King attends concluding ceremony of Al Faris championship, presents awards to winners

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday attended concluding ceremony of Al Faris International Horseback Archery Championship III, which was held at Al Rayah Parade Grounds in the Royal Hashemite Court with the participation of 48 contestants from 25 countries.

His Majesty, in the presence of HRH Prince Hashim, the chief Royal councillor and honorary chairman of the championship, handed awards to the winners in the three styles of the tournament, according to a Royal Court statement.

The three styles are the European style, known as the Hungarian style; the Asian style, known as the Korean style; and the Oriental style, known as Al Ghara (Arabic for “raid”), a newly developed Jordanian style that combines archery with tent-pegging.

During the concluding ceremony, His Majesty attended the final competition of the Oriental style.

The concluding ceremony also included a show by a group of Jordanian and Turkish knights, which adopted the Turkish Qabaq style that includes horseback archery on a target at a high tower.

King Abdullah watched a short film that showcased a summary of the two-day event, and was accompanied by music performed by the Public Security Department (PSD) band.

On Friday, Prince Hashim opened the championship on behalf of His Majesty. 

Several Royal family members and senior civil and military officials attended the opening ceremony, as well as enthusiasts of the sport.

Jordan hosted Al Faris III in an effort to "preserve and revive the intangible cultural heritage of horseback archery, which has deep roots in Arab, Islamic, European, Asian and Turkish cultures", according to its organisers.

The championship promotes interest in equestrianism and the values, arts and sports it encompasses, according to the organising committee of Al Faris III.

Jordan hosted and organised the first two Al Faris championships in 2011 and 2012.

The PSD's mounted police team represented Jordan for the third time in this championship. 

On the sidelines of the ceremony, King Abdullah met with Maj. Gen. Abdul Rahman Mahdi, assistant of the Sudanese president and chairman of the Sudanese equestrian federation. 

Winners of the first three places at the European style are Mihai Cozmei of Romania, Lukas Novotny of the USA and Christoph Némethy of Hungary. 

Winners at the Asian style are Robin Descamps of France, Mihai Cozmei of Romania and Christoph Némethy of Hungary.

Winners at the Oriental style are Christoph Némethy of Hungary, Daniel Griffin of South Africa and Emil Eriksson of Sweden.