Emirates Airline to Sponsor Open European Endurance Championships
Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, has announced its title sponsorship of this year’s premier endurance event, now named the FEI Emirates Airline Open European Endurance Championships. Taking place in Punchestown, Ireland on Sunday 21st September 2003, the one-day event will be run over a 160 kilometre course through the picturesque Wicklow Hills, an area renowned as the ‘Garden of Ireland’.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide, said: ‘Emirates has a long history in supporting equestrian events across the world, from the Irish Oaks to the Singapore Derby, and is the title sponsor of the Dubai World Cup which boasts the biggest purse in horse-racing. ‘Our involvement with Endurance racing extends to supporting the World Championships which recently took place in the UAE. We are therefore very pleased to continue our support of this exciting sport with the sponsorship of the FEI Open European Endurance Championships.’
The FEI Emirates Airline Open European Endurance Championships are being held in conjunction with the four-day (18th to 21st Sept.) Sport Ireland IFG European Eventing Championships at Punchestown, organised by the International Sport Horse Show. This is the first time that two such FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale) championships have ever been held concurrently at the same venue.
Tim Philips, Chief Executive of the International Sport Horse Show, commented: ‘We would like to thank Emirates for its support of the event, which has allowed us to expand last year’s 100 kilometre course to include a second vet gate and thereby run this year’s championships in the more traditional one-day, 160 kilometre format. ‘Now that the Championships not only act as a qualifier for the 2004 World Endurance Championships but are also open to competitors outside of Europe, we expect to see endurance riders from all over the world competing in what we are sure will be the top endurance meeting this year.’
Since the early 90s, Emirates Airline has been involved in supporting the sport of endurance racing throughout the world and specifically in Europe. Its most recent sponsorship was in March 2003 in the UAE: the SEI/UAE World Cup Endurance. With over 100 competitors from up to 25 countries, the FEI Emirates Airline Open European Endurance Championships promises to be an historic event in which the course will be routed through the beautiful valleys and hills of Kildare and Wicklow counties.
In a novel and innovative site design, the main Vet Gate at Punchestown will be located beside the Main Arena where, as the Endurance Championships are underway, the top eventers will be fighting for the final places in the show jumping phase of the European Eventing Championships.
With Endurance going ‘centre stage’ with Eventing, the organisers of the International Sport Horse Show are actively seeking to focus public attention on these two ‘endurance style’ equestrian sports.
For more information on the International Sport Horse Show, visit their site at: www.sporthorseshow.com
For International Sport Horse Show, contact:
Lucia Montanarella
Press Officer
ph. +39 335 6165415
e-mail: press@sporthorseshow.com
website: www.sporthorseshow.com
For Emirates contact:
Frances Barton, Media Relations
ph +9714 203 2144; mobile +91750 6503900
email: fran.bart@emirates.com, visit: www.emirates.com