Seven weeks before the World Equestrian Festival, at their General Meeting the members of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein e.V. (ALRV) were noticeably looking forward to this year’s major event. High-class sport and the partner country Great Britain promise a CHIO Aachen that not only the athletes and visitors love, but also Stefanie Peters, President of the ALRV: “Experiencing top sport, meeting people, shopping, wining and dining – yes, simply having a nice time. That is the unique combination that makes our CHIO Aachen so special.”

In her speech she pointed out how important such events are even in times of crisis. First of all the COVID  pandemic, then the war in the Ukraine. “Sport succeeds in connecting people, nations and religions. The CHIO Aachen is a moment of happiness for me every year,” Peters stated on Thursday evening in the Deutsche Bank Stadium.

So that this remains to be the case in the future, she emphasised once more how important the further development of the Sportpark Soers is for the ALRV and for the CHIO Aachen: “Top equestrian sport is inconceivable for us without youth promotion, youth sports and in the future also the parasport. We have been asserting ourselves in these areas for many years. We consider this to be our social responsibility.”

For the immediate future, the Executive Board Member, Birgit Rosenberg, promised the members present first-class equestrian sport and above all a lot of British flair at the Aachen Soers. She was delighted that one had finally succeeded in winning over Great Britain as the partner country, who are bringing a fantastic attraction to the Soers with them for the visitors, namely the Household Cavalry. “We are looking forward to a “very British” Opening Ceremony under the motto of the famous Beatles Song “All you need is love“ and I am sure Harry Potter and Mary Poppins won’t be missing either,” commented Rosenberg, who in her capacity of Head of Sports is also responsible for the show programme at the largest equestrian event in the world.

She began her speech with a review of the past event, CHIO 2022, which was finally able to take place without any restrictions. After the long, lean COVID period, the show had been very emotional for all persons involved, especially for the team that plans and executes the World Equestrian Festival every year. “It was a major feat organising the CHIO Aachen 2022. But all the effort invested was thoroughly worthwhile,” emphasised Rosenberg.

Philip Erbers, who celebrated his debut at the General Meeting, carried on along the same lines. First of all, in his role as Board Member he presented the financial report of the previous fiscal year and like his fellow board member thanked the CHIO team. He noted that it had only been possible to achieve such a result due to the mammoth efforts mentioned by Birgit Rosenberg. The annual accounts audited by “Ernst & Young” disclosed a positive result of 29,000 Euros. Erbers member did however state that the forecasts for the current fiscal year are expected to be more reserved. “Due to the current geopolitical situation and the accompanying rocketing costs, equally big challenges await us in many areas, which we will also face jointly as a team and in the light of this we won’t lose our optimism for the future,” is how Erbers explained the current situation.

For the meanwhile fourth year, the CHIO Aachen CAMPUS with its many activities also forms part of the present of the ALRV. Starting with the youngest fans, who are a given a playful introduction to horses at the Kids Camps in the school holidays, to training offers such as the “Full-service Training Day” for instance or courses with stars from the equestrian scene like Dorothee Schneider or Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, through to the #neuland congress and the CHIO Aachen CAMPUS Hackathon. All offers are going down very well again this year.

Due to the gratifying news, the members unanimously approved the actions of the members of the Executive and Supervisory Boards. For the remaining term up until 2025, they also appointed Dr. Christian Becker, Board Member of STAWAG, onto the Supervisory Board.

Honoured for their long-standing membership

Honoured for 25 years of membership:
Ferdy Braun, Nadine Capellmann, Margret Carl, Dr. Christoph Eichhorn, Henry Faßbender, Robert Flachskampf, Norbert Hermanns, Hans-Dieter Hüllenkremer, Julia Klaeren, Liselotte Meller, Marc Rüblinger, Edith Schönbrod-Görres, Dr. Hans-Dieter Vaasen, Sven Woytschaetzky

Honoured for 40 years of membership:

Gebäudedienst Peterhoff GmbH, Dr. Peter Mester, Renate Waldhausen-Krick, Burgi Erdsiek

Honoured for 60 years of membership:

Rudolf Görres