The Peninsula
In keeping with the Qatar National Day celebrations, the Qatar Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon Federation, in cooperation with the Horseback Archery Society conducted the qualification skills test for the first Horseback Archery Championship (Al Nashaab Championship) which is to be held on December 28.
The organising committee comprising Ali bin Yousef Al Rumaihi, assistant Secretary-General, Qatar Equestrian Federation, and Fuad Al Mudahka, President of Horseback Archery Society, oversaw the skills test which will see the final twelve horseback archers competing in the final. The referees’ committee is headed by Adel Al Muhannadi.
Al Mudahka informed that the participation for the skills test was very good despite the newness of the sport in the country. “We had a very good skills qualification test where we had sixteen horseback archers. They were divided into two groups of eleven and five. And out of these 13 have qualified for the final,” said Al Mudahka.
Notably among these, Muhammad Sultan Al Naama, Ali Hamad Al Athba and Rashid Al Dossary from Lekhwiya stood out with their horseback archery skills. Al Mudahka said there will be a rehearsal of the event ahead of the championship final on December 27th.
The organizing committee has allocated in-kind and financial prizes for the winners of the championship and extended thanks and appreciation to Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah, President of the Qatar Equestrian Federation.
They also thanked the great efforts made by the head of the organising committee of the championship, Ali Al-Rumaihi, which led to the provision of the venue for the championship and in providing media support to uncover this new sport in Qatar.
The next step would be to lay down plans to develop and expand the horseback archery sport in the country and to hold more tours, depending on the success of the inaugural championship, the committee said.
During the qualification skills test, participants had to aim at targets from a horseback in a 90m arena. Participants need to have a passport for their horses, who must be vaccinated, and are required to clear a test before the event. Participants have to obtain a rider’s ID from the technical office of the QEF, organisers stressed. Junior riders must be in the 12-18 age category, while riders intending to take part in the senior event should be 18 or above.
Entrants must wear the helmet and horse riding shoes over traditional wear and the horse must be over five-years-old. A maximum of two players may participate on one horse. Horseback archery is considered as one of the important upcoming sports activities in Qatar and has a traditional and cultural importance.
A team from the Horseback Archery Society, represented by Fuad Al Mudahka (Director of Foreign Medical Projects, Aspetar) and Abdulaziz Al Qahtani (Engineer at Qatar Petroleum), participated in the 15th edition of World Horse Shooting Championship in South Korea in 2019, where they achieved good results. The aim of the inaugural Al Nashaab Championship is to spot amateurs with talent and to hone their skills for their future participation in championships as pros.