Source: Global Champions Tour

The Athina Onassis International Show is a mark in the history of the Brazilian Show Jumping. The country had never promoted a Five Star event of this nature until the first edition of 2007. The opportunity to host a phase of the Global Champions Tour enabled Brazil to reach a unique standard of Show Jumping in the country.

Idealized by the Brazilian rider, consecutive winner of medals in two Olympic Games, Álvaro de Miranda (DODA), the Athina Onassis International Horse Show, name given in tribute of his wife, was performed in Brazil in 2007, during the fifth phase of the first edition of the Global Champions Tour. In the following year, it had the honor to be the stage of the final phase of the planets largest riding circuit. During the two years, the Athina Onassis International Horse Show was elected as the best phase of the Global Champions Tour.

In 2009, after being in St São Paulo for the first two years, the AOIHS moved to Rio de Janeiro for the first time. In 2010 the most important tourist city in Brazil will be the capital of Show Jumping from 26th until the 29th of August. Visitors from all over the globe will certainly enjoy the natural beauty of the city which is going to host the Olympics in 2016. Known as the wonderful city, Rio de Janeiro is immortalized by its beautiful beaches, the Sugar Loaf Mountain and by the Corcovado famous for the statue of Christ, which is now one of the Seven Wonders of the World. And just at the foot of the Corcovado Mountain is the Sociedade Hípica Brasileira riding club which will be the stage of the AOIHS 2010.

Just like in 2008 in 2010 the Brazilian Grand Prix will be the final stage of the Global Champions Tour. The organization, aiming to do a great new event every year, will do everything to end the 2010 Global Champions Tour in style.

This final leg of the Showjumping Global Champions Tour is getting underway in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.  

Below is the list of riders invited by the GCT to compete at Rio de Janeiro. Please note this does NOT include any riders invited by the Brazilian federation or the show organisers.

GER Marcus Ehning
FRA Kevin Staut
AUS Edwina Alexander
GBR Ben Maher
GER Ludger Beerbaum
IRL Denis Lynch
NED Harrie Smolders
BRA Rodrigo Pessoa
GER Marco Kutscher
GER Daniel Deusser
FRA Simon Delestre
NED Eric Van der Vleuten
USA Lauren Hough
FRA Roger-Yves Bost
GER Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum
BRA Bernardo Alves
GER Christian Ahlmann
IRL Cameron Hanley
BEL Jos Lansink
IRL Billy Twomey
GER Philip Weishaupt
GER Lars Nieberg
GBR Ellen Whitaker
FRA Philippe Rozier
NED Jeroen Dubbeldam
ARG Jose Larocca
QAT Sheik Ali Al Thani
NED Leopold van Asten
ITA Juan Carlos Garcia
BRA Felipe De Azevedo
BEL Judy-Ann Melchior