TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA IN collaboration with the Qatar Equestrian Federation, the opening event of the seventh season of the Global Champions Tour will take place at the Qatar Equestrian Federation in Al Rayyan, from 5 – 7 April.

The pre-event press conference will be held at 1100 on 3 April at the St Regis Hotel in Doha. Hamad bin Abdul Rahman al Attiyah, President of the Qatar Equestrian Federation and Jan Tops, President of the Global Champions Tour will address the press conference.

The winner of the Global Champions Tour 2011, Edwina Tops-Alexander will also be attending the Press Conference in addition to Ali al Rumaihi, Qatar’s Pan Arab 2011 individual gold medalist rider.

The Global Champions tour is expecting the arrival of the first 42 horses on 31 March followed by another 40 horses the following day. Flying from Liege, Belgium, this horse flight is one of the most unique cargo flights, able to carry 40 horses in addition to 23 grooms and including a vet.

2012 is the biggest calendar so far for the world’s premier show jumping series where the top riders compete for GCT ranking points and the highest prize money.

With 13 spectacular destinations, from the Middle East to Germany, France, Switzerland, Australia, China and back to the Middle East for its final, the Global Champions Tour proves to be undeniably a global equestrian event.