Global Equestrian Event Comes To London
Kensington Gardens is set to host the world’s leading show jumping Championship series in its first ever UK event this summer. Taking place in the heart of London a year after the Olympic Games, the Global Champions Tour of Great Britain aims to mark the Equestrian Olympic legacy with the world’s top 40 riders, including Team GB gold medallists Nick Skelton, Scott Brash and Ben Maher, all taking part.
Bruce Springsteen’s daughter Jessica, Charlotte Casiraghi and current Global Champions Tour champion Edwina Tops Alexander will also be among those competing for a £640,000 prize fund.
The four day event plans to run from 6th-9th June and will be part of an international series which visits Monaco, Doha, Madrid, Cannes, Chantilly and Vienna.
A grandstand for 3,000 spectators, paying between £10 and £50, will be erected around the arena with corporate hospitality marquees for 700 people alongside. A shopping village and a giant TV screen will also be available for the public.
Event organiser Peter Phillips of SEL-UK (Sports & Entertainment Ltd), said: ‘This is a hugely exciting opportunity to be able to bring international equestrian sport back to the heart of London after the success of the 2012 Olympics. It means people can enjoy world class show jumping outdoors for the first time since the London Games.’
Great Britain team gold medallist Nick Skelton said: ‘We need something like this for England. We don’t have many international competitions and after the Olympic Games we had a lot of support and publicity, so to bring the Global Champions Tour to London is a great idea. It is a great city to be in, especially if it is right in town in Kensington, so it should attract a lot of people and spectators. I will definitely be there.’
GCT Founder and President Jan Tops, an Olympic gold medallist, said: ‘It will be fantastic to stage GCT at such a prestigious location in the heart of London. London is one of the world’s great capital cities and Great Britain is a true horse country so I am delighted that GCT will help build on the legacy of equestrian sport following the success of the Olympic Games in Greenwich Park last year.’
