Another equestrian gala on way to Beijing

After successfully hosting the Longines Beijing Masters in May, the capital will welcome another equestrian gala when the second edition of the FEI World Cup Jumping China League kicks off at the Beijing International Equestrian Club on Sept 29.

The FEI World Cup Jumping China League, first held in 2011, is the only official way for Chinese riders to qualify for the World Cup year-end finals, and also offers a platform for local equestrian stars to compete with the world's top riders.

The tournament is divided into three stops, the first and second will be held at the Beijing International Equestrian Club on Sept 29-30 and Oct 2-3, while the third will be in Chengdu on Oct 13-14.

The tournament will feature bar heights of 60-80cm for the youth events, 105cm for amateurs, 120cm for club events, and the 140-145cm for the World Cup portion of the competition.

Constrained by animal vaccination issues, foreign horses cannot be transported to China, so foreign riders will have to select local horses to compete in the tournament.

Li Nianxi, secretary general of the Chinese Equestrian Association, said Chinese equestrian is still in its infancy stage and called for social investment to help boost the sport.

"Equestrian is one of the three events China failed to qualify for the London Olympics. That is a reflection of the current situation of the sport here," Li said. "China still has no professional system to develop riding and has to rely on importing horses from other countries."

tangzhe@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/08/2012 page16)