International equestrian series to return to China for sixth consecutive year

A prestigious equestrian series that provides the only official route for Chinese riders to qualify for the World Cup year-end finals will be held in Beijing for the sixth consecutive year.

The 2016 Longines Federation Equestre Internationale World Cup Jumping China League will welcome the cream of the international riding crop on specially designed courses at Beijing's Chaoyang Park from April 30 to May 3.

The three-leg show jumping event will follow up with a second competition from May 5 to 8 and a final in October.

Local hopefuls Zhao Zhiwen and Liu Tongyan will challenge the world’s elite riders from Europe and United States, including Britain's 2012 Olympics gold medalist Ben Maher.

After winning the championship in the 2015 China League, Zhao qualified for the World Cup’s year-end final held in Gothenburg, Sweden, last month to become the first Chinese rider to compete in the prestigious event.

“The League turned into one of the most influential traditional events after its debut in China in 2011, playing an important role in promoting China’s equestrian development,” Cao Jing, executive president of CNSI Sports Entertainment, the event’s organizing company, said on Thursday. ”We will greet a more fascinating event now.”

The Future Champions Ground Pole and Horse Owner & Youth Cup will be held before the main World Cup race, which features hurdles with heights between 145 centimeters and 150 cm.

The event organizer has redesigned the entire venue and expanded it for this year’s event to meet the requirements of an increasing audience.

A series of equestrian promotional and cultural activities — including an elegant lifestyle exhibition, the Equestrian Elite Forum, a brilliant riders’ night and a parent-child riding activity — will be staged around the competition venue to diversify the spectator experience.