BY JEAN LLEWELLYN / PRESS RELEASE

The CHI Geneva (Concours Hippique International de Genève) turns 100 this year, and the best is yet to come. To celebrate the occasion, the organisers are rolling out a special programme of events that will run all year long and will see the show break new ground.

For the very first time in its history, the CHIG will comprise five days of international events. The celebrations will kick off with a pre-show first instalment in the series “Le CHI, d’un siècle à l’autre” (“The CHI, from one century to another”), a deep dive into the event and what makes it tick. The year’s festivities will then reach their climax on December 9-13 at Palexpo.
To mark the show’s centenary, the organising committee has come up with a programme befitting an event that has negotiated the geopolitical and economic turbulence of the last 100 years and established itself as a cornerstone of Geneva’s sporting heritage.
It is a centenary that will be celebrated right throughout the year in a number of ways, including the video series “Le CHI, d’un siècle à l’autre” (“The CHI, from one century to another”), the first episode of which drops on social media and the event website today.
Created by Nicolas Bossard of Swiss video production company MS Prod, the seven monthly instalments tell the story of the CHI Geneva and are narrated by the journalist Alban Poudret, the event’s sporting director and historian. The series creates a point of connection between the generations and features contributions from Sophie Mottu Morel, the general manager of the CHIG for more than 20 years now, and Swiss riders Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs, both leading lights of the modern-day equestrian scene. This fascinating journey through time starts with an in-depth look at the early days of the show, the period between 1926 and 1938, making use of previously unseen images of its seven first editions.
Jumping from past to present
The event’s history will also take centre stage this coming December. On the Saturday evening of CHIG 2026, the Palexpo arena will provide the setting for the Défi du Siècle (Challenge of the Century), a competition inspired by the Défi des Champions event held in 2008, 2011, and 2013. The concept behind it is unique, with around 20 of the most successful riders in the world, among them Olympic, world and continental champions, joining the best riders of the first three days of the CHI Geneva and coming face to face with the change their sport has undergone over the years...

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