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Aachen, January 22, 2010

CHIO Aachen 2010 as pilot project for dressage
Test for new Olympic format in the course of the World Equestrian Festival - entertaining innovations

At the latest since the FEI World Equestrian Games Aachen 2006, sport fans from all over the world know how fascinating dressage sport can be. Back then, the international dressage stars competed in Aachen's Soers for the World Champion title in front of 40,000 spectators, the competitions were broadcast live worldwide.

After the Olympic Games 2008, the International Equestrian Federation FEI had established a "Task Force Dressage". With Frank Kemperman, show director of the World Equestrian Festival, CHIO Aachen, as chairman, proposals for the advancement of dressage sport were developed. "We want to make the sport more entertaining and more comprehensible", says Kemperman. The FEI's General Assembly has already approved the ideas in Copenhagen in November.

Aside to detailed proposals regarding the improvement of the judging system, the Task Force has worked out a concept for a changed competition format for Olympic Games. The team competition will now be decided in the Grand Prix Spécial. The teams start in reverse order of their Grand Prix results. "Thus, the Nations' Cup will upgraded now, the competition will be more exciting", explains Frank Kemperman.

According to this, the new format for the CHIO Aachen 2010 will be as follows:
Thursday: Prize of TESCHINKASSO, Grand Prix (1st rating competition for both individual and team classification)
Saturday: MEGGLE-Prize, Grand Prix Spécial (2nd rating competition individual classification and Final of the Lambertz Nations' Cup)
Sunday: Deutsche Bank Prize, Grand Prix Freestyle to Music (Final individual classification)

Also the "3+1" will already be applied in the course of the upcoming CHIO Aachen. One country will be allowed to bring four riders, but only three of them will officially start for the team - there will be no more drop score.

Also with regards to the judging system, new ideas will be tested. "We want to make the sport more fair and transparent with this", describes Frank Kemperman.
The most important innovations are:
More judges: In the course of selected competitions, seven instead of five judges will be appointed
Half mark: Instead of full marks, judges will in the future also be able to give half marks
Freestyle to music: The judges assume different tasks. While one judge is responsible for the rating of the technical performance, another will judge solely the artistic performance
Supervisory Panel: Also the judges' work is supervised, the Panel's members will test if the possibility to correct single judge marks should be implemented in the future

Ticket-Hotline for the CHIO Aachen 2010: +49-(0)241-917-1111