The oldest international competition at the state level returns to the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona this week. From this Thursday until Sunday, the 112th edition of the International Show Jumping Competition will once again bring together the best female and male riders from all over the world.
Specifically, 92 riders from 14 countries and 143 horses will compete at the Polo facilities, which will serve as the international capital of equestrianism during the competition. The club's Olympic track will see the Olympic podium from Paris compete, with Germany's Christian Kukuk leading with gold; Switzerland's Steve Guerdat with silver, and the Netherlands' Maikel van der Vleuten with bronze.
The level of participants goes further: the world number one in the ranking will also compete, Sweden's Henrik von Eckermann, in addition to 11 riders from the world's top 20, as highlighted by the president of CSIO Barcelona, Santiago Mercé.
On Sunday, the most prominent teams of the moment will face each other: Germany, Brazil, United States, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, in addition to Spain as the host country. The event will also include individual events such as the Barcelona City Grand Prix and the HM Queen's Cup-Freixenet Trophy-Generalitat de Catalunya Prize.
For the eighth consecutive year, the event will feature the PoloPark by Calvet leisure space, which will offer 20,000 square meters of gastronomic proposals, a fashion, crafts, and jewelry market, exhibitions, music, and children's activities.
With these proposals and the level of competition, the CSIO aims to "be a city event", according to the president of the Real Club de Polo Barcelona Foundation, Luis Comas. The club's president, Pablo Sánchez Marquiegui, has defended that this event is "the best showcase" for Polo.
In addition, this edition of CSIO Barcelona will include the premiere of the new format for the Nations Cup Final. Thus, "Barcelona will be the venue for a historic event," as highlighted by the Director of Jumping for the International Equestrian Federation, Todd Hinde.
With this novelty and with 112 editions of the CSIO behind it, the club "places Barcelona and Catalonia at an international level," according to the Secretary General of Sports of the Generalitat, Abel García Marín. The Barcelona Sports Councilor, David Escudé, agreed in highlighting the international projection that the event offers to the city: "Until Sunday, Barcelona will be the world capital of equestrianism."