Global Champions Tour 2012 – Wiesbaden, Germany
The top riders in the world of show jumping and the richest prize money in the sport will combine to deliver a weekend of top equestrian sport with the arrival of the Global Champions Tour in Wiesbaden, Germany.
It will be the first time Global Champions Tour has taken place in the ancient spa town of Wiesbaden and the event will form the fourth leg of the GCT series so far in this Olympic year of 2012.
The top riders will be ready to do battle in the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix highlight on Saturday evening and a prize pot of €285,000. The season is already shaping up to be highly competitive and full of drama with leading riders vying for the top position on the GCT ranking board. The international elite of equestrian sport will add a dynamic new dimension to the Whitsun event at the Biebricher Schlosspark, which has been associated with a traditional horse show for decades.
GCT President Jan Tops said: “It is very exciting to be holding the Global Champions Tour in a new venue in Wiesbaden. We are looking forward to a great four days of show jumping and I am sure spectators will enjoy some fantastic sport.”
Kristina Dyckerhoff, president of the annual Wiesbaden show, described the arrival of the Global Champions Tour, the world’s premier show jumping series, as a “milestone”.
Four exciting new venues have been added to the series – Wiesbaden, Lausanne, Vienna and Shanghai. The constant drive to improve standards and add spectacular new destinations and facilities has been key to Mr Tops’ mission to raise the bar across the sport of show jumping worldwide to the benefit of spectators, sponsors, athletes and television audiences.
Global Champions Tour is recognised as an official series by the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) and many of its riders will also be representing their countries in the forthcoming 2012 London Olympics.
The Grand Prix will be broadcast on Eurosport, which reaches around 130 million homes in 59 countries. Fans of GCT can also watch the top riders in action via live streaming on the GCT website www.globalchampionstour.com.
Provisional Rider List Wiesbaden 2012:
Australia
Edwina Tops-Alexander
Belgium
Cindy van der Straten-Marie
Gregory Wathelet
Brazil
Alvaro de Miranda
Colombia
Rodrigo Diaz
Denmark
Emilie Martinsen
France
Simon Delestre
Julien Epaillard
Olivier Guillon
Germany
Hans-Dieter Dreher
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum
Jörg Naeve
Lars Nieberg
Jörg Opperman
Philipp Weishaupt
Holger Wulschner
Ireland
Shane Breen
Mark McAuley
Italy
Emanuele Gaudiano
Japan
Toshiki Masui
Mexico
Jaime Azcarraga
Portugal
Luciana Diniz
Qatar
Mubarak Al Rumaihi
Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani
Bassem Hassan Mohammed
Russian Federation
Vladimir Beletskiy
Vladimir Tuganov
Saudi Arabia
Kamal Abdullah Bahamdan
Spain
Sergio Alvarez Moya
Manuel Añon
Marta Ortega Perez
Sweden
Rolf-Göran Bengtsson
Switzerland
Alexandra Fricker
Steve Guerdat
Pius Schwizer
Syria
Ahmad Saber Hamcho
Ukraine
Katharina Offel
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
Ben Maher
Alexandra Thornton
Michael Whitaker
United States
Kirsten Coe
Lauren Hough
Richard Spooner
