Dubai, UAE - Reinforcing its commitment to equestrian sport following Longines' successful sponsorship of Dubai's richest show jumping event last year, the Al Maktoum Challenge, Longines was proud to support the 2007 Dubai Show Jumping Championship.
Set to become Dubai's premiere show jumping event, the inaugural Championship was held at the Emirates Equestrian Centre from January 10-12, 2007. The three-day event featured Arab League World Cup Qualifiers and some of the world's best horses.
The Championship was divided into National and International Classes each day with riders competing for prize money amounting to a total of AED20,000 and AED290,000 respectively.
Riders of all nationalities residing in the UAE were eligible to participate in the National Class while the International Class saw riders from around the Middle East including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria and UAE.
HRH Prince Abdullah bin Meteab from Saudi Arabia won the International Class championship with zero penalties and qualified to compete in the World Cup Qualifier series in Las Vegas. Khalid Al Eid finished in second place followed by Abdullah Al-Sharbatly in third place, both from Saudi.
Walter Von Kanel, President of Longines, said: "Longines' commitment to equestrian sport dates back to 1926 and the style, elegance and precision involved in this prestigious sport matches our brand values perfectly."
"Last year, Longines was privileged to have the opportunity to support the Al Maktoum Memorial Challenge. This year, we are fortunate to partner with Dubai Equestrian Club and promote our common goal which is to further develop equestrian sport in the region."
At the Championship, Longines guests were thrilled by the brilliant equestrian presentations including a dressage display, stunt riding and performances by the Dubai Mounted Police. Longines will also sponsor show jumping meets in Sharjah from January 18-20 and in Abu Dhabi from January 25-27, 2007 as part of the Arab League World Cup competitions in the UAE. Longines' commitment to show jumping dates back to 1926, when Longines timed the International Official Horse Show in Geneva and today plays a leading role in seven of the main Super League events in Europe: the Jumping International Officiel de France (La Baule, France), the CSIO Piazza di Siena (Rome, Italy), the CSIO Schweiz (St. Gallen, Switzerland), the CHIO Rotterdam (Roterdam, Netherlands), the Longines Royal International Horse Show (Hickstead, United Kingdom), the F?ilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show (Dublin, Ireland) and the CSIO Barcelona (Barcelona, Spain). Longines is a member of Swatch Group Ltd, the world's leading watch manufacturer and marketer with no fewer than 158 production sites in Switzerland.-Ends-
For more information, please contact:
Zahabia Motiwala
Eyad Mohammed
Polaris Public Relations
Dubai, UAE
Tel: (+9714) 3415555
Fax: (+9714) 3415588
E-mail: z.motiwala@polaris-me.com
Fadi Ghalayini
Longines Watch Co. Francillon Ltd
Dubai, UAE
Tel: (+9714) 3300455
Fax: (+9714) 3300398
E-mail: fadi.ghalayini@swatchgroup.com
© Press Release 2007
