Longines and Global Champions Tour have announced a significant new long-term partnership further cementing commitment to the top level of show jumping and the future growth of the sport.
The global agreement will see Longines renew and extend its status as Title Partner and Official Timekeeper of the Longines Global Champions Tour circuit as show jumping continues to expand its reach and popularity in the modern sporting era.
In 2018 Longines Global Champions Tour will expand to new destinations. A spectacular new Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix will take place on Saturday 15th December in the Czech capital Prague along with the newly announced Global Champions League team Play Offs.
In the new Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix the winning riders of all the LGCT Grand Prix in 2018 will be eligible to compete for a further prize purse.
Jan Tops, Founder and President of Longines Global Champions Tour, said: “I am delighted to announce this new extended partnership with Longines, which is another landmark for our series and I want to thank Longines for their vision, passion and incredible commitment to show jumping and equestrian sport. Since we launched GCT in 2006 we have strived to raise standards in all aspects of show jumping to benefit all stakeholders and we are committed to driving this further in future years with this tremendous support from our long-term partner Longines.”
Juan-Carlos Capelli, Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing said: “We are really proud of the strong partnership we have established with the Longines Global Champions Tour over the years, which has contributed to make Longines a major player in the field of show jumping. Today, it is a great pleasure to further illustrate our passion for equestrian sports and we look forward to this new common adventure. This new step in our cooperation with the LGCT can only demonstrate how successful our collaboration has been.”
Since the launch of the partnership with the Swiss watchmaker in 2013, Longines Global Champions Tour has expanded to spectacular and unique new venues in some of the world’s most dynamic cities. Building together the partnership has seen expanded TV exposure, including CNN as well as Eurosport, and growth across digital and social media platforms with innovative new features for viewers.
Next year will see a breathtaking calendar of events including Shanghai, Paris, London, Miami Beach, Berlin, Rome, Madrid and Monaco. The traditional final leg of the season will take place in Doha, Qatar.
The next seasons will see continuing investment in digital strategy and entertaining content for fans worldwide, introducing new technology to deliver enhanced experiences for Longines Global Champions Tour audiences.
The high calibre of competition on the LGCT circuit continues to reach new levels with the majority of the world’s Top 10 ranked riders at the events. Newly crowned 2017 LGCT Champion Harrie Smolders said: “A higher level is not possible.”
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