The HH Emir’s Sword Championship 2018 for showjumping and dressage competition will be held from February 22 to 24 at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s (QEF) main arena in Al Rayyan, it was announced yesterday at a press conference.
The prestigious three-day competition, which carries a total prize-money of QR1mn will see national riders participating in showjumping, dressage and Future Riders events.
“We are proud of our national riders and would like to give them the opportunity to be recognised for all the effort and hard work they have put in training and competing in various competitions in Qatar,” QEF president Hamad bin Abdulrahman al-Attiyah said.
“The HH Emir’s Sword 2018 Championship is one of the most celebrated events in Qatar’s equestrian calendar. I would like to thank our sponsors for their support and kind contribution towards making this championship a success.”
The official sponsor for the championship is Qatar National Bank (QNB) while Abdullah Abdulghani & Brothers (Lexus) are the gold sponsors with Al Hazm Mall being the silver sponsor.  
QEF secretary general Badr al-Darwish welcomed the partnership with Abdullah Abdulghani & Brothers (AAB) and said, “We look forward to further cooperation with Abdullah Abdulghani & Brothers, who deserve thanks for the support, especially HH Emir’s Sword 2018 Championship. We seek to continue cooperation with the company in the coming years and we are honoured to have their presence for this special event.”
Ali al-Rumaihi, Qatar’s Olympic rider, said the championship will see a large participation from the national riders in all the three categories. He wished them all the success.
AAB chief operating officer R K Murugan expressed his pleasure at the association with QEF, noting that any company or institution would be proud to sponsor such a wonderful championship in honour of His Highness the Emir.
“It is part of our responsibility to be present and to be supportive to the Emir’s Sword Championship,” he said. “The vision of our beloved rulers has made ours one of the fastest growing economies in the world and one of the major destinations for sports. We at Abdullah Abdulghani & Bros are proud to be in the mainstream of the government’s developmental activities. 
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to members of the equestrian federation for giving us an opportunity and we wish the event all success,” he added.
Admission to the championship will be free for spectators. Young equine enthusiasts will also have the opportunity to experience pony rides and have fun and frolic at the bouncing castles.