Following approval by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Planning Committee, Jan Tops, President of the Longines Global Champions Tour, said:
“This is an exceptional venue in for our sport in central London, one of the world’s great capital cities, and it will be a fantastic addition to the Tour. Britain is a great horse country and with top riders winning Olympic gold medals we are pleased this new event will build on that legacy.”
Gary Lashko, CEO at the Royal Hospital Chelsea said:
“We are delighted to be hosting this prestigious event here at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The Longines Global Champions Tour has long been seen as the premier event for international show jumping. Welcoming this event to London, at the historic home of the Chelsea Pensioners, will be truly memorable and of great interest to our local residents, communities and businesses, as well as the wider London community.”
The UK has a strong equestrian community with millions of people riding and following the top British show jumpers as they compete around the world. The new London event on the Longines Global Champions Tour calendar will come at a key stage in the 2017 season when the ranking battle will be at full throttle.
It means another leading global city becomes part of the world’s premier show jumping series joining Shanghai, Doha, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Mexico City. Next season promises to be another thrilling feast of show jumping in spectacular destinations across the world. The 2016 championship was won by Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson ahead of Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander, with the drama and suspense continuing until the final event earlier this month.
Details of the 2017 Longines Global Champions Tour calendar will be released soon, and for more information about the Tour, please click here.