The winners of the respective Tours, Dressage levels and Future Riders categories of the 12-leg hathab Series pose for a photograph with Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Dr. Thani Al Kuwari (Fifth left) during the season-ending gala di
DOHA: Top Qatari rider Nasser Al Ghazali, on Tuesday night received the Big Tour trophy as country’s equestrian family celebrated the success of hugely popular Hathab Series with a spectacular season-ending gala dinner.
Al Ghazali bagged 177 points to emerge winner in the first edition of the Hathab Series that saw riders battling for top honours in different classes over 12 rounds.
The competitions in the 12-leg series - that concluded last week - were held at Al Shaqab Arena and the Outdoor Arena of the Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF).
Vice-President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Dr. Thani Al Kuwari, QOC Secretary-General Jassim bin Rashid Al Boenin were present at the ceremony, along with QEF President Hamad Abdulrahman Al Attiyah.
From left: Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) President Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah, Vice-President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Dr. Thani Al Kuwari, QOC Secretary-General Jassim bin Rashid Al Boenin and QEF Secretary General Badr Al Darwish attending the Gala dinner.
Al Ghazali received the award from Dr Al Kuwari.
The gathering also saw the attendance of Omar Al Mannai, Commercial Manager of Al Shaqab and Ali Al Rumaihi, the Tournament Director of the Hathab Series.
Saeed Nasser Al Qadi picked up the trophy for finishing at the top of the Medium Tour while Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi clinched the Small Tour honours.
Jessica Waldon (Dressage, Level 1) and Mia Kardos (Dressage, Levelk 2) also received their awards at the ceremony held at Mondrian Hotel.
Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Thani (Future riders (70/85cm) and Abdulaziz Majid Al Ghanim (Future riders (85/100cm) also received their trophies.
Khalifa Al Attiya, the Executive Director of Al Shaqab, also presented the trophies to the top riders.
QEF President Al Attiyah said: “Hathab Series witnessed a great rivalry among the home riders. We shall see the participation of riders from the Gulf and Arab countries in the coming years. Some of its events will be made part of international competitions that we see in Qatar.”
He added: “The tournament was widely appreciated when it was successfully held in Souq Waqif. There is an idea by the organising committee to upgrade the Souq Waqif Festival and to make it into an international festival in the coming years.”
The Hathab Series was launched last October as a special initiative by QOC Chairman HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani. The series grew in popularity as young Qatari riders picked up pace with the passage of each leg held at the country’s two top venues.
“It was a great season for me. I got to learn so much this season,” Al Ghazali said after winning the Big Tour event of the final leg last week. The young Qatari rider added: “It was a challenging season with many ups and downs. The competition level was very tough. I look forward to coming back stronger for the next season.”
Hamad Nasser Al Qadi, who finished behind Al Ghazali, applauded the QOC’s initiative to launch the Hathab Series.
“I got to learn so much. I may have finished second but it has been a great result,” Al Qadi said. “I went about doing well in a step-by-step fashion. I intend to keep up the good work next season also,” he said. “This is a great series for riders like us who want to be part of the Qatar national squad in the future,” Al Qadi added.
“Mannai, Commercial Manager of Al Shahab and Deputy Chairman of the Organising Committee, said: “I want to thank all the riders and staff people who contributed to the success of this great series. This was a highly successful championship as we managed to get some new bunch of exciting riders.”
He added: “We have studied carefully where we could do better in the next season. I am convinced we will have another fantastic series when we return next season. Everybody deserves praise for their role in promoting this series.”
Al Rumahi, the Tournament Director, said: “I am impressed the way young riders stood up to the challenge of competing in front of the fans. There were struggles but there were so many stories of success as well. Qatar riders hold a lot of promise. I am sure they will improve and we will get to see them grow into world-class riders in the future.”
The next season will commence in October.
Hathab Series awardees:
Big Tour
1st Nasser Al Ghazali (177)
2nd Hamad Nasser Al Qadi (174)
3rd Rashid Towaim Al Marri (171)
Medium Tour
1st Saeed Nasser Al Qadi (187)
2nd Mohammed Said Haidan (150)
3rd Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi (145)
Small Tour
1st Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi (166)
2nd Mohammed Al Ghazali (132)
3rd Khalifa Abdulla Al Khaldi (131)
Dressage Level 1
1st Jessica Waldon (124.5)
2nd Amna Ahmad Al Saffar (121)
3rd Saeed Hamad Al Rashdi (112)
Dressage Level 2
1st Mia Kardos (128)
2nd Mennatallah Hesham Mourad (103)
3rd Aisha Ahmed Al Ahmadi (99)
Future Riders (70/85Cm)
1st Sheikh Khalid Bin Ali Al Thani (183)
2nd Fahad Abdulkarim Abed (173)
3rd Barzan Azzam Saleh (125)
Future Riders (85/100Cm)
1st Abdulaziz Majid Al Ghanim (160)
2nd Tamim Nasser Al Qadi (153)
3rd Kanz Azzam Abdulla Saleh (72)
