By Duncan Mackay

Global Champions Tour in London 2April 3 - A new showjumping event, the Global Champions Tour (GCT), is to be held on a site next to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it was announced today. 


The event, due to be held between June 6 and 9, will take place at the International Quarter, adjacent to the Olympic Park and will be the richest jumping show ever held in the UK, with a prize-fund of €750,000 (£636,000/$962,000).

Organisers had originally planned to hold the event at Kensington Gardens but planning application was turned down by Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, casting doubts on whether the showpiece competition would go ahead in London.

A 3,000-capacity grandstand will be erected in Stratford, in addition to hospitality marquees, a shopping village and giant television screen.

The event is set to attract most of the world's leading showjumpers, including Britain's London 2012 team gold medallists Nick Skelton and Ben Maher.

Ticket prices will range from £10 ($15/€12) to £50 ($75/€59)

The financially-lucrative GCT series, a super-league for the world's top 30 showjumpers, founded by Dutch Olympic medallist Jan Tops, which is due to start early next month, also incorporates venues such as Madrid, Monte Carlo, Chantilly, Vienna, Shanghai and Doha.

"I am delighted that the organisers of the Global Champions Tour have found a new venue in London on The International Quarter, adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, to host this world-class international equestrian event," said Sir Edward Lister, Chief of Staff to London Mayor, Boris Johnson.

"It is vital that the legacy of the London Olympics and Paralympics are delivered across as many sports as possible to allow as many people as possible to continue to enjoy the success generated by all our medal winners last year.

"This event will help to do just that."

Global Champions Tour in LondonAn artists impression of how the Global Champions Tour event will look when it is staged next to the Olympic Park in June

The London show will be organised by The Princess Royal's son, Peter Phillips, who last summer set-up the London office of Sports and Entertainment Limited, whose headquarters are in Sydney. 

"It is a great opportunity to stage the competition at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, creating a true link to the legacy of the London Games," he said.

"We have already received strong support from the local community, and look forward to delivering an exciting sporting event for everyone."

British Showjumping chief executive Iain Graham hopes that the event will build on the success of last year's Olympics, when the equestrian events were held at Greenwich Park.

"We applaud the commitment Peter and his team have shown in identifying such a prestigious venue," he said.

"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."

To find out more about the event click here. 

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