Hosters, riders, and guests at the press conference of the 2016 Longines Beijing Masters Photo: Shi Haohong/GT

 On June 29, a press conference of the 2016 Longines Beijing Masters was held at the Dashing International Equestrian Center. It announced that the 2016 Longines Beijing Masters, hosted by the Chinese Equestrian Association and the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) and organized by Beijing Dashing Equestrian, will be opened from September 2 to 4 as scheduled.

As the first international event staged in the Bird's Nest for six years in a row, Longines Beijing Masters has become an iconic sporting event in Beijing. Longines Beijing Masters' cooperation with Bird's Nest, the main venue of the Beijing Olympic Games, is a win-win situation and will continue until at least 2020. The well-equipped stadium caters perfectly to the high-profile competition and serves as an impressive calling card for Beijing. Hosting commercial events like Longines Beijing Masters can greatly enhance utilization of the stadium and redevelop its commercial value in the post-Olympic era.

According to Li Jing, the president of Dashing Equestrian, Longines Beijing Masters has become China's highest class show-jumping competition. However, Dashing Equestrian's goals go further than that.

"We have been making efforts to promote the establishment of the horse quarantine zone in Beijing, with an aim to remove the obstacles for European horses to enter and leave China," Li said. "We believe it won't be far from the day when we can host a five-star equestrian event at Bird's Nest to realize our 'China equestrian dream.' This is not only beneficial to China's equestrian industry, but also a driving force in the development of horse industries, horse trade and stock farming."

The three-day 2016 Longines Beijing Masters will involve four classes - Challenge Class 100-110 centimeters, Team Championship Class 115-125 centimeters, BMW Elite Class 130-135 centimeters and Longines Grand Prix 140-150 centimeters. Each class will engage more than 140 of China's finest show-jumping horses worth more than 100 million yuan ($15 million).

There will be about 100 professional horsekeepers taking care of the horses in temporary tents covering over 6,000 square meters. The course routes are designed by Frank Rosenberg, an international four-star (highest level) course designer who was part of the design of show-jumping routes for the Olympic Games and many spectacular international events.

The rider lineup is the biggest highlight of the event. The International Equestrian Federation top 30 international riders including Ludger Beerbaum and more than 120 top Chinese riders will compete together. Jane Richard Philips, the Longines ambassador of elegance, will also attend the competition.

Longines Beijing Masters also features constant competition mechanism adjustments and innovations. For example, the 2016 Longines Beijing Masters plans to change Club Championship to Team Championship, which allows riders from different clubs to team up and name their team freely.

Among all factors of an equestrian event, cultivation of horses is just as important as cultivation of riders. All world-class events arrange special competitions for younger horses to enhance their field experience, adaptability to changes and to qualify them for international events.

In this year's Challenge Class and Team Championship Class, some Chinese riders will ride young horses ages six to seven, aiming to make the competition even more fair while marking a challenge or test for young Chinese horses. It will also encourage Chinese riders to further improve their professional competence in training young horses independently.