Aachen, 13th February, 2006

CHIO Aachen is "second to none" for Hans Günter Winkler
Still tickets for weekend due to higher capacity

The spontaneous reaction of his defeated rival, Raimondo d'Inzeo, delighted Hans Günter Winkler almost as much as winning the World Championship title itself. "He jumped off his horse, ran over to me and shouted, brilliant Hans, fantastic." The legendary German show-jumper was a guest at the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein (ALRV) on Monday, to chat about his experiences at the first World Equestrian Games in Aachen in 1955. After all the next World Equestrian Festival, CHIO Aachen 2006 (May 17th-20th), will allow the visitors to take a nostalgic journey back through the history of equestrian sport since 1955, following the motto "50 years plus 1". "And that's how long I've known my friend Hans Günter Winkler too," said ALRV President Klaus Pavel happily commenting on the famous visit. "He is the legend, together with Fritz Thiedemann he made the equestrian sport popular in Germany after the war."
The CHIO 2006 will show once again what emotions were experienced in Aachen at the time and in the following decades, as well as which victories the famous sportsmen and women and their horses were able to celebrate or which defeats they had to accept. "A nostalgic exhibition in the run-up to the tournament, an impressive accompanying programme with numerous show events, old competitions and former riders, not to mention the current sporting highlights are going to make the CHIO 2006 into something special," said ALRV General Manager, Frank Kemperman. On Friday evening, May 19th, vaulting competitions are going to be held at the CHIO for the first time ever. And further good news: "Due to the higher capacity resulting from the reconstruction work at the show-ground, we still even have a few remaining tickets on offer for the weekend. The visitors can especially look forward to the opening ceremony on Wednesday, which will be just as emotional and dramatic as an Italian opera," explains Michael Mronz, General Manager of the Aachener Reitturnier GmbH. The World Equestrian Festival is being reduced down to five days this year due to the WEG in seven equestrian disciplines (August 20th - September 3rd 2006). "However, for us the CHIO isn't a dress rehearsal for the WEG," said Mronz. "That wouldn't do justice to our tournament and its international reputation. The CHIO Aachen is the CHIO Aachen." It has a long tradition and this is to be underlined by the 2006 poster that was presented on Monday, which is closely aligned on the design of the 1955 programme.

For Hans Günter Winkler the tournament is "second to none, the Wimbledon of equestrian sport. Aachen was always my homeland as far as riding was concerned. There are a lot of big tournaments, but no other is taken so to heart by the population. You have to have ridden and won here, to become somebody in the equestrian world." This applies today just as much as did then. The outsider, Winkler, took the World Championship title in Madrid in 1954. "But quite a few good riders hadn't taken part. So I wanted to show everyone in Aachen a year later, that I had deserved to win the title of World Champion." He succeeded in doing so in an exciting jump-off against d´Inzeo in front of tens of thousands of ecstatic spectators. The Italian became - like many other sports figures - one of his lifetime friends. "In spite of the war only just being over, we were all one big family. My initial goal wasn't to become the World Champion, but to get out of the gutter." So Winkler always enjoys returning to the place where he experienced his great victory. "It's amazing how far everything has developed in Aachen. This wonderful modern jumping stadium: There's simply more chance of great things being realised here at the Soers."

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