Max Amman, the man who created the FEI World Cupâ„¢ Jumping series which this week celebrates its 30th finale in Gothenburg, Sweden, reflects on the birth, growth and success of one of equestrian sport’s most popular and enduring series……..

It was just the germ of an idea at the start. Swiss journalist, Max Amman, was employed at a daily newspaper in Lucerne in 1968 when the World Ranking List for Jumping Riders first became a reality and, in his elevated role as Editor in Chief, he had the freedom to fly around the globe indulging his passion for equestrian sport.

It was during his travels between 1973 and 1976 that he began to notice that equestrian competitions were beginning to lose media attention. “In the 1960’s tennis really took off and in the 1970’s golf did the same – and more new sports were appearing all the time to challenge for the same newspaper space. I saw that major shows and championships were not getting the same degree of coverage as had previously been the case, and I realised that something needed to be done quickly to rectify the situation,” Max explains.

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