Futuristic Venue of Valencia Takes Shape for the Global Champions Tour

With just under a week to go until the second round of the 2011 Global Champions Tour that will be held in Valencia, Spain (6th-8th May) preparations of the arena have begun.

This is a mammoth operation in itself, as the Oxer Sports group work with the City of Arts and Sciences complex delegates and the Valencia City Council to make sure that the surface is perfect for the world’s top international show jumping horses.

The Oxer Sport group began the process by emptying one of the water feature lakes within the complex before laying down the specifically prepared jumping surface.

Ismael Liaño Martinez, Oxer Sport Event and Project Manager, discussed the process of work required to enable this amazing arena construction in readiness for the Global Champions Tour event. "The construction of the show jumping infrastructure in Valencia's Ciudad de Las Artes y Las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) venue is always more than a challenge. Not just the astonishing surrounding, but also the intricate design and features of the site dictate that any movement is made with extreme care."

"The arrival last Sunday of cloudy and damp weather conditions surprised us all. Pumps worked hard to empty the lake and make the area ready for the specific sand surface. It was a tough process, though, fortunately, it was not the first time that weather has hampered things and we finished the day all prepared."

Day two was taken up developing the surrounding infrastructure. The big VIP tent began to take shape on the ground while our Oxer technics marked the main and the two warm-up arenas in the empty lake awaiting the arrival of the sand surface. Taking care of the many special architectural finishes was one of the most important factors to consider. Wrapping and protecting the central drain of the lake and putting astro-turf below the concrete stones that hold the perimeter of the arena’s, took more than half a day of work."

"The introduction of the sand into the now empty lake was a very delicate operation. Both the traffic of trucks in a public place and the mosaic border demanded the utmost vigilance from our skilled operators (power shovel, tractors,...), so it took nearly three days to have all the 2.200 tons in place, while the tent and the tribunes were concurrently built up."

"The stables were erected in the middle of the public garden close to the site. It really takes two days to complete the horse facility zone. The cooperation between Valencia's institutions (Council and Generalitat) and Oxer is essential for it to work.

For the people of Valencia the changing landscape of the City of Arts and Science complex for the Global Champions Tour is a real highlight. The general public benefit as they can come into close proximity to the greatest show jumping horses in the world as they walk or cycle next to the stables. For a citizen of Valencia this is a great experience.

The value of bringing this world of horses so close to the public is one of the most powerful experiences Valencia's show can offer."

Valencia itself is a progressive city and one with much charm and character. The City of Arts and Sciences is a modern architecture complex that includes a museum, a planetarium, a sports center and a performing arts center, all designed by world-renowned Spanish architect (and native son) Santiago Calatrava, the creator of the 2004 Olympic Stadium in Athens. This is an absolute delight of the most modern and avant-garde design and one of the world’s best show jumping venue locations!

The Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Spain takes place on Saturday 7th May at 17h00. Live television coverage of the Grand Prix will be broadcast on Eurosport on Saturday 7th May from 8pm to 9:30pm CET, while nationally the event will be relayed on Teledeporte and Televisio Valenciana.

Live streaming of all the Global Champions Tour events each day will be available on the dedicated website. www.globalchampionstour.com

The latest news and information can also be obtained online. Join the Global Champions Tour on their designated Facebook and Twitter social media platforms.

Global Champions Tour 2011 Top 18 Ranking 1. Alvaro de Miranda Neto (BRA), 2. Pius Schwizer (SUI), 3. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum(GER), 4. Luciana Diniz (POR), 5. Denis Lynch (IRL), 6.Jeroen Dubbeldam (NED), 7. Gerco Schroder (NED), 8. Lars Nieberg (GER), 9. Edwina Alexander (AUS), 10. Philipp Weishaupt (GER), 11. Steve Guerdat (SUI), 12. Kevin Staut (FRA), 13. Janika Sprunger (SUI), 14. Geir Gulliksen (NOR), 15. Vincent Voorn (NED), 16. Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nayhan Al Nayhan (UAE), 17. Daniel Deusser (GER), Ludger Beerbaum (GER).

The Global Champions Tour ranking is updated after each leg of the tour based on the scores derived from the rider’s performances.

Global Champions Tour 2011Events Doha, Qatar March 17-19 Valencia, Spain May 6-8 Hamburg, Germany June 1-5 Cannes, France June 9-11 Monte Carlo, Monaco June 23-25 Estoril, Portugal July 1-2 Chantilly, France July 22-24 Valkenswaard, The Netherlands August 12-14 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil September 2-4 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, November 10-12 Images.

Article and Photo: Annie Lever/Global Champions Tour