Monte Carlo, Monaco – Freight carrier CN WorldWide, premier sponsor of the Global Champions Tour (GCT), will present a charity gala on Thursday, June 22, for the benefit of JustWorld International (JWI), the official charity of the Global Champions Tour. The gala takes place during the CSI**** Jumping International de Monte Carlo, staged in the famous harbour of Monaco from June 22 to 24. A minimum donation of 75,000 euro will be presented to JWI, a not-for-profit organization working in impoverished countries for the benefit of underprivileged children.

This exclusive horse show, offering 320,000 euro in prize money, is co-organized by Tops Sport Business and MediaPlus. It is the third leg of the Global Champions Tour following the opening event in Wellington (USA) and CSI Cannes (FRA) two weeks ago. Olympic Champion Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) likes the idea of a having a show organized by riders, for riders. "It improves the events through their experience," says Pessoa, who believes the Global Champions Tour is a good initiative. "The Tour is very welcome to riders as well as sponsors, and it is very important for the sport as a whole."

Otto Becker, a 2004 Olympic Team Bronze Medallist for Germany, also views the Global Champions Tour as a step forward for the sport. "I believe that horse sport is better marketed through the Tour, making it easier to present to television and sponsors."

As a matter of fact, the Global Champions Tour has attracted a lot of interest in terms of media and sponsorship. The third leg of the Global Champions Tour, the Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco, will be broadcast LIVE on Eurosport between 17h50 and 22h20 GMT on June 24. Sports Plus in France and BETV in Belgium will also broadcast the event live during the same time period.

Among the new sponsors to the Global Champions Tour are the Saudi Arabian petrochemical company SABIC, the telecommunication business MedNet, the Swiss expert in watches and jewellery Piaget, and Banque Rothschild. In addition, Global Champions Tour merchandise is now available.

However, for the riders, the biggest reason to participate, in addition to the professional organization, is the huge amount of prize money up for grabs. Two of the highest placed riders in the second leg of the Tour, Thomas Frühmann (AUT) and Michel Hecart (FRA), are motivated to win the Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco, Presented by J&S Group, on Saturday, June 24, in the hopes of increasing their overall prize money totals and advancing in the Global Champions Tour rankings.

2006 Global Champions Tour Ranking (After Second Leg at CSI Cannes)

Rank / Prize money (€) / Rider / (Country)
1. 50.000 Norman Dello Joio (USA)
1. 50.000 Thomas Frühmann (AUT)
3. 30.000 Samantha McIntosh (BUL)
3. 30.000 Nick Skelton (GBR)
5. 20.000 Kimberly Prince (USA)
5. 20.000 Michel Hecart (FRA)
7. 11.500 Eliza Shuford (USA)
7. 11.500 Ludo Philippaerts (BEL)
9. 9.500 Tim Gredley (GBR)
9. 9.500 Jessica Kürten (IRL)

For more information on the Global Champions Tour, visit www.globalchampionstour.com
For more information on CSI Monaco, visit www.monacohorseshow.com
For more information on CN and CN WorldWide: www.cn.ca and www.cnworldwide.biz
For more information on JustWorld International: www.justworldinternational.org
For the complete results of CSI Monaco, visit www.scg-nl.nl