Íñigo López de la Osa Franco: Monaco’s First Rider in the World Cup

The 22-year-old athlete Íñigo López de la Osa Franco will make his debut at Jumping Verona, fresh from earning Monaco’s qualification for the 2026 Aachen World Championships.

For the very first time, the flag of Monaco will appear in the World Cup. It will happen at Jumping Verona, when the first-ever rider representing the Principality enters the arena: Íñigo López de la Osa Franco. The 22-year-old athlete, called up at the start of the season by Jan Tops as one of the under-25 outsiders in the Global Champions League, has also secured the final qualification spot for the 2026 Aachen World Championships, thanks to his fifth-place finish in the CSI3* Grand Prix of Saint-Tropez, riding Nascar Van ’T Siamshof.

Three national records for Monaco now bear his name. “This milestone is the culmination of years of work, sacrifice, and passion,” says Íñigo. “Being the first rider to represent Monaco in the Global, at a World Championship, and now also in the World Cup makes it even more special. Show jumping may look like an individual sport, but everything I do in the ring is the result of great teamwork — from my horses to my trainers Marcel and Simon Delestre (team bronze medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympics), to my groom Liane and everyone who supports me every day.”

Born in Monte Carlo to a Spanish father and Italian mother, Íñigo divides his time between university studies in the Netherlands and his training base in France, at the stables of Olympic bronze medalist Simon Delestre. He admits, however, that his roots are “in Italy, where it all began. I first got on a horse in Sanremo, and I still have a stable in Ventimiglia where we bring on young horses under the guidance of Maxime de Clercq. I’m always happy to spend time in Italy which, by the way, has no rivals in the world when it comes to food.”

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