Showjumping Returns To Prague To Bring Holiday Cheer This Winter

If you’re heading to Prague this winter, you’ll want to wander through the famous Christmas markets and admire the lights adorning the city’s historic Baroque architecture. But for a less touristy and unique experience, a premier showjumping event returns to the city in November, promising to enchant equestrian fans and visitors alike.

Considered to be the ultimate showdown in showjumping, the 2019 Global Champions Prague Playoffs will take place 21-24 November in the Czech capital’s O2 arena.

Scene from last year’s Prague Playoffs event in the Czech capital’s O2 Arena

The 2019 Longines Global Champions Tour and Global Champions League has seen the world’s best equestrians compete in 19 cities and locations across the globe, culminating in a final four-day competition in Prague. Some 14,000 spectators are expected to gather and watch as 16 of the world’s best teams and riders showcase their horse-riding skills. The stakes will be high again this year; 2018’s event in the City of a Hundred Spires saw participants compete for €12 million in prize money as well as the glory of being crowned the winner of the prestigious event.

Gerco Schröder, Prague Lions Riders, Global Champions League 2017

The Longines Global Champions Tour is one of the world’s premier equestrian events and has seen some of the greatest horses and riders of all time perform. It was founded in 2006 by Jan Tops, who took the gold medal for the Netherlands in the team jumping event at Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic Games. In 2016, the Global Champions League joined the project to create a unique event in which riders of different nationalities compete side by side on the same team. This type of team formation does not exist in any other equestrian competition, making this event truly unique.

The first of the 19 events of the 2019 season got underway in the Qatari capital Doha, with the best riders and teams progressing through further stages in some of the world’s most stunning destinations, including Mexico City, Miami Beach, Shanghai, London, Paris, Rome and Saint Tropez. From these qualification events, the 16 best-performing teams were selected to compete at the Super Cup during the Global Champions Prague Playoffs.

Anna Kellnerová, Prague Lions Riders, Global Champions League 2017

Prague is known as the ‘city of a hundred spires’, and its Old Town is considered to be among the most beautiful in the world. The unique architecture, which includes towering Gothic churches, the world-famous Charles Bridge and the extraordinary Astronomical Clock, earned Prague’s historic centre its UNESCO World Heritage status. This exceptional city is the perfect place to explore in between events at the Global Champions Prague Playoffs.

For more information about attending the Global Champions Prague Playoffs, visit http://www.pragueplayoffs.com/en.

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