Global Champions Tour set for spectacular season

This year, exciting new events will take place at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, in Shanghai, China and in the diamond city of Antwerp, Belgium, with the London round being staged at one of the city's most famous landmarks, Horse Guards Parade Ground.

The best riders and horses in the world of showjumping will take part in 14 events from April to November leading up to the championship series climax at Al Shaqab in Doha, Qatar, where prize money of €1 million will be split between the top 18 at the final leg.

The 2014 season will be packed with some of the most celebrated riders in the sport, including world number one and 2013 champion Scott Brash, four-times Olympic gold medallist Ludger Beerbaum, World Cup final winners Christian Ahlmann and Beezie Madden, two-times Olympic silver medallist Gerco Schröder, European champions Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Roger-Yves Bost, two-time GCT champion Edwina Tops-Alexander and World Championship silver medallists Laura Kraut and Pénélope Leprevost.

This year's series, partnered with Longines, is set to deliver more breathtaking equestrian sport on the back of an exciting 2013 season which saw different riders win each leg and the most electrifying Grand Prix jump-offs witnessed by millions of fans on TV and online around the world.

The 2014 season kicks off in Antwerp from April 24 to 27 in the city's dramatic port setting. With the historic port cranes towering over the arena, this new destination in the international calendar will provide an early look at the form of the top ranked riders competing in the championship.

The Spanish capital of Madrid will be the stage for the Tour's second leg at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid from May 2 to 4, before Hamburg in Germany becomes the next stop from May 29 to June 1.

It is apt that during the Chinese Year of the Horse, Shanghai will debut on the Global Champions Tour circuit from June 6 to 8. Known as the ‘Paris of the East', the showjumping will unfold at the China Pavilion in Shanghai's World Expo Park where riders will do battle in a dramatic floodlit outdoor arena.

During June, the yacht harbours of French Riviera will once again attract the best in show jumping for events in Cannes from June 12 to 14 and Monte-Carlo from June 26 to 28. Staying in France, Paris, one of the world's most iconic capital cities, will be the extraordinary stage for the seventh leg of the series from July 4 to 6. The City of Light's first appearance on the circuit is a milestone in the Tour's expansion, with show jumping set to be staged in front of the world famous Eiffel Tower in the beautiful surroundings of the Champ de Mars close to the banks of the River Seine.

The Tour then moves to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the beautiful Portuguese Riviera of Cascais, Estoril from July 10 to 12, before moving onto one of the most photographed backdrops of any equestrian event, Chantilly, from July 25 to 27.

From August 1 to 3 the series returns to its spiritual home in Valkenswaard, the Netherlands, where Tour founder and president Jan Tops is based. London will then become centre stage from August 14 to 16 as the iconic Horse Guards Parade Ground, with views of Buckingham Palace and the London Eye, will host the 11th leg of the circuit.

Lausanne, Switzerland, (September 12 to 14) and Vienna, Austria (September 18 to 21) follows, before the explosive finale takes shape for the second year running at the state-of-the-art Al Shaqab in Qatar's capital, Doha from November 13 to 15.

Tops said: “2014 represents a groundbreaking year with our events staged in some of the great cities of the world. We always aim to raise showjumping to higher levels and to attract more fans to this great sport. This season is set to be another landmark in the evolution of equestrian sport for riders, spectators, sponsors and most importantly for our fans worldwide.”

Walter von Känel, president of sponsor Longines, said: “We are very proud to have given our name to this prestigious showjumping series that truly represents our slogan “Elegance is an attitude”. Our brand has a long history in timing equestrian sports and it is a great honour to bring our expertise to the Longines Global Champions Tour competitions.”