Building a stable home for big events

It's a terrific show, but staging the Shanghai Longines Global Champions Tour is something of a logistical nightmare.

For all its wonderful sporting facilities, Shanghai still lacks a suitable arena for such a high-level equestrian event, so organizer Shanghai Juss Sports Development (Group) Co Ltd is forced to build a temporary venue each year.

But that's about to change.

Last Friday, Juss Sports unveiled plans for a new permanent venue－the Shanghai Juss International Equestrian Center.

"We guarantee the center will be world-class quality and will meet the standards of hosting top-level international tournaments such as the Shanghai Longines Global Champions Tour," said Shen Di, vice-president and chief architect of Arcplus Group PLC.

"It will also become a center for international equestrian communication and nurturing the next generation of equestrian talent, featuring comprehensive functions in terms of equestrian sport, industry, culture, tourism, recreation and education."

The center will cover an area of 3.32 hectares and will be built inside the Expo Culture Park (formerly the World Expo 2010 site), with the design based on the figure of a leaping horse.

The complex will be able to accommodate more than 5,000 spectators and will include a 90x60m competition area, training fields and state-of-the-art stables.

The center will also be able to host exhibitions, workshops, media conferences and forums.

"We are ready to help Shanghai and provide our expertise in terms of building the new arena that will have a permanent equestrian presence," said Marco Danese, sports director for the Longines Global Champions Tour.

"We have to prepare the venue to host important competitions and international events. We hope, in the near future, that the cooperation between China and European nations will result in improved transportation of horses."

The center's construction has become possible thanks to increased investment in the growing Chinese equestrian market.

According to data from the annual China Horse Fair, the number of equestrian clubs increased to 1,452 by the end of 2017, with club memberships totaling around 972,000－an increase of 68 percent on 2016.

"Since the Longines Global Champions Tour made history by bringing top international show jumping horses to China, it has been very positive to know the number of equestrian clubs around the country continues to grow along with the appreciation of the sport," said tour president Jan Tops.

"It's wonderful to see the spectators queueing each morning to come to the show, and the passion of the fans creates an exciting atmosphere. It's particularly important to involve Chinese riders and to see future talent developing."