H H The Amir’s Sword International Equestrian Festival; over 150 riders from 28 countries participate in the three-day event

Over 150 riders from 28 nations are vying for top honours in the three-day H H The Amir's Sword International Equestrian Festival, which gets underway today in Al Shaqab.  For the first time since 2016, foreign riders are welcome to participate in the yearly gala, which offers over €650,000 in prize money for top-tier showjumping and dressage categories. Amir's Sword will also be given to a local dressage rider for the first time at the famous Festival. 

After winning the Big Tour, Qatari showjumper Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi, riding the horse Morocco, took home H H The Amir Sword the previous year. Over the course of three days of competition, riders will be seen competing at Longines Indoor and Outdoor Arenas. In addition to the dressage categories, today's schedule has nine events in the three- and five-star categories.

The Doha Tour took place over three rounds last month, with 201 cyclists from 21 different countries. The event sold over 15,000 tickets and attracted a sizable portion of the general audience.

The organisers have scheduled a number of spectator-friendly entertainment events, and general admission tickets are available for purchase at www.q-tickets.com for QR25. There are also VIP tickets available for the Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories, which include seats in the VIP suite in the Longines Outdoor Arena.

On the fringes of yesterday's press conference, a number of agreements were inked with sponsors in the presence of officials of the tournament organising committee.