Saudi riders aim for Olympic glory at top equestrian event
Diriyah fest is the first FEI-sanctioned gathering in the Kingdom featuring the sport’s best riders
Equestrian fans from around the world will see history in the making when the Saudi national team competes on home soil for Olympic glory against the sport’s top international riders.
The second edition of the Diriyah Equestrian Festival (DEF) will be staged at the state-of-the-art Al-Duhami Farm facility on successive weekends in December.
The six-day event set for Dec. 12 to 14 and 19 to 21, will see Saudi Arabia’s leading equestrian and show-jumping athletes up against the world’s best riders.
Points scored during the competition will count toward qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The high-profile gathering is part of the month-long Diriyah Season of sport, entertainment, and cultural events launched last week at a glittering ceremony in the ancient city on the outskirts of Riyadh.
It followed an announcement that travelers from 49 countries around the world could now secure fast-track tourist visas online to attend the festival.
The DEF 2019 meeting will be the first competition in Saudi Arabia to be sanctioned by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). Multi-Olympic medalist, Saudi champion rider and DEF host, Ramzy Al-Duhami, said: “The significance of the continuation of the DEF festival is in alignment with Vision 2030. We are proud to be part of this historical journey and the changes taking place in the Kingdom.
“We are hoping to boost the show-jumping circuit in Saudi to an international elite standard. Our past, our history, our future and our abilities will be reflected and represented through the DEF festival. This is a dream to be building the future generations of equestrian athletes and I am looking forward to many more events that will come in the future. “Organizing an international World Cup event in the Kingdom for our future generations is a privilege and riding and performing on home ground is an honor. I am looking forward to the future of our sport at this standard,” he added. The Saudi General Sports Authority has partnered with the FEI to include a junior division in this year’s edition as part of its commitment to nurturing talent for the Juniors World Championships. Also, the DEF 2019 is set to make history with Saudi Arabia’s first official mixed-gender equestrian team.
The festival will welcome 150 riders, 150 grooms, 50 officials, 300 companions and trainers, 250 members of the club and 150 crew members. A total of 1,500 visitors are expected to attend and experience Saudi hospitality with 15 food trucks offering international cuisine, 10 shops and game and federation exhibitors.
GSA chairman, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, said: “Equestrian is deep rooted in our country’s history and I am extremely proud to be bringing a higher standard of this great sport to our country; both for our talented riders to showcase their finesse on home ground, and to further showcase what Saudi Arabia has to offer to the rest of the world.”