CISM World Military Endurance Championship to be held Thursday March 6

IPIC-empowered event hosted by Dubai Equestrian Club

A host of international endurance riders representing 25 countries are set for the 120km challenge of the CISM World Military Endurance Championship to be held Thursday, March 6 at Dubai International Endurance City at 7am.

The event will mark the second running of this competition that was first held December 2012 in Bahrain. The competition will be 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.

The riders will compete both as individuals and in teams of four. The 120km course will be laid out in four loops and will consist of distances of 40k, 40k, 20k and 20k. The roster of participating countries include: United Arab Emirates, 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.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, won the inaugural event in a close finish as he bested Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain by 12 seconds. Third was taken by Abdul Rahman Mohammed Zayed also from Bahrain and fourth was the UAE’s Sheikh Juma Bin Dalmouk Al Maktoum. Team honors were won by Qatar as Faleh Nasser Bougnaim finished fifth individually to lead his team to the gold medal in the team division.

Mohammed Essa 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.”

Competitors arrived in the UAE on March 1 for a week of events leading up to the competition.
The pre-ride inspection is scheduled for March 5 while the championship will take place on Thursday March 6.