The Longines Global Champions Tour will return to Valkenswaard this week for a landmark chapter in its 20th anniversary season, bringing the global show jumping circuit back to the place it regards as home. Founder and President Jan Tops will reflect on two decades of international expansion, sporting innovation and efforts to strengthen the future of show jumping.
The anniversary occasion will coincide with a formidable international line-up at Valkenswaard. Harrie Smolders, Maikel van der Vleuten, Scott Brash, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Daniel Deusser, Christian Ahlmann, Simon Delestre, Max Kühner, Pieter Devos, Katrin Eckermann, Victor Bettendorf, Denis Lynch, Olivier Philippaerts, Gregory Wathelet and Sanne Thijssen will be among the leading names heading to the arena.
Longines Global Champions Tour Will Mark Two Decades of Global Growth
The original vision will centre on creating a truly international championship that could bring the world’s leading riders and horses together while presenting show jumping at exceptional destinations. The circuit will also continue to provide opportunities for emerging riders to develop alongside established stars.
Jan Tops’ experience as a rider will remain central to that philosophy. A former Olympic gold medallist with more than five decades in equestrian sport, Tops will draw on his understanding of competition, presentation, media, sponsorship and long-term sustainability. The Global Champions Tour will have grown from that vision into an international platform reaching audiences across continents.
The circuit will continue to be associated with distinctive venues, including Shanghai, Monaco, Paris, London, Cairo, Doha, Riyadh, Valkenswaard and Riesenbeck. Its expansion will represent more than an increase in destinations, with the wider objective remaining the development of a sustainable global platform for show jumping.
Young Riders Will Remain Central to the Longines Global Champions Tour
The development of young talent will remain an important part of the championship’s long-term strategy. The Tour will provide emerging riders with opportunities to compete alongside leading international athletes, gain experience at the highest level and progress towards major victories.
The GCL U25 policy will further support that pathway, while riders such as the Philippaerts brothers, Gilles Thomas and Anastasia Nielsen will stand as examples of athletes who will progress from U25 competition to LGCT Grand Prix and overall Championship success.
GCL Will Add Another Dimension to International Show Jumping
The Global Champions League will continue to represent another major innovation within the wider Global Champions concept. Launched in 2016, the team competition will bring riders of different nationalities together under team colours and create an additional competitive narrative throughout the season.
The GC Playoffs, introduced in 2018, will further extend that approach by combining elite sport with enhanced production and entertainment. The evolution of these formats will underline the organisation’s stated commitment to innovation as it looks towards the next two decades.
A Broader Vision for the Future
The championship will continue to pursue a 360-degree approach encompassing competition, facilities, hospitality, venues, commercial partnerships and global media exposure. Television and streaming partnerships will help extend the reach of the sport beyond the competition arena, with audiences able to follow the action across multiple international platforms.
Behind the international spectacle, the operation will depend on teams responsible for logistics, horse transportation, venues, stabling, veterinary services, production, hospitality and broadcasting. Long-term partners, sponsors, organisers, riders and owners will all continue to contribute to the running of a championship operating across continents.
Valkenswaard Will Remain the Spiritual Home
The return to Valkenswaard will carry particular significance because the Longines Tops International Arena will represent the roots of the championship. The venue will combine its established equestrian heritage with the infrastructure, arenas, hospitality and organisational standards developed around the Global Champions concept.
The venue’s international history will stretch back to its first 5* competition in 1994, while its subsequent development will establish it as one of the leading show jumping destinations and the spiritual home of the Longines Global Champions Tour.
As the world’s leading riders and horses arrive in Valkenswaard, the anniversary will provide an opportunity to assess how far the sport will have travelled while maintaining a clear focus on its next phase. The Global Champions model will also continue to influence equestrian competition internationally, with countries including Brazil, Australia, Qatar, the United States and Italy having drawn inspiration from the GCL team format.
The 20th anniversary will therefore represent more than a celebration of the past. The Longines Global Champions Tour will return to its roots in Valkenswaard while looking towards another chapter of international show jumping, innovation and global development.
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