“You can’t experience an atmosphere like that at the CHIO Aachen anywhere else in the world,” said Otto Becker, the national coach of the German show-jumpers. The long tradition, the many stories and of course the unique stadiums are what make the most famous showgrounds in the world so unique, according to Becker. Together with his colleague, Monica Theodorescu (national coach of the German dressage riders) and the CHIO organisers, Becker took a look at the CHIO Aachen 2016, which is being staged from July 8th-17th.
Like Otto Becker, Monica Theodorescu also has a long personal CHIO history. Prior to their careers as national coaches, both of them were highly successful on the international equestrian sport circuit – particularly in Aachen as well. For instance, Theodorescu won the Deutsche Bank Prize in 1990, whilst Otto Becker won the Rolex Grand Prix in the year 2000. “Actually” joked Carl Meulenbergh, President of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein e.V. (ALRV), the organisers of the event, “you might as well both stay right here”. The Press Conference namely took place in the CHIO Museum.
Many exceptional moments from the almost 120-year-old history of the event are documented in this museum and the CHIO Aachen 2016 will no doubt also provide many more exceptional moments. After staging the World Equestrian Festival in May and the FEI European Championships in August in 2015, Michael Mronz, General Manager of the Aachener Reitturnier GmbH (ART), promised “110 percent CHIO” for this year. What he meant by this became very clear on Wednesday: “Many of our visitors can already look back on their own CHIO history” (Meulenbergh), “Tradition, a folk festival, atmosphere, whereby the sport is always the focal point” (Becker), “CHIO, is like coming home, it starts with the stewards at the round-about, who I have known for 30 years” (Theodorescu), “the people had great fun at the FEI European Championships, but afterwards they came to us and said: But now we are looking forward to the CHIO” (Mronz). The exceptional atmosphere in the huge, frequently sold-out arenas, the entire world-famous showgrounds, the tent city with its white pagodas that can be seen from afar, the fantastic sport, the expert and emphatic crowd, the outstanding tradition that can be breathed at every corner of the grounds – all of this is what makes the CHIO so special.
In terms of the sport, the visitors can look forward to the well-known highlights – the Rolex Grand Prix and the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup (Otto Becker: “Of course, I finally want to succeed in attaining the achievement that I managed several times as a rider: The victory in the Mercedes-Benz Nations’ Cup.”). For Monica Theodorescu and the German dressage elite, the focus will lie on the Deutsche Bank Prize and the Lambertz Nations’ Cup. “We have got a super team competing,” she promised and already revealed a few of the competitors. She stated that there is no way around Isabell Werth and Kristina Sprehe at the moment. In addition to them, further experienced big names from the sport like Fabienne Lütkemeier, Hubertus Schmidt and Anabel Balkenhol are going to be on board. The just 21-year-old Sönke Rothenberger also recently rode into the spotlight: “The young man is simply good and his horse is good too, so I can’t just say, no, you are too young,” the national coach stated as further encouragement for the youngster.
The organisers also announced a spectacular new competition: Teams, comprising of show-jumpers and eventers as well as a four-in-hand team will compete against each other in the Main Stadium – “That is going to be very loud, very fast and extremely impressive,” promised Michael Mronz. Tickets are still available for these and all other competitions, whereby in some cases there are only a few tickets left. Tickets can be ordered online at www.chioaachen.de or from the hotline on +49-(0)241-917-1111.
Source: Press release
