Règle 2026

MEPI-GRA- REGULATIONS 2026

GOLDEN RACE ALGARVE – MILLION EURO PIGEON RACE

Lieu : Monte Gordo, Vila Real de Santo António, Algarve, Portugal

2026 PARTICIPATION RULES

1 – Registration is open to all pigeons, national and international, and all pigeons must wear an official 2026 ring.

2 – To ensure the health of the pigeons, with quarantine, vaccination and immunity building, we will only receive pigeons in groups on the following dates: • February 1st to 15th - March 1st to 15th • April 1st to 15th • May 1st to 15th, 2026.

3 – Each team will consist of 5 pigeons, with pigeons #1 and #2 being active pigeons that will compete for prizes in all races. and pigeons #3, 4 and 5 are reserves and will replace the active pigeons after HOTSPOT 4, if one or more of them have been lost, and will compete for prizes in all races up to and including HOT SPOT 4. If a participant has mistakenly, or for any other reason, sent 1 more pigeon to a team (6), that pigeon is marked as R (reserve) but is only entitled to prizes in Hotspots 1, 2, 3 and 4, if the entry fee of €500 is paid, including VAT at 23%. From Hotspot 5, these pigeons, if not activated by their owners, remain in the same conditions as the other reserve pigeons. If any participant has sent 2 or more pigeons to a team in addition to the 5, another team will be formed, and the entry fee of €1000, including VAT at 23%, will have to be paid per team.

4- After HOTSPOT 4, all reserve pigeons in the loft to participate in HOTSPOT 5, 6 and the Final must be activated by the participants for an additional €500, including VAT at 23%, per pigeon after HOTSPOT 4 and before HOTSPOT 5 (until September 10th).

5- Pigeons not activated by their owners for HOTSPOT 5, 6 and the FINAL may be activated by a third party for the FINAL RACE for an additional €750, including VAT at 23%, after HOTSPOT 6 (until September 30th), and the third party will then have all rights to the pigeon from that date, being entitled to any prizes won, and a percentage of the auction sale (35%).

6- For every 10 teams registered by a participant, the organization offers one free team (2 activated pigeons), and for every 10 reserve pigeons activated, the participant is entitled to one free.

7 - The pigeons will be housed in a purpose-built loft that will guarantee equal conditions for each pigeon, and the pigeons will only fly on perches, and the sexes will not be separated.

8- The participant with the best Ace Pigeon, from each country (with at least 20 registered teams), in the final Ace Pigeon ranking is entitled to 1 team of 2 ACTIVE pigeons with free entry in the next edition.

9- When registration forms are not received properly filled out and do not mention the order of the pigeons, the MEPI-GRA organization will proceed with the registration of the pigeons in ascending order of the ring number. Changes to pigeon registrations can only be made up to 5 days before the start of the official Hotspots races, i.e., until August 9, 2026.

10- Les pigeons inscrits dans une équipe ne peuvent pas changer d'équipe même si le propriétaire est le même.

11- All participants must be members of MEPI-AGR.

12- The annual membership fee for each member is €1000, and after paying this amount, the member has the right to register and participate with a team in the Golden Race Algarve. Non-members can participate provided they pay the €1000 registration fee (VAT included at 23%) for each team registered.

13- Bank charges for transfers to the MEPI-GRA bank account are the responsibility of members and participants. Transfers from outside the European Union require an additional €15 fee for each bank transfer made, charged by banks in Portugal (L'Europe ).

14- Registration for the race only becomes effective and definitive after payment of all amounts due. If these payments are not made, the pigeons are not considered registered, will not win any prizes, will be excluded from the race, and will revert to the Organization, which may then sell them, and the proceeds will be donated to charities.

15- For activations, please contact the agent in your country or send an email to golden.race.algarve@gmail.com. Reservation requests will be processed in order of arrival of the request to the email, and will only be validated after the money is deposited into the bank account.

16- All pigeons not activated by the owner members or third parties by September 29, 2026, will be retained in the loft, will not be entered in the final, and these pigeons will become the property of the organization, which may sell them and donate the proceeds to pigeon fancier clubs or social organizations.

17- Each participating member may register only one team by paying the annual fee of €1000, and may register more teams by paying a registration fee of €1000 per team (VAT included at 23%) under the same conditions as non-members. If any participant has mistakenly, or for any other reason, sent 1 more pigeon to a team (6), that pigeon is marked as R (reserve) but is only entitled to prizes in Hotspots 1, 2, 3 and 4 if the registration fee of €500 (VAT included at 23%) is paid. From Hotspot 5 onwards, if these pigeons are not activated by their owners, they are subject to the same conditions as other reserve pigeons.

18- If any pigeon is lost during transport, it may be replaced until May 31st, without additional registration costs.

19- For shipping prices, please contact the agent in your country or the Organization. 20- Pigeons with any type of PAINTING will not be accepted.

21 – Pigeons must be vaccinated against PMV within 20 days prior to shipment and must be between 45/60 days old. They will be sent to the AGR loft, or to Faro Airport, or to representatives in various countries (see agents).

22- Space in the loft is limited to a maximum of 8,000 pigeons. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with places guaranteed to teams that registered/reserved first. To register, simply send your registration/membership form to the email address golden.race.algarve@gmail.com, or to agents in different countries, after which you must make a deposit of 100 euros for each team to be registered, within 15 days, to guarantee a place in the loft. In case of cancellation, this amount is non-refundable. All participants from 2025 have a guaranteed spot in the dovecote for 2026, and to do so they must make their reservation by December 31, 2025. After this date, there is no guaranteed spot for participation.

23-According to studies and rules of good accommodation and space, a dovecote can accommodate 6/7 pigeons per cubic meter of air, and the MEPI-AGR dovecote is 150 meters long by 6 meters wide and 2.50 meters high, all open at the front and with an air outlet at the top of the dovecote, which gives 2250 cubic meters of air, which means that the maximum capacity we make available (9000 pigeons) for the dovecote gives about 4 pigeons per cubic meter of air.

24- The payment of prizes won by residents in Portugal will be made available to the winners after MEPI-GRA has received a copy of the taxpayer number and IBAN of the bank account. The payment of prizes to non-residents in Portugal will be made available to the winners as soon as MEPI-GRA receives the original tax residence certificate and the original RFI form model 21, and the IBAN of the bank account.

25-The pigeons that arrive from the final race in Bragança will be mandatorily auctioned on national or international websites, which will pay the participant 35% of the sale value. The top 30 placed in the final race, plus the top 5 Ace pigeons will be sold in Pipa. Other pigeons on auction sites to be defined.

26-If any pigeon is not sold the first time it goes to auction, the competitor loses the right to 35% of the sale value.

27-If a pigeon is sold and not paid for by the buyer the first time it goes to auction, the pigeon goes to auction a second time, and the competitor is entitled to 35% of the value of the second sale, if paid by the buyer.

28- If any pigeon is not paid for twice, the pigeon will not be auctioned again and will revert to the organization.

29- The amounts corresponding to % of the sale of pigeons at auction will be paid after the end of all auctions and after the pigeons have been paid for by the buyers.

30- All pigeons must be accompanied by a card/title of ownership (mandatory) and pedigree. Pigeons that do not have a complete pedigree (father, mother and grandparents), the owner will not be entitled to a percentage of the sale value. The organization will only receive pedigrees up to 8 days after the final race in Bragança.

31- As it is now mandatory by the Portuguese Federation that all pigeons have a card of ownership/title to participate in the final race in Bragança, all pigeons that do not have a ring card, the Organization will have to request duplicates from the National Federation, and the cost will be the responsibility of the participant (€2 each), since originals were not sent. The Organization agrees to receive cards/titles up to 8 days before the final.

32- All pigeons entering the loft will receive a Benzing electronic ring (chip).

33- The final race basketing will be organized by the MEPI-GRA Organization, with the supervision and participation of independent entities, and where all pigeons will be stamped on one wing with the word ALGARVE. A list of all pigeons participating in the final race will then be made available to those present, the press, and the event website and Benzing. The pigeons will be accompanied to the release site by independent entities that will supervise the release, which will be carried out with the support of a national meteorologist.

34- All announced prize values ​​are based on the registration of 1500 teams, of 5 pigeons each (paid), and the Organization reserves the right to change the prize values ​​as a percentage, up or down, depending on how many teams are registered.

35- National regulations regarding the non-use of doping drugs will be followed in the loft, and the pigeons will be regularly analyzed by the official veterinarian.

36- All training sessions and scheduled HOTSPOTS may be altered to more or less kilometers due to weather conditions, or other reasons beyond the Organization's control, if temperatures at the release point, mid-course, or finish line exceed 30 degrees.

37- If the maximum temperatures on the day of the final race are above 30º, or other adverse conditions, the organization may change the race to a shorter distance (minimum recommended 400km).

38- The organization has decided to reserve 3 days for the final race, in order to verify all weather conditions before the race, with the scheduled date for the final being October 3, 2026, but it may be changed to October 2 or 4 if the weather conditions on the 3rd are not good for the release, with the correct date being announced 3 days prior.

39- The Organization's decision will be final.

40- Any eventuality that gives rise to a conflict, not covered by these regulations, will be resolved by the organization, governed by the national laws of Portugal, and this decision will be final. The official regulations will be in Portuguese and published on the event website, as any translation into another language may contain misunderstandings.

41- Le système de confirmation de l'arrivée des pigeons aux entraînements et concours est un système électronique autorisé.

42- Due to the date of the event, the "daylight" system will be used due to the molting of the pigeons' feathers.

SPECIAL REGULATIONS

43 - The organization will send invitations to municipal schools and charities in the region (1 pigeon per entity), with a maximum of 30 invitations. Pigeons entering the loft resulting from the invitations described above will have free registration and will compete for prizes in the 6 HOTSPOTS. All entities that demonstrate interest in participating must request the pigeons from their associates, friends, or any pigeon fancier, and will have to present information about who will benefit from the proceeds. The Organization will prioritize, in schools, projects that are presented in which the income raised will be reverted to the most needy students, for the acquisition of books and computers. In Social Solidarity Institutions, we will prioritize projects in which the revenues also go to the most needy, and especially the purchase of books, computers, etc. The Organization guarantees that part of the income from pigeons sold or auctioned will be for the purchase of school books, computers, and others, for needy children in the region.

ACE PIGEON - REGULATIONS

44- All pigeons that entered the loft, the active pigeons 1 and 2 and the reserve 1-2-3 compete for the ACE pigeon. Reserve pigeons will only participate in the final race and the Ace Pigeon competition if activated by the participants by September 9, 2026, or by a third party after hotspot 6 and until September 29. The winner will be the pigeon whose sum of average speed in the 6 Hotspots and the final Bragança race, divided by the number of races completed, is the highest.

45- To win the Ace Pigeon, the pigeon must qualify in all Hotspots and the final race.

46- If it is not possible to complete a race to count towards the Ace Pigeon, the races completed will be counted to find the winner.

47- In case of a tie, the pigeon with the best ranking in the final race will be the winner of the Ace Pigeon.

48- Absolute rigor regarding the release location, so that in all release locations the coordinates will be obtained via GPS/GOOGLE MAPS.

TEMPS DE COURSE

49- In the 6 hotspots, the classification for ACE pigeon ends after the end of the race in the BENZING system, at least 5 hours after the arrival of the first pigeon.

50- In the final race, Bragança, the classification for ACE pigeon ends after the end of the race in the BENZING system, at least 8 hours after the arrival of the first pigeon.

INATTENDU

51- In case of any anomaly, such as COVID-19, imposition by higher authorities, meteorological catastrophe, act of sabotage, virus or other event beyond the Organization's control, if it is not possible to hold part or most of the official 2026 races with the right to prizes, after the pigeons have entered the loft and been paid for, the pigeons will go to auctions on national or international websites, which will pay the owners 35% of the sale value, and the 2026 participants will be entitled to free entry in the next edition, in the same number of teams and pigeons that participated in 2026. If any unforeseen event occurs after some races have been held, they will be cancelled, as well as the respective prizes won.

IMPÔTS

52- The values ​​mentioned in the Regulations include VAT at the applicable rate, where applicable, and all prizes are in euros. According to the Portuguese Tax Authority and Portuguese law, all participants/members residing in Portugal who have received money from prizes, pigeon sales or commissions will be responsible for paying the IRS tax (25%) on these amounts, with withholding tax by MEPI-GRA, which will be remitted to the Portuguese Tax Authority in accordance with the law. Non-residents in Portugal are exempt from paying the tax, without withholding tax (25%), and the prizes will be paid in full, but the winners must send the originals of the TAX RESIDENCE CERTIFICATE and the stamped and signed MODEL 21-RFI to AGR.

COLLABORATION

Assistance vétérinaire, Dr Luís Martins

Meteorological Support, Captain Fernando Garrido

National and International Collaborators to be announced on the event website, www.goldenracealgarve.com

Provisional Regulations 2026