Bringing together stewards, Clerks of the Course, scrutineers and event organisers representing 53 ASNs, the seminar provided two days of focused discussions covering regulatory developments, safety, operational best practices and the role of officials across FIA championships.

Hosted at the historic headquarters of the Autoklub of the Czech Republic, the event opened with a welcome video message from FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Jan Šťovíček, President of the Autoklub of the Czech Republic, welcomed delegates, before FIA Road Sport Director Emilia Abel opened proceedings, joined by Cross-Country & Regional Rally Category Manager Jérôme Roussel.

The first afternoon featured a keynote presentation from FIA Chief Legal Officer Paul O’Dowd outlining key updates to the International Sporting Code for 2026. This was followed by a “Lessons in Action” session led by Jérôme Roussel, sharing insights and operational learnings from the 2025 season to support continuous improvement across events worldwide.

Friday’s programme also included dedicated technical seminars for scrutineers led by the FIA Technical Department, followed by a practical workshop hosted by a local rally team competing in the FIA European Rally Championship, providing hands-on insight into current competition vehicles and technical procedures.

A dedicated session highlighted the work of the FIA Sport Disability and Accessibility Commission. Commission Manager Lyndon Roberts was joined by disabled drivers Ciprian Lupu and Nikhil Sachania, who shared their experiences competing in the FIA European Rally Championship and FIA World Rally Raid Championship, offering practical recommendations to organisers on improving accessibility at events.

Saturday’s agenda opened with a seminar delivered by the FIA Safety Department, focusing on operational safety management and best practice implementation across closed-road events. This was followed by a detailed overview of updates to the Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations.

The final afternoon session addressed the practical responsibilities of officials, with FIA Sport Officials Manager Matteo Perini leading a session on the evolving role of stewards and recent procedural updates. The session was followed by case study discussions, which allowed participants to analyse real world scenarios and exchange approaches before the seminar concluded with closing remarks from Emilia Abel.

Summarising the seminar, FIA Road Sport Director Emilia Abel said: "The strength of our championships relies on the expertise, integrity and dedication of our officials. Seeing such strong engagement here in Prague reflects the commitment across our community to continually raise standards.

As our regulations evolve and our events grow in complexity, it is essential that we invest in education and knowledge-sharing. The seminar also provided an excellent opportunity for networking and for the exchange of new ideas and best practices between officials from across our global community. This will ensure that our officials are equipped with the latest regulatory updates, operational tools and safety best practices to deliver world-class events.

I would like to thank our hosts, the Autoklub of the Czech Republic, for their outstanding support and all participants for their active contribution. The discussions held here will directly support the safe and consistent delivery of rally and cross-country events across the globe.”

Click here to view the photo album from the 2026 FIA Rally & Cross-Country Officials Seminar.