FCI in transition

We are living in a changeable world. Politically the last 25 years have been characterised by very big changes: New countries have emerged, others have dissolved and new state formations have appeared.

This has of course affected the FCI and our whole organisation. We have become many more members and before long we will probably pass a total of 100 full member countries, associated countries and contract partners. And not many years ago we were “only” 70 countries.
As most people will know, our statutes are based on the principle “one country – one vote” and this principle will surely be challenged in the coming years, as the rapid increase in the number of members with a lot of quite small kennel clubs is diluting the influence of the large and middle-sized countries; those countries that pay for almost the entire running of the FCI (the 5 largest contributors pay more than 1/3 of the total income of the FCI).

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Jørgen Hindse
Interview with Dr Lubomir Siroky, President of the Czech canine organisation
© Karl Donvil
Dr Lubomir Siroky

Does it make you nervous to be the one to organise the next European Dog Show?

At the moment a little bit, yes.


What did you learn from this show?

I have already seen a lot of European Dog shows but I am getting more and more experienced. This show was really well-organised, visitors and exhibitors were satisfied.


Can you tell me in a few words what you would avoid or do in a different way and what you would copy from this show?

I hope we could offer more pavilions – i.e. more space. Though the rings at this show are large, I would like to prepare an even bigger main ring with a lot of space for visitors and audience.

Best in Show programme and moderators were really excellent; it is a great challenge for us.


And what is, in your opinion, the best part of this show?

The judges did not have to judge excessive numbers of dogs and were perfectly cared for. And as I told before, the moderators were marvelous.


How many dogs do you hope to have for your show next year and how much can you handle?

We don’t have problems to handle over 16,000 entries and I hope for 20,000. We have 3 big pavilions with much more space and we will not only make large rings, but also with more space in between the rings.


Can you tell the exhibitors something about the venue (parking, camping, access, hotels etc.)?

The exhibition area is one of the biggest in Europe. Some shows held there are much bigger than dog shows, there are 8,000 parking places, a TV Studio inside, 10 restaurants all within the area, it’s like a city within a city.


Do you have special arrangements with hotels for the exhibitors?

The owner of the exhibition halls has individual agreements with all hotels in Brno. It is available via the website of the show.


How will you organise the camping ground?

There will be a special area for people with caravans. More information will be made available on the website.


How far is the showground from the city-centre?

The show ground is within the city area and about 2 km away from the centre. It is also close to the highway and you can enter the showground from no less than 12 gates.


Well that sounds very promising. I wish you good luck and hope you will have a very successful show next year.

Interview by Karl Donvil