On June 18, 2024, an announcement appeared on the KBDB website regarding the shifting of races during the weekend of June 22/23 upcoming.
With this press release, we would also like to provide our version of the facts so that you can understand what lies behind this decision.
It is completely true that the KBDB requested to shift all races by one day, and we have refused this from a logistical standpoint. Shifting can only occur if it is possible for the workers and does not harm the interests of other clients.
What does refusing from a logistical standpoint actually mean?
The pigeon sport is built on people who carry out the work: we could not organize races without all those involved: all volunteers in the local clubs, coordinators, organizers, KBDB… and the people who do their work in this context, mainly the transporters and escorts.
Without them, there is no pigeon sport. We must therefore treat these individuals sparingly because where they decide to stop, the association usually also ceases to exist, forcing the enthusiasts to seek elsewhere.
Regarding the transporters, these are often individuals who specifically request leave for a particular race based on a flight schedule.
If this is not respected, we risk losing such people, and no one is waiting for that.
There must therefore be a minimum respect for the agreements made with the workers in the pigeon sport.
Moreover, we want to inform you that as transporters, we have obligations to everyone we cooperate with, not only workers but also other clients.
We can agree to a change if it does not jeopardize other agreements with other parties.
In other words, we cannot reschedule races only to call another client later that we cannot meet our obligations.
Surely you do not wish for your race to not take place because some factory wanted to shift its schedule?
Then you should not expect this from someone else.
Finally, we want to point out the organization behind these races: trucks are being loaded, reserved for transport… the change that was requested would mean that for around 70 people their work would need to be adjusted in Belgium.
This cannot happen overnight, as you will understand. The flight schedule is at its peak with evening pigeon flights at all distances:
Because it is fully booked, it is also very difficult to change anything at this time of the season. At the beginning and the end, such changes are of course easier.
If you, as an enthusiast, association, KBDB, or other stakeholders feel that this absolutely needs to change in the current pigeon sport, that is possible because the customer is king, but then other agreements must be made, and this cannot happen in the summer but only in the winter for the season so that
arrangements can be made.
Then scenarios must be drafted, and perhaps there can even be cuts. The transporters are always willing to discuss this in the winter and make proper agreements.
With this, we hope to have sufficiently informed you so that you gain insight into the fact that “refusing from a logistical standpoint” has nothing to do with unwillingness, emotion, or similar but solely with common sense and making good agreements with all parties.
Commission Pigeon Transport FEBETRA
Brussels, June 20, 2024