„The CSIO in Prague is not just the Nations Cup and Grand Prix,“ says Markéta Šveňková

The fifth edition of the international CSIO3* C-E-T Prague Cup will be held at the end of June at Chuchle in Prague, building on almost fifty years of tradition in these equestrian events – including the Nations Cup – which used to be held in the former Czechoslovakia.

The Nations Cup team competition is traditionally the highlight of the CISO events and is usually held in the middle of the event rather than at the end. “While some organisers move the Nations Cup to the Sunday, we stay true to the traditional model and have this main competition on Friday afternoon. The riders like it much better because horses have had a chance to jump the day before and they still have a lot of energy. After the Nations Cup, the riders can decide whether they want to let their horses rest, or whether they want to compete with them in the second highlight of the event, the Grand Prix on Sunday,” explained Markéta Šveňková, Director of the C-E-T Prague Cup.

The importance of the Friday programme has been recognised not only by professionals but also by the general public. Spectators regularly come to the Chuchle Arena Prague not only to watch the international competitions of the Czech Equestrian Team, which is also the organiser of the Global Champions Playoffs jumping gala show. “Last year’s Nations Cup in Prague was also an Olympic qualifier for the teams in our division and the venue passed the test in terms of spectator numbers. We were really thrilled to see so much interest, but it is also a commitment for this year. We have already started our preparations and will try to make the visit to Chuchle as pleasant as possible for all the visitors. We are preparing a really attractive sports programme as well as a varied social programme that will also include an attractive selection of food trucks offering a variety of culinary experiences. As the interest in tickets for the event grows year on year, we have started selling tickets at the beginning of April. The ticket price is CZK 100 for the first day of the event, and CZK 250 per day for the following days,” explained Markéta Šveňková adding that “children under the age of ten will be admitted free of charge.“

However, the CISO competitions are not only about the Nations Cup and Grand Prix, where riders and horses compete for attractive prize money and qualification for next year’s European Championship. A total of sixteen competitions are scheduled. Ten of them are in the three-star category and are further divided into the so-called Silver, Gold and Diamond Tour. To compete in the Grand Prix, riders must qualify in one of the three Diamond competitions, including the Nations Cup. Top riders regularly bring their budding horse stars to these events, and the competitions for young six- and seven-year-olds are highly sought after by the professional public and potential horse buyers. “There are three young horse competitions on the programme, taking place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The other three competitions are CSI1* and are designed for less experienced riders, as the obstacles are from 125 to 135 centimetres high. They will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” said the Competition Director.

The official FEI competition schedule is currently being finalised and should be approved shortly. The FEI Entry System will then be opened for this event for individual National Federations to enter riders and horses. Fourteen countries have already expressed their interest in taking part in the Nations Cup, which promises to be an exciting competition. “The Czech team has always done well at home and has regularly reached at least the second round among the top eight teams. We really hope that they will be able to compete for the top places again this year, and we believe that it will be in front of a great crowd,” added Markéta Šveňková from the Czech Equestrian Team.

The CSIO3* C-E-T Prague Cup 2024 will be held at the Chuchle Arena in Prague from 27th to 30th June. For programme information and a link to the GoOut.net ticketing platform, please visit www.csiopraha.cz.

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