Dubai: Riders representing 25 countries will compete in the second CISM World Military Endurance Championship to be held on Thursday at the Dubai International Endurance City.
The 120km ride, which will be laid out in four loops of 40km, 40km, 20km and 20km, will start at 7am.
Riders will compete both as individuals and in teams of four.
Participating countries include the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Libya, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Spain, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile, Italy, Estonia, Uruguay, Lithuania, Sri Lanka, Poland, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, France, Latvia, and Lebanon.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, won the inaugural event at Bahrain in 2012, where he beat Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain by 12 seconds in a close finish.
Third place went to Abdul Rahman Mohammad Zayed, also from Bahrain, while the fourth place finisher was the UAE’s Shaikh Juma Bin Dalmouk Al Maktoum.
Team honours were won by Qatar as Faleh Nasser Bougnaim finished fifth individually to lead his team to the gold medal.
Thursday’s ride is empowered by Meydan Pillar Partner, Ipic (International Petroleum Investment Company) and organised by Meydan Group’s Dubai Equestrian Club (DEC) alongside the military sport body, CISM (Conseil International du Sport Militaire) and the UAE’s Ministry of Defence.
Mohammad Eisa Al Adhab, Deputy General Manager of DEC, said: “This competition is a showcase of the sport of endurance riding and brings the best in the world to compete in Dubai. We are proud of our culture that is so closely linked to the horse and we welcome the world to share in this event. The competitors and our Meydan Pillar Partner, Ipic, provide wonderful support in making this event possible. We extend our appreciation for their efforts as we look forward to presenting the CISM World Endurance Championship.
Khadem Al Qubaisi, Managing Director of Ipic said: “The CISM World Military Endurance Championship is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the UAE’s fine tradition of excellence in endurance racing. Ipic is committed to supporting a range of sporting events and federations in the UAE so that they can empower athletes to compete at a national and global level. We are delighted to be closely associated with this international event.”
