"China has a rich tradition with equestrian, with horses involved in the history of the country. I visited China in several occasions and I am going again next month for the Longines final of the Chinese League of the World Cup. We have seen tremendous growth in events and athletes in China; the number of registered horses is increasing in an exponential way," he said.

"We see the sport is really growing and we are looking forward to further develop the sport in China along with the Chinese Equestrian Association," he added.

In addition, De Vos commented on the increasing role of the international federations in the Olympic Games and other aspects involved in Agenda 2024, the effort to improve the organization of the Olympic Games and implement better governance to the competition.

According to him, the international federations will have a more active participation in the organization and delivery of the Games than they had in the past.

"I believe the role of the international federations in the delivery of the Olympic Games needs to be reviewed," he said. "In the past we only approved the technical requirements, but the Rio example showed that it is much more important to be involved in the delivery of the Games, not only setting the standards but also implementing them and helping the organizing committee in a very active way to deliver great Games."