Spectacular 2016 series sees new venues in Paris and Mexico City

The 10th leg of the 2016 Longines Global Champions Tour and new Global Champions League team competitions will be staged at a beautiful new venue in Paris. As the countdown to the opening event of the season accelerates, it can be announced that the stunning historic park La Plaine de Jeux de Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne on the banks of the River Seine, will be the destination for the Longines Global Champions Tour – Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping event this year.

The prestigious Paris event from 1st – 3rd July will offer a tantalising final glimpse of the form of the world’s leading riders and horses ahead of the  Olympic Games in Rio this summer. Over 250 horses will take centre stage at the new venue in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, one of the world’s iconic parks, with an impressively large competition arena taking full advantage of the large expanse of La Plaine de Bagatelle. The arena, expected to be at least 90m x 50m, with top quality footing will be specially created for the new venue and there will be extra capacity for fans as the Tour and the new GCL take show jumping to ever more city centre destinations to help grow the sport. In 2017 the Paris event will return to its original setting of the Champs de Mars next to the Eiffel Tower, but this year it is the official site of the UEFA Euro 2016 fan zone.

The 2016 season will total 15 events kicking off in the ground-breaking destination of Miami Beach, USA, in April where the world’s leading riders will once again perform on the golden sands next to the Atlantic Ocean. The thrilling new destination of Mexico City will follow hot on Miami’s heels a week later from 14th – 16th April. The vast, ancient Chapultepec Park, one of the world’s greatest along Paris’ Bois de Boulogne, New York’s Central Park and Tokyo’s Imperial Gardens, is the largest in Latin America and receives millions of visitors every year, will see world class show jumping at the former Olympic venue of Campo Marte expanding the footprint of the circuit in The Americas.

With the Tour and the new GCL restricted to 15 events in 2016, London is set to make a comeback to the calendar in 2017 and future years at a special new central venue. Other prominent city destinations currently include Rome, Doha, Madrid, Hamburg, Shanghai, Antwerp and Vienna, in addition to traditional favourites Valkenswaard, Chantilly, Monaco, Cannes and Cascais, Estoril.

In Paris approximately 4,000 seats will be available for spectators, plus a dedicated standing area, combining to create almost double the capacity for the event. The new Global Champions League will be well underway by the time the circuit reaches Paris and an amazing battle for team glory will be unfolding. Fans will get the chance to follow their show jumping idols all season as teams compete in the revolutionary new format. For the first time ever riders from different countries will be joining forces on the same team and fascinating tactical contests will open up as the season progresses.

Top equestrian sport will be complimented by a feast of entertainment for all the family including pony events, artistic, music and special gastronomic exhibitions celebrating French culture with the support of the City of Paris. There will once again be free entry and seating for the public and also the opportunity to purchase hospitality packages with VIP seating.  And there will be the chance to keep up with the football extravaganza which will be projected on big video screens at La Plaine de Bagatelle adding to the party atmosphere. Stunning rose gardens and natural spaces are abundant at the location.

The Longines Global Champions Tour – Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping will be broadcast worldwide, with international viewers also able to watch the action free via the GCT TV online streaming platform.

Further information on the Longines Global Champions Tour – Longines Paris Eiffel Jumping can be found via the website www.globalchampionstour.com

Full details of the event schedule, horse and rider start list and broadcast schedule will follow.

Source: Press release