X-bionic® sphere in Šamorín, Slovakia has been selected to host the LONGINES FEI JUMPING NATIONS CUP™ OF SLOVAKIA 2018, presented by first-time Title Sponsor, Longines. The event, which runs April 26 to 29, will mark the first time a Nations Cup™ Division 1 competition has been held in Slovakia as well as the nation’s first time hosting a five-star level show jumping event.

The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ is equestrian sport’s largest and most historic team jumping series, featuring 13 qualifying events held on three continents around the world. On April 29, the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Slovakia 2018 will be the fourth event in the series, with top talent from eight invited countries—among them Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Spain and Belgium—vying for coveted qualifying points toward the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final in Barcelona, Spain (October 4-7, 2018). A full rider’s list will be published four weeks prior to the event.

In addition to world-class CSIO5* competition, the Longines FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping of Slovakia 2018 will play host to numerous CSI2* competitions throughout the event, and will also offer a range of CSIYH1* Young Horse classes. The show will take place at x-bionic® sphere’s nearly 380,000 square meter, state of the art equestrian facilities, which include 680 permanent stalls, a 1.6-kilometer galloping track, and four exceptional footing surfaces for competitors: the grass Main Stadium and Octagon Arena, and the sand Respect and Farrier’s arenas.

The team at the Longines FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping of Slovakia 2018 is dedicated to providing not only a weekend of top sport but also, an unmatched experience for the 600 attending horses and riders. Event Director Denis Monticolo—who organizes, among others, the Longines Athina Onassis Horse Show in St-Tropez, France—will helm the event. Course Designer “Maestro” Uliano Vezzani, who has created courses for the 2013 FEI World Cup Final in Gothenburg as well as numerous Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix Finals, will oversee the weekend’s tracks.

Located just a short distance away from Slovakia’s Austrian border, x-bionic® sphere is Europe’s most modern, Olympic-caliber sports complex for professional and amateur athletes alike. In addition to its cutting-edge equestrian facilities, x-bionic® sphere is a renowned for its hospitality, with luxurious and family-friendly accommodation available at its three, distinct properties: X-BIONIC® HOTEL, x-bionic® private sphere, and x-bionic® strato sphere.

The facility also offers a variety of culinary experiences, with two lounge bars and four global concept restaurants serving everything from Japanese and European fine dining to Tuscan steak house fare. In addition, visitors can take advantage of the two Olympic-sized swimming pools, fitness facilities, cinema, and x-bionic® wellness sphere’s list of healing, massage, and beauty treatments provided by certified SPA therapists.