Longines President Walter von Kanel, president of Global Champions Tour Jan Tops, showjumper Nick Skelton and event organiser Peter Phillips, alongside Mayor Boris Johnson were all on hand today to celebrate the first time an event of this kind is being hosted in London.

The world's leading showjumping championships, where the top 30 showjumpers compete for prize money of more than 640 000 pounds, will be staged at The International Quarter, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in June, with this event cementing the equestrian legacy which began for much of the British public at the London Olympic Games.