1 – The entry is open to all pigeons, national and international, and all must have approved official ring of Federation / Association of the Year of the Event, having its owners to be members of the Organizing Body.

2 – In order to ensure the health of pigeons, with quarantine, vaccination, and creation of immunity groups, the reception of pigeons will be from 1 September to 15 November 2023 reserving AGD the right to create immunity groups depending on the dates of entry.

3 – Each team will be composed of 6 (4+2) pigeons. 4 pigeons will be activated and will compete for prizes and awards,  Registration fee for one team is 400 Euro. (4 pigeons activated reserve pigeons 100€ before semi-final). Entering the race with a team less than 6 pigeons is possible, however the price per team will still be 400 Euro.

3.1 – Each team should be registered online. https://form.algarvegreatderby.com/en/

If this is not possible, you can always contact the agent in the country you reside. (See our list of agents). The agent will then assist you with the registration.

Another possibility for assistance is using our contact page on our website. 

3.2 – Payment of the entry fee can be done by bank transfer. Payment of the entry fee should be made before shipping the pigeons to our loft. 

3.1.1 – If payment of the registration fee is not paid  the entries may be excluded from prizes. . The participating team may receive a reminder for payment. If payment is not made within 1 week after the reminder has been sent, AGD can return the pigeons to the sender. The costs for returning will then be borne by the sender.

3.2 – Pigeons registered in a team will not be able to change teams even if the owner is the same from the beginning of the ace pigeon championship.

3.3 – All teams/fanciers will become members of Associação AGD – One Loft Race (Algarve Great Derby or AGD).

3.4 – 50% of the registration fee per team (400 Euro) is seen as membership fee. The other 50% is seen as entry fee for the race. Membership fees are VAT free and the entry fee for the race is subject to 23% VAT.

3.5 – Any bank costs charged by banks for paying the entrance fee must be borne by the participant.

3.6 – If the registration fee of a team has not been received or has not been received on time and has been credited to AGD’s account number, AGD’s management may decide not to pay prize money to the team in question.

3.7 – When registering 10 teams the participant will be entitled to 1 free team. (All pigeons activated)

3.8 – If pigeons are lost – by any cause – before November 10, 2023, AGD will approach the owner of pigeons (directly or through the agent). The pigeons that have been lost can be replaced free of charge until the closing date (November 15, 2023). There is then no registration fee to be paid for the replacement. Transport costs for the replacement will be borne by the owner.

4  – The pigeons must be vaccinated against PMV, within 30 days prior to shipment. Valid documents, signed by an official veterinarian, will be handed over by the participants to the transporter of the pigeons and serve as proof that the pigeons have been vaccinated properly. If these documents are missing upon arrival in our loft, AGD can refuse the pigeons or decide to return these pigeons. The costs for returning are the responsibility of the participant.

5 – After entering the loft the pigeons are in the care of Associação AGD – One Loft Race (Algarve Great Derby or AGD), continuing the property of the participating member. The arrived and remaining pigeons after the final race are then compulsorily offered for auction. They are auctioned and sold on national and international websites. 

AGD will coordinate and promote the mandatory auction. 50% of the proceeds from pigeons sold in the auction go to the owner of the pigeons, after deduction of auction costs and the costs of taking promotional photos of the pigeons.

7- If pigeons are not sold in the auction, they become the property of AGD. AGD may decide to offer the unsold pigeons again for auction or other sales channels. If pigeons are then still sold, the right to compensation for the sale to the participant lapses. 

8 – Amounts payable to participants of the race or amounts payable after the auction will be paid within 30 days after the finale race or within 45 days after the last auction. 

In order to make payments to participants AGD needs the IBAN bank account number from the participant. 

Participants must provide evidence to AGD of their country of residence and/or tax liability. If this proof is not provided, AGD may decide not to pay out any prize money from races and proceeds from the auction for the participant in question, or to pay out with deduction of the tax rate applicable according to Portuguese tax law. Participants can obtain written proof by requesting it from the tax authorities of their own country.

9 – If pigeons have been sold in the auction, but have not been paid to the auction house by the buyer, no compensation will be paid to the AGD participants. The unpaid pigeons are not sent to the buyer without payment to the auction house and therefore remain the property of the participant. The unpaid pigeons are then offered for auction again.

10 – All pigeons must be accompanied pedigree in closed envelope that will only be opened by AGD after the final race. If pigeons do not have a full pedigree (father, mother, grandparents), no compensation will be paid to the participant and the right to compensation automatically lapses. Pedigrees will be provided by owners at the latest before the auction starts. 

11 – The Portugese Federation of Pigeon racing has a mandatory rule that all participating pigeons in races in Portugal should have a title/property card. If no title/property cards are available, the Portugese Federation of Pigeon racing can provide so called second title cards. AGD will apply for these second title cards of all pigeons that do not have them originally and will charge the owners if necessary with the costs of getting them. (Appr. 2 – 3 euro per second title card). 

12 – All pigeons entering the loft will be assigned an electronic chip.

13 – The basketing of pigeons for the final race will be organized by AGD. All pigeons will be stamped under one wing with “AGD”. Basketing and stamping will be covered by video and later released on a social media channel. 

14 – The release and arrival of the final of the Winter Race 2024 will be covered ‘live’ on a social media channel. 

15 –  All advertised and published premium amounts are based on the entry on a minimum number of teams, of 6 pigeons each (paid).  The management of AGD reserves the right to change the value of all  prizes, more or less, related as more or less teams enter the race.

16 – In the loft will be followed the National rules of non-use of drugs and the pigeons will be regularly analysed by the official Veterinarian.

17 – The dates of training and competition can be changed by the management of AGD due to meteorological data and/or other reasons. The decision is final. The decision by the management of AGD cannot be challenged in any way.

18 – If the rules do not provide for conflicts, Portuguese law applies. As a result, any legal cases will have to be brought before a Portuguese court.

The official regulations will be in English and posted on the website. The management of AGD cannot be held responsible for translations in other languages of the regulations of the Algarve Great Derby.

19 – The system for finding the arrival of pigeons in training and tests is an authorised electronic system.

20 – Pigeons shall be housed in a loft built for this purpose and for all to have the same conditions; the lofts will have only perches and there will be no separation of sexes.

21 – ACE PIGEON- REGULATION

21.1 – All pigeons that enter the loft will compete in the ACE pigeon championship of the Algarve Great Derby. 

21. 2 – To win the ACE pigeon championship, the pigeon must rank in all 8 races  that take place.

21.3 – If 1 or more of the 8 races cannot take place, the ace pigeon competition is determined by the races that did take place.

21.4 – In case of a tie after the conclusion of the Contests Pombo AS, the pigeon with the best classification in the final race will be the winner of the ACE pigeon championship.

21.5 – The winner of the ace pigeon competition is determined by the highest average speed of the 8 races.

22 – Criterion of Time of finding:

22.1 – In the first 7 races, the classification for the ACE pigeon championship ends after closing the race in the BENZING system, at least 8 hours after the arrival of the first pigeon.

22. 2- In the final race, the classification or the ACE pigeon championship ends after closing the race in the BENZING system, at least 8 hours after the arrival of the first pigeon and until the end of the second day of verification.

23 – Unforeseen

23.1 – In the event of any anomaly, such as a pandemic, impositions of higher entities, meteorological catastrophe, sabotage, or others, unrelated to the organization, that it is not possible to hold all the official races, entitled to prizes, after the pigeons have entered the loft and are paid, the organization will sell the pigeons at auction, 50% after withdrawals the expenses with auctioneers and photos for the owner of the pigeon, and the participants of that year will be entitled to entry to the next edition free of charge, in the same number of teams and pigeons that participated that year. In the event that any unforeseen of the above occurs after some races have already taken place, they will be void, as well as the respective prizes won.

24 –TAXES

24.1 -The amounts mentioned in the Regulation include VAT at the rate in force, since applicable, and all prizes are in euro. According to the opinion of the Tax Authority and Portuguese law, all participants / members resident in Portugal who receive money from prizes, pigeon sales or commissions, will be responsible for the payment of its tax (25%), referring to these funds, withholding by the AGD (Organizing Club) of this amount, which will then send it to the Tax Authority, as determined by law. Non-residents in Portugal are exempt from paying the tax, and there is no withholding (25%), the premium will be paid in full, provided that they present a tax residence certificate abroad, or model 21-RFI duly completed and stamped, and if they do not provide proof of residence outside Portugal the AGD will have to deduct in the premiums the amount of 25 %, and then send that money to the Portuguese Tax Authority.

25 –  Registration payments should be made to :

ASSOCIAÇĀO AGD – ONE LOFT RACE

IBAN : PT50 0045 7104 4037 1837 6172 7
SWIFT: CCCMPTPL

28 – Any eventuality that leads to conflict not covered by this regulation, will be resolved by the organization, and this decision will be sovereign.

29 – COLLABORATION Meteorological Support Made available by FPC National and International Collaborators to be published on the event’s website. Official Veterinarian of the Columbódromo, Dr. Ruben Jeronimo. The system of finding the arrival of pigeons in training and tests is an official electronic system authorized by the FPC of Brand Benzing. The Loft of AGD is equipped with the new Speed antennas capable of registering more than 1000 pigeons per minute without failing a single registration.

We want to give participants a guarantee of reliability in the results. All training sessions and the 8 competition races can be tracked in the live OLR system of the Benzing. Visit: https://oneloftrace.live/

30 – The organization will address invitations to institutions in the municipality of Olhão, in order to obtain their participation so that these athletes can participate in the Algarve Great Derby, the revenue of these pigeons after withdrawals the expenses of organizing the auction will be in its entirety for the participating entities not wanting the organization any amount, this support will be given as a donation. These pigeons will participate in all the races until the Semi-final and the best of these pigeons classified in the ace pigeon will win the right to participate in the final race of the Algarve Great derby.

31 -The Organization may provide Venture birds to the Winter Race 2024. Participating members or third parties can acquire one or more venture birds. The price for acquiring a venture birds is set for 125 euro (incl. VAT). Venture birds will be published on the website of Algarve Great Derby as soon as they become available and after arrival in the loft. Venture birds that are acquired and paid for by participants and/or third parties, will compete in all races and are therefore also entitled to prize money.  

Official regulation of AGD races, approved at a board meeting on May 12, 2023 in Olhão, Portugal

The Organization wishes all Participants a great experience in what is already one of the Best One Loft Races in Europe