Jan Tops is a giant of the equestrian world. After a brilliant career competing at the highest level and winning Olympic gold in Barcelona (1992), he set up in 2006 the Longines Global Champions Tour and League, which have become preeminent showjumping competitions.
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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)
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