New venue for London showjumping show
Organisers of the new London leg of the Global Champions Tour (GCT) now plan to stage the event (6-9 June) in Stratford, next to the Olympic Park.
They had been racing to find a new venue since the planning application to stage the show in Kensington Gardens was thrown out (news, 21 March).
The Princess Royal’s son, Peter Phillips— who was brought in by GCT founder Jan Tops to organise the show — said the new venue created “a true link to the legacy of the London Games”.
Some of Team GBR’s gold medal-winning showjumpers, including Nick Skelton and Ben Maher, are expected to jump at the show.
Iain Graham, chief executive of British Showjumping, added: “One of our legacy hopes was that we would be able to bring world class showjumping back into the heart of the city where so many Olympic dreams were made.
“We feel extremely fortunate to have these dreams realised.”
But the change of venue means there is now a tight timeframe to secure planning permission for the proposed arena, grandstand for 3,000 spectators and giant TV screen.
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The GCT is a lucrative super-league for the world’s top 30 showjumpers, founded by Dutch Olympic medallist Jan Tops.
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Flora Watkins spent several years working for BBC News before moving into print, first as a staffer at Horse & Hound, before going freelance.