Thirty of the world’s top show jumping riders will be on their way to Spain next week for the hotly-anticipated first European leg of the Global Champions Tour 2012.
Another outstanding season of equestrian sport is already underway following the opening event in Doha, Qatar, where current GCT champion Edwina Tops-Alexander beat off the competition by setting the fastest time in the top-level jump off.
The new venue of Oliva Nova Equestrian Centre, on the Mediterranean coast south of Valencia, will play host to the top-ranked riders and their horses for a fantastic weekend of high quality sport from May 4 - 6. The Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Eurosport and GCT livestreaming will follow all the action of the major classes accompanied by expert commentary.
GCT President Jan Tops said: “We are very much looking forward to the first European leg of the 2012 GCT in the new venue of Oliva Nova next week. I have no doubt all the top riders will deliver a fantastic weekend of world class sport for spectators and for our TV and livestreaming audiences.”
Riders will be competing for one of the richest prizes on offer in the sport with € 285.000 to be divided among the winner and runners up in the Grand Prix on Saturday evening.
The Oliva Nova Equestrian Centre is situated beside the resort’s golf course, which was designed by the late Seve Ballesteros and the facility recently hosted the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour.
Top rider Billy Twomey of Ireland, who won last year’s Grand Prix of Spain, described the Oliva facilities as “wonderful” and praised the ground and the stabling accommodation.
In Olympic year many of the leading riders are making the GCT circuit their top priority and will be competing hard for both the high prize money and coveted ranking points.
This year’s GCT calendar is the biggest since it was founded by Jan Tops in 2006 and includes four new events in Wiesbaden, Lausanne, Vienna and Shanghai.
Here is the starting list for the Global Champions Tour in Spain next week:
AUS | Edwina Tops-Alexander | ARG | José Larocca |
BEL | Ciny v.d. Straten – Marie | BRA | Alvaro de Miranda |
BRA | Cassio Rivetti | CAN | Eric lamaze |
DEN | Emilie Martinsen | ESP | Sergio Alvarez – Moya |
FRA | Kevin Staut | FRA | Pénélope Leprevost |
FRA | Roger-Yves Bost | FRA | Michel Robert |
FRA | Simon Delestre | GBR | Nick Skelton |
GBR | Ben Maher | GBR | Michael Whitaker |
GBR | Alexandra Thornton | GER | Christian Ahlmann |
GER | Marco Kutscher | GER | Marcus Ehning |
GER | Philipp Weishaupt | GER | Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum |
GRE | Athina Onassis de Miranda | IRL | Denis Lynch |
IRL | Billy Twomey | IRL | Mark McAuley |
JAP | Taizo Sugatini | KSA | Kamal Bahamdan |
NED | Jeroen Dubbeldam | NED | Maikel v.d. Vleuten |
NED | Gerco Schröder | POR | Luciana Diniz |
RUS | Vladimir Beletskiy | SUI | Steve Guerdat |
SUI | Pius Schwizer | SUI | Malin Baryard-Johnsson |
UKR | Katharina Offel | USA | Richard Spooner |
USA | Laura Kraut |
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Pressemitteilung vom 27.04.2012 (GCT)
