Dear AORC and IGSRV members,

The Organising Committee is of great honour to announce that the ICRAV Office has received over 140 abstract submissions and 36 Young Scientist Awards applications. Notifications of abstract acceptance are being sent to applicants. If you do not receive a notification by the end of May 2023, please contact the Secretariat at info@icrav2023.com.  We believe this conference will be a fantastic opportunity to reconnect and meet in person after three years of world’s cloistered existence due to COVID-19.

Confirmed featured speakers
In addition to our exceptional line-up of speakers, we are excited to announce that Dr Chris Riggs, Director of the HKJC Equine Welfare Research Foundation, has confirmed to be one of the featured speakers of the 23^rd ICRAV.

Conference hotel and on-line registration
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you the Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong – the conference hotel of the 23^rd ICRAV. The Kerry Hotel is a member of the Shangri-la Group and opened in 2017.  This five-star hotel boasts the largest hotel meeting, event and catering facilities in Hong Kong and located by the Victoria Harbour.  The Organising Committee has reserved a block of rooms at the Kerry Hotel for the 23^rd ICRAV delegates, with discounted rates of US$289 for single occupancy and US317 for double occupancy. Conference attendees are strongly encouraged to book their hotel rooms within the ICRAV Room Block. We are pleased to offer a US$500 discount on the conference registration fee for delegates who book the conference hotel through ICRAV for at least 5 nights.  On-line registration and accommodation booking is available in the Registration page.  Please register before 30 June 2023 to enjoy the early-bird registration discount and secure a guest room of the Kerry Hotel with the special rate, while supplies last!

Conference Proceedings and special issue of Drug Testing and Analysis
The Organising Committee also looks forward to receiving the manuscripts presented during the Conference. Proceedings submission guideline will be available in July 2023 and the deadline for submitting full papers for the proceedings is 30 November 2023.  Moreover, selected manuscripts from the conference proceedings may be invited to submit to a special issue of the international peer-review scientific journal Drug Testing and Analysis (DTA) for the 23^rd ICRAV. The deadline for submission to DTA is 29 February 2024.

Pre-ICRAV workshops
We would like to invite you also to attend the two one-day pre-ICRAV Analytical Workshops and, for the first time, a two-day pre-ICRAV Veterinary Workshop on 15 & 16 September 2023 prior to the main programme of the 23^rd ICRAV. Each workshop day has a limit of 30 participants on a first-come-first-served basis.  A discount is available for early-bird registration on or before 30 June 2023.  Registration fees include attendance at the registered workshop sessions, workshop materials, lunch and refreshment, and (for the Veterinary Workshop) transport between the conference hotel and the workshop venue. The registration form can be downloaded in the Workshop page.  To secure your place in the workshops, please submit your completed registration form to the Secretariat at info@icrav2023.com.

Analytical Workshops
The first day of the Analytical Workshop, titled “Data Mining of Omics Evidence”, will be presented by Dr Adam Cawley (RASL), Dr Tony Cheung (HKJC) and Dr Benoit Loup (LCH). The workshop will introduce various OMICS technologies and associated data analysis tools for discovering biomarker candidates for doping control. The second day, titled “Method Validation and Uncertainty of Measurements”, will be presented by Mr David Leung (formerly of HKJC) and Dr James Scarth (LGC). This workshop will provide detailed descriptions of analytical method validation and uncertainty measurement for analysts. Participants can register the Analytical Workshops for both days or just one day. The Analytical Workshops will be held at the Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong.

Veterinary Workshop
The two-day Veterinary Workshop will focus on Equine Kinetics and Evidence-based Objective Lameness Measurements, and Pre-Race Veterinary Inspections. We are pleased to have world-renowned experts in objective gait analysis as presenters, including Professor Kevin Keegan from the University of Missouri as our main speaker. The Veterinary Workshop will enable delegates to update their knowledge and skills in the area of equine kinematics and lameness assessment, with a focus on understanding the objective measurement of a horses’ gait, how these technologies are used in equine veterinary medicine, and their current and future relevance to racing regulation. The Veterinary Workshop will be held at the Beas River Equestrian Centre of the HKJC.

We look forward to the privilege of welcoming you, your family and colleagues to the 23^rd ICRAV in Hong Kong.

Kind regards,

Emmie Ho

Chair of the 23^rd ICRAV Organising Committee