Equestrian event to return to Beijing

A prestigious equestrian series will return to Beijing for the fifth consecutive year and bring international expertise to the sport's development in China.

The Longines Federation Equestre Internationale World Cup Jumping China League will celebrate its fifth year by welcoming the cream of the international riding crop to the equestrian venue at Beijing's Chaoyang Park from April to October.

The three-leg series will kick off its four-day opening on April 25 with local hopefuls challenging elite riders from European powers, including Britain, Germany and Ireland, on speciallydesigned courses at the park, which hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympics' beach volleyball tournament.

The second and final stops will take place from April 30 to May 3 and from Oct 4 to Oct 7, respectively.

Launched in 2011, the event is the only official route for Chinese riders to qualify for the World Cup year-end finals, and also offers a platform for local equestrian stars to compete with the world's best.

The winner of this year's event will be awarded an automatic berth to the World Cup finals.Points riders earn in Beijing will be counted in the FEI official ranking system.

"Over the past five years, the event has been presenting professional and international equestrian shows to Chinese audiences at their doorsteps while offering Chinese riders valuable tests against world elites on challenging courses," said Cao Jing, representative of the event's organizing committee, at the event launching ceremony on Wednesday.

"Chinese equestrian sport has made a great leap forward thanks to international events such as the China League," said Tian Hua, deputy secretary-general of the China Equestrian Association.

The FEI World Cup Jumping, created in 1978, is an annual international competition among the world's best show jumping horses and riders.