00:00 Next, on the Dialogue, we meet a giant of the equestrian world.
00:06 Every horse is different.
00:10 You have to have that feeling what every horse needs.
00:14 All these details make you become a champion or not.
00:18 Jan Topps, founder and president of Global Champions.
00:25 He's the man in the saddle of the showjumping extravaganza galloping across the globe.
00:32 I wanted to bring our sport to a different level to see how far we can reach.
00:38 Jan, thanks so much for joining us on the Dialogue.
00:51 Now, four consecutive Olympics, a gold in Barcelona in 1992.
00:57 You've clearly been to the very top of the sport, but what does it take to become an elite rider?
01:02 Well, first of all, you need great work ethics.
01:07 You need a certain determination and also the feeling as a good rider.
01:17 And also you have to have a team around the management for your horse.
01:22 Nowadays, the rider has to be more than ever.
01:26 As the competition is getting stronger and stronger all the time, you need the rider to be fit.
01:33 They have to be mentally prepared for these important classes.
01:37 And of course, the main thing is that you need the great athlete of a horse.
01:42 You need to know how to pick the right horses and become a real partner with your horse.
01:48 A horse is not where you can get on today like a car and drive away.
01:53 It takes a while to form together that partnership to be able to perform in these very difficult classes
02:02 and technical courses to be really competitive on that level.
02:10 You spoke there about the partnership between horse and rider.
02:14 How important is that harmony?
02:16 It's perhaps something that a lot of people don't understand.
02:18 It's more than just technique, isn't it?
02:20 It's a feeling with an animal.
02:22 You have to be consistent every day with that animal and they need to trust you.
02:28 Every animal is different, every horse is different.
02:31 You have to have that feeling what every horse needs.
02:38 And I think all these details make you become a champion or not.
02:46 Welcome to Doha for the start of the seventh season of the Global Champions League.
02:51 A new season, new teams, new names, new format.
02:55 Double clear coming up for Ron Gladys.
02:57 Short four for Shane Green over the back rail.
03:00 And it's a slow double clear.
03:02 Ramzi Alduhami, rear wheel powered by Al Hilal.
03:06 It's gonna be close, gonna be close, gonna be very close.
03:08 It is a clear from Ramzi.
03:10 Jan, you're the owner of the Longines Global Champions Tour and League.
03:19 Something you set up in 2006.
03:23 Can you tell us a bit about what spurred that decision?
03:26 After competing myself around the world for 25 years, I wanted to bring our sport to a different level.
03:34 And I looked obviously to many other sports, tennis, golf, soccer, whatever.
03:41 To see how far we can reach, how far we can come close to them and give a better future for the sport in total.
03:51 Not only for the riders, but also for the sponsors and the owners and all the stakeholders in our sport.
03:58 And that's how I came up with this concept.
04:02 You've seen tremendous growth, haven't you, since you started that.
04:05 How do you keep momentum and keep that growth going?
04:08 I think you have to be always realistic and see you keep the good things and the less good things you improve as much as you can.
04:17 And I think we have done at the moment, we have an amazing platform of great locations.
04:23 We have good partners, solid partners, our sponsors, Longines.
04:29 The nose is on the right direction.
04:31 And I think if you have that, you can do very good things for the sport.
04:35 And the competition itself is interesting, isn't it?
04:38 Because men and women of all ages compete for the same prize money.
04:43 And that's, is a quality of opportunity something that's important to you?
04:48 It's rare in sports that women and men are competing on the same level.
04:54 Sometimes they would say it's not fair.
04:56 But I think in our sport, you know, if you see the development already from the breeding of the horses 30 years ago or 25 years ago,
05:05 and now the horses got more lighter, before it was more physic to ride horses, a man was an advantage.
05:13 Today we have great women riders.
05:15 And it's more now about feeling.
05:18 It's more bringing partnerships together.
05:21 And at the moment, you know, you see a lot of women being very successful in our sport.
05:27 Jan, you've described this amazing venue here, Al-Shakab, as one of the most special venues in the world.
05:34 We're here for the season opener.
05:36 What does this mean to you, this place?
05:38 First of all, it's a state of the art place.
05:43 It's not only beautiful design, but it's also horse-friendly design.
05:48 We have a lot of space. Everything is looked for the horse, from the stabling, you know, to how you get from one place to the other.
05:57 Even for the owners, for the riders, it's a perfect setting.
06:04 They keep developing, and especially this region, the region in general, if you talk about all the Arab region, they love horses.
06:12 And if you see how much passion there is and much interest, it's great to see the development over here.
06:20 Well, talking about this amazing place, serving as a coach in a place like Qatar, I mean, do you see potential?
06:27 Will future Olympic champions emerge from here, do you think?
06:30 Of course, it's a possibility.
06:33 Maybe it takes still a couple of years, but you know already, there are more other Arab countries who had medals.
06:41 Why would not be Qatar? And we have really some very good riders.
06:46 I don't see the big numbers, but we have a couple of very good ones.
06:50 And I think we did a great job already in Rio. We were very close.
06:55 And I'm sure in the next Olympics to come, Qatar could definitely be having great results.
07:02 And you know, on the right, they have a medal.
07:06 Now, sometimes show jumping, venting, dressage has been described by people as just for the wealthy, that the playground of the rich.
07:15 Do you think that those stereotypes are on the way to being shattered now?
07:20 Of course, our sport is an expansive sport. We can't deny.
07:25 On the other hand, if you see the top 30 riders in the world, they come from modest families.
07:31 If you are disciplined, talented, very devoted to your sport, anybody can reach the top.
07:41 And I believe that totally. You get picked by owners, you get picked by important stables, and you build your way up.
07:51 Jan, thank you so much for joining us on the Dialogue.
07:54 It was my pleasure. Thank you.
07:56 (upbeat music)
07:58 you
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