For four intense days, the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona has been the scene of the best international equestrian competition. The 108th edition of CSIO Barcelona, the oldest international sporting event in Spain, has ended after a weekend full of excitement and entertainment that has not left anyone feeling disinterested.
This year, 9 of the 10 best riders in the world participated in the contest; without a doubt, the best attraction of this great event that had the best line-up in its history. From October 3rd to the 6th, the more than 35,000 visitors of CSIO Barcelona were able to enjoy the best shows, gastronomy, lifestyle... And, above all, a lot of sport. A delight for all the senses.
The best did not want to miss the engagement
This has been the seventh consecutive year that the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona has hosted the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup final, the most important equestrian competition for teams worldwide. In the end, it was Ireland that, after a close final, won the trophy and also assured its participation for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
But the ecstasy in the stands came on the magical Saturday night when the public of the RCPB public was able to enjoy the victory of the Spanish team in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final-Challenge Cup, the consolation final to the Longines Cup of Nations. The four points of Alberto Márquez Galobardes in the first round were the only points that Spain acquired, since Eduardo Álvarez Aznar completed a perfect run and the twelve points of Santiago Núñez Riva were discarded as the worst of the four runs. Only Sergio Álvarez Moya was left, who went out, knowing that a zero would give Spain the victory. A deadly silence invaded the stands during the Asturian's perfect run, who erupted with joy after completing his performance without penalty.
The winners
The great victors of the individual events were the Irish Darragh Kenny, who won the Queen's Cup - Segura Viudas Trophy, in addition to the Belgian rider Pieter Devos, who took the Hyundai Cup of the City of Barcelona.
Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final Qualifier: Belgium
Negrita Cup: Matthieu Billot (FRA), with Lord de Muze
La Vanguardia Trophy: Holly Smith (GBR), with Denver
Hyundai Cup of the City of Barcelona: Pieter Devos (BEL), with Jade V. Bisschop
Queen's Cup - Segura Viudas Trophy: Darragh Kenny (IRL), with Sweet Tricia
Longines Challenge Cup: Spain (Alberto Márquez Galobardes, Eduardo Álvarez Aznar, Santiago Núñez Riva and Sergio Álvarez Moya)
CaixaBank Trophy: Emilio Bicocchi (ITA), with Flinton
Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final: Ireland (Paul O'Shea, Cian O'Connor, Darragh Kenny and Peter Moloney)
18 nations, 98 male and female riders, and 166 horses were the clear stars of the 8 events. A total of 6,000 jumps were performed and enjoyed by the guests in both individual and team contests.
Full house at the PoloPark by mesoestetic
For the fourth consecutive year, in addition to the world-class equestrian competition, the attendees who visited the RCPB were able to enjoy the remodeled PoloPark by mesoestetic, which has established itself as one of the greatest festival experiences, thanks to the large influx of people which has packed the more than 20,000 m2 of the polo track, the largest green area in the city of Barcelona.
The PoloPark by mesoestetic has offered a wide variety of entertainment and fun for the whole family. Gastronomic initiatives, musical performances or small format shows, were some of the complementary features to the CSIO Barcelona that made this edition a huge success.
The Gala's RCPB: familiar faces
The CSIO Barcelona was once again the meeting place of familiar faces of the Spanish high society, who did not want to miss the equestrian competitions. Personalities such as Cayetano Martínez de Irujo or Marta Ortega, who went in the company of her husband, Carlos Torretta, enjoyed the magnificent facilities and did not miss out in the least. The CSIO Barcelona also aroused the interest of its followers with the presence of the actor Simon Baker, lead actor of the series The Mentalist, who was one of the individuals in charge of awarding the prizes to the Spanish winners of the FEI Longines Jumping Nations Cup Final-Challenge Cup.
Fun Facts
More than 300 people made possible the celebration of this great event and many others in the media worldwide gave a good account of what happened during these three days. More than
6,000 plates were served and 14,000 bottles of water and 20,000 soft drinks were enjoyed. Fun facts that wrap up what, without a doubt, has been the great sporting and social event of Barcelona in 2019.