EEM Announces Longines Masters of Hong Kong Lineup, Featuring Brand New Asia Horse Week

New York – January 23, 2018 – Next month, the intercontinental Longines Masters Series Paris – Hong Kong – New York will enter its halfway point of the season as it travels to Hong Kong on February 9 – 11, 2018 at AsiaWorld-Expo, before the finale on April 26 – 29, 2018 at the Longines Masters of New York. This year, the series will be complemented by the inaugural Asia Horse Week conference, the new meeting point for the equestrian community, a unique rendezvous where East meets West, that will bring together over 60 representatives from leading equestrian federations, regional horse clubs and the equine industry from more than 15 countries and regions.

At a press conference in Hong Kong this week, Christophe Ameeuw, EEM CEO and founder and organizer of the Longines Masters Series and the Asia Horse Week, and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, foundig partner of the Asia Horse Week, addressed an impressive group of delegates from all over Asia: “The Asia Horse Week serves both as a prime setting for the Longines Masters of Hong Kong and an annual meeting point for the equestrian world, with speakers from major European and Asian equestrian federations as well as industry experts sharing insights into various equestrian-related topics.”

The addition of Asia Horse Week embodies EEM’s aspiration to develop equestrian sports in this fast-growing region and is a landmark for the development of the sport globally. In 2016, The Longines Masters of Hong Kong won the Gold Award for 'Best Live Experience at a Professional Sporting Event' at the Sports Industry Awards Asia (SPIA), further acknowledging the desire to push equestrian sport to the forefront.  This year’s Longines Masters of Hong Kong will be no different. The Asian leg of the Grand Slam of Indoor Show Jumping after Paris and before the highly anticipated inaugural New York event, will include the Longines Grand Prix – an Olympic level competition – as well as the Longines Speed Challenge, the HKJC Trophy, special events for local junior riders, and more. For those looking to keep up with the events but not in Hong Kong, all competitions and unique behind-the-scenes content will be streamed live on EEM.tv, the brand’s newly created digital platform.

Riders will also compete in a special challenge called the HKJC Race of the Riders, a relay race in which four Hong Kong-based jockeys – Neil Callan, Vincent Ho, Derek Leung and defending champion Joao Moreira – will each partner with a leading international equestrian rider. This year, Callan will team up with Simon Delestre, Ho with Clarissa Lyra, Leung with Jacqueline Lai and Moreira with American Olympian Reed Kessler.

Kessler will be traveling to all three continents this season as the only American to compete in each leg of Season III of the Longines Masters Series. A crucial member of Team USA in the inaugural Riders Masters Cup hosted by the Longines Masters of Paris, her 2017-2018 Longines Masters Series journey will culminate on American soil at the Longines Masters of New York in April, when the American leg makes its debut at  NYCB Live, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Tickets for the 2018 Longines Masters of New York will go on sale on January 26, 2018 and will be available for purchase at https://longinesmasters.com/en/new-york/ticketing/ and on www.ticketmaster.com.

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ABOUT EEM
A passionate of equestrian sports, Christophe Ameeuw - CEO of EEM and Founder of the Longines Masters Paris-Hong Kong-New York Series - founded the Ecuries d’Ecaussinnes in 1997. Based in Belgium, the stables are internationally reputed for their activities in trading sport horses and high-standard breeding. They are also home to an offering some of the best teaching available in the field. In opening EEM, Christophe Ameeuw and his teams were in pursuit of a challenge: to reinvent show jumping by organizing equestrian events of an entirely new kind. The company built its development by creating the concept of the “Masters”, which together, under the same roof, the best of show-jumping, resplendent displays and art de vivre. After the successes of the Audi Masters in Brussels and the Gucci Masters in Paris, EEM came out with one of the world’s most prestigious equestrian events, the Longines Masters Series, on three continents, in Paris, Hong Kong and New York. Inspired by the Grand Slam in Tennis, EEM created a concurrent “Grand Slam Indoor of Show Jumping”, approved by the FEI, this intercontinental challenge is offered to the world's elite in show jumping, with two prize levels: The Super Grand Slam - a €2,250,000 super bonus for the three consecutive wins in the Longines Grand Prix, in the season order -  The Grand Slam - a €1,000,000 bonus for three successive victories at Longines Grand Prix straddling two Longines Masters seasons.

In 2017, EEM will be creating a new iconic competition, the Riders Masters Cup. Offered to the public alongside the EEF (European Equestrian Federation) and alternating between Europe and the United States, this battle will pit the world's two leading powers in show jumping against one another: Europe and the United States. On the Asian continent, “Asia Horse Week”, rallying point for the international equestrian community there, also serves as a prime setting for the Longines Masters of Hong Kong, illustrating EEM's determination to develop the sport's international arms in the Asia-Pacific Region. Firmly set on putting equestrian sports front and center and making them accessible to all, EEM rolled out a new digital TV channel on November 14, 2017. EEM.tv offers viewers the chance to follow live and free of charge all EEM events worldwide.

For more information, visit www.eemworld.com

ABOUT THE LONGINES MASTERS
Set in the three of the world's most emblematic metropolises - Paris, Hong Kong and New York - the Longines Masters series is recognized as one of the most prestigious events in the equestrian world. Created by EEM and inspired by the Tennis Grand Slam, the series quickly expanded their international reach (Hong Kong in 2013, Los Angeles in 2014). In 2015, the inter-continental trilogy turned into the Longines Masters Series.  Alongside it, EEM created the “Grand Slam of Indoor Show Jumping”, approved by the FEI, the Grand Slam Indoor is the ultimate challenge for the world's elite in show jumping, with two levels of prizes:The Super Grand Slam: a bonus of 2.25 million Euros for winning 3 consecutive Longines Grand Prix in the same season. The Grand Slam: a bonus of 1 million Euros for three successive victories in the Longines Grand Prix from one season to the next. The TV broadcast of the Longines Masters Series reachers, to over 120 countries, almost 320 million households, a coverage increased this year by the launch of EEM.tv, the new digital channel of EEM. It allows everybody to freely livestream the all competition and events during the four days. Save the date : Paris 2017 : November 30th – December 3rd Hong Kong 2018 : February 9th – February 11thNew-York : April 26th – April 29th
For more information, see www.longinesmasters.com

ABOUT LONGINES
Based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland since 1832, the watch-maker Longines can lay claim to know-how honed through tradition, elegance and high-performance. Its long-lasting involvement in sports' timekeeping at world championships and as partner to international federations has helped Longines develop solid, lasting bonds with the world of sport. Renowned for the elegance of its timekeeping devices, Longines is a member of Swatch Group SA, the world's leading maker of time-keeping products. With a winged hourglass as its emblem, the brand is established in over 150 countries.
Information : Longines International Public Relations - 2610 Saint-Imier, Switzerland
Contact Longines : Clémence Dhiver - clemence.dhiver@Swatchgroup.com - +33 153 812 271
Site : www.longines.com - Email : publicrelations@longines.com