RIYADH: Twenty countries are set to participate in the 10th World Championship Festival of Arabian Horses being hosted by Saudi Arabia next month.
Being staged in Riyadh between Oct. 11 and 14, all nine previous festivals have been organized by Italy.
The event, supervised by the King Abdulaziz Arabian Horse Center, will include the Manefah championship for Saudi Arabian horses of origin, as well as the World Championship for Arabian Horse Beauty in its seventh edition for the Egyptian origin.
Other festival attractions are expected to include a special horse expo, an exhibition of the Arabian Horse identity, an auction for purebred Arabian horses, and an opera bringing together artists from around the world.
Emad Al-Rashid, chairman of the festival’s organizing committee, said he was looking forward to welcoming visitors and participants from major international and local stables interested in purebred Arabian horses.
“We target all segments of society to spread the culture of equestrianism, which is an extension of the authentic Arab heritage and the history of our ancestors,” he added.
Riyadh set to host 10th World Championship Festival of Arabian Horses
https://arab.news/mnmtx
Riyadh set to host 10th World Championship Festival of Arabian Horses
- Since establishment of festival, Italy has organized previous 9 events
- Saudi organizing committee chairman looking forward to welcoming participants
Rhodes leads after second round of PIF Saudi Ladies International
- 2025 LET Rookie of the Year leads in PIF Global Series 2026 opener
- WiMENA panels gather trailblazing women to spark dialogue
RIYADH: England’s Mimi Rhodes backed up a stellar opening in round two of the PIF Saudi Ladies International at Riyadh Golf Club, moving into an outright lead and fending off advances from South Africa’s Casandra Alexander and Chizzy Iwai of Japan.
The 24-year-old, who was the Ladies European Tour’s 2025 Rookie of the Year, posted a score of 69 to move to an overall total of 11-under-par to lead by one.
Another former LET Rookie of the Year, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who now has 12 professional wins, sits one shot further back in tied fourth alongside Japan’s Rio Takeda. Eight players are tied for sixth and England’s Charley Hull lies four back from her compatriot alongside past champion Patty Tavatanakit.
Reflecting on her mindset, and how she has approached the week so far, Rhodes said: “Honestly, I was so excited. Having two months off competitive golf, it’s so long, but I just got back into the swing of things.
“Holing putts is my main goal out there and having the greens rolling really nicely is definitely an advantage for that. I’m just taking it chilled out there and being patient.
“I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself, but obviously it’s a big event, one of the PIF Global Series, so I wanted to do well, and start with a cut made. I’ve done more than that. I think I can be proud of myself and now (I will) just see what happens. I’m happy.”
The second day of the event highlighted Golf Saudi’s investment in the future of women’s sport with the WiMENA (Women in Middle East and North Africa) panels, which included pioneering Saudi athletes such as Kariman Abuljadayel, the trailblazing sprinter who set a Guinness World Record for the 10 km open water row. Joining her were Razan Al-Ajmi, Saudi Arabia's first female skydiver, members of the Saudi national rugby team and other prominent Olympians and sports figures.
Ameera Marghalani, a pioneering female Saudi rugby national team member, said: “I want to see the support for sports grow exponentially across the country.
“My vision is to see more young girls and women joining the sporting community, not just in major cities but across every corner of Saudi Arabia.”
