(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Carl Hester, a member of the gold winning British team at the London 2012 Olympic Games, will be the star attraction in the dressage event during this week's third edition of the 2015 CHI Al Shaqab, organisers said yesterday.
Hester will join para-dressage star Lee Pearson and nearly 250 other riders representing 33 countries at the week-long event beginning today, Event Director Omar Al Mannai said yesterday.
Qatar's equestrian squad that qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games last week will also feature at the event, Al Mannai confirmed.
The prestigious event - to run from March 2 to 7 - will be held under the patronage of H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors Al Shaqab.
Sponsored by ExxonMobil, the third edition will feature jumping, dressage, para-dressage, endurance and vaulting competitions.
Para-dressage is an addition to the Doha calendar of events knowing that this discipline was introduced to the Olympic Games for people with special needs.
Al Shaqab Arena, the state-of-the-art equestrian venue, has managed to attract at least 20 new riders to the Qatari capital that hosted 130 riders last year.
The new entries include top riders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt, Omar Al Mannai, Event Director, said yesterday.
Al Shaqab Arena has become a beehive of activity with the event set to kick off today. The first batch of riders started arriving on February 27, organisers said.
The top-notch arena features commercial village for fashion and horse enthusiasts, luxury catering at the VIP Lounges and restaurant, hospitality boxes, a public food court besides a fun area for the whole family.
"Under the patronage of H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, and following the success of the CHI Al Shaqab 2013 and 2014, CHI Al Shaqab is honoured to present you with the 2015 edition of the annual CHI Al Shaqab competition," Fahad Al Qahtani said in a statement.
"With CHI Al Shaqab 2015, we want to share the pride and invite the whole community to marvel at the excitement of equine sports. This year, we are excited to introduce new disciplines. We encourage everyone to come and enjoy the world-class equestrian competitions and family activities that will take place throughout the six-days," Al Qahtani added.
"We are honoured and pleased to welcome guests and riders alike to this world-class event that celebrates the showmanship, skills and athleticism of the horses and riders alike. We cordially welcome you to CHI Al Shaqab 2015," Al Mannai said.
"I am very happy to welcome the equestrian world, its best representatives who will be participating at Al Shaqab 2015 as well as the members of local, regional and international media who will be covering this amazing event, and I would like to share a part of Qatar's hospitality and our horsemanship traditions with the rest of the world," he added.
"There will be around 250 participants from 33 countries with a large participation of Arab teams at CHI Al Shaqab 2015 and teams from the Gulf states in particular. The previous competitions were a spectacular success and we are making sure this year's event will be even better," Al Mannai said.
The first edition of CHI Al Shaqab in 2013 was broadcast in more than 80 countries around the world, making the competition one of the most watched equine events of the past season.
This year's edition will break the 100-country barrier with more people tuning in for the week-long event, according to Fahad Al Hajri, the media and communications chief.
Tickets to the match venue are available at Virgin Megastore in Villaggio, organisers said.
The event is also being promoted at embassies in Doha, organisers said.
School students are also encouraged to witness one of the most popular of Olympic Games discipline.
Fans turning up at Al Shaqab Arena will be able to witness the 5* competition with numerous Olympic champions in action.
Family fun has also been arranged for at the venue where kids can feature at the specially-designed 'Fun Area'.
Young kids can also hitch hike horse rides under the watchful gaze of experts.
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