Bisharat progresses to the 2nd round at World Cup tournament

Jordan Times
Friday-Saturday, January 14-15, 2005

Bisharat progresses to the 2nd round at World Cup tournament
By Maram Sweis

AMMAN – Equestrian Ibrahim Bisharat progressed to the second round of
competitions in the World Cup tournament at the Sharjah Equestrian and
Racing Club on Wednesday, bringing him closer to qualifying for the 2006
World Cup which will be held in Las Vegas, USA.
The Jordanian missed his initial shot for Grand Prix qualifications after
his horse, Qwinto, fault by refusal prior to a jump in the first leg of the
tournament in Abu Dhabi. The mishap resulted in four faults and lost points
that counted towards qualifying for the championships.

After receiving no faults atop his other horse Ghazal, Bisharat, who was in
third place, advanced to a decisive stage at the Sharjah event, or stage two
of the tournament.

Saudi Prince Abdullah Ben Mehtab Ben Abdul Aziz came in first place, while
Qatar’s Ali Rumaihi took second place in the tournament.

Bisharat, who competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, is among 210 riders
representing countries from the Middle East and Europe – Qatar, Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, United Kingdom, Germany,
Netherlands, Armenia, Bulgaria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Another Jordanian taking part in the tournament is Aya Nasif, who competed
against 25 other young equestrians. She is placed 15th in the juniors
category, with eight faults.

The 5th Sharjah International Showjumping Championship is held under the
patronage of Sheikh Sultan Ben Mohammad Al Qassimi, member of the supreme
council and ruler of Sharjah, and organised by the Emirates Equestrian and
Racing Federation, along with the Federation Equestre Internationale.

Upcoming World Cup qualifying tournaments will take place in Ajman, UAE,
from Jan. 19-21, Doha, Qatar, Feb. 6-13, and Manama, Bahrain, Feb. 23-25.

Friday-Saturday, January 14-15, 2005