Three Japanese horses will also participate for the first time in the festival’s history.
The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) is all set to host a triumphant Amir Sword Festival for three days will be held from February 15-17, an event which has gained recognition as one of the world’s premier horse racing meetings.
The Amir’s Sword for Showjumping and Dressage Championship will be held at the Longines Outdoor Area in Al Shaqab.
Just ahead of the festival’s commencement, QREC Chairman Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi expressed his anticipation, saying: “We look forward to the H H The Amir Sword Festival as the pinnacle of the QREC racing calendar, placing Qatar in the spotlight on the global sports scene.”
Al Mohannadi emphasised the commitment to the world-class organisation.
“We apply standards, which give us confidence in the success of the Festival, especially with many top-quality international runners arriving for the Festival’s international races,” he said.
International participation has surged, with Al Mohannadi attributing it to the continuous development of the festival, strict technical standards, and the facilities at the Al Rayyan Racecourse.
The chairman revealed that a delegation from Japanese animal resources authorities recently visited Qatar, praising the facilities and resulting in three Japanese horses participating for the first time in the festival’s history.
“We should also keep in mind that the horses coming from various countries Japan, UK, France, Ireland and Hong Kong are here because of the standing of The Amir Sword Festival, which has become one of the most important horse racing meetings in the world,” he said.
Al Mohannadi went on to say that culture weighs in heavily during the launch of the festival’s new identity, inspired by the Qatari heritage symbolised by “al ghutra” (male headwear).
“The new identity highlights a symbolic meaning through its association with the ‘Al Sabiq’ traditional championship held during major race meetings at QREC,” he said, adding the Al Sabiq Championship is viewed “as the origin of horse racing in Qatar, during which riders wear ‘al ghutra,’ and the moment a rider raises his ghutra implies that he is fully prepared to start.”
