Qatar World Cup unveiled! Have you watched the game these days? The day before yesterday, November 20, the 22nd Football World Cup opened. The host country, Qatar, rushed into the sight of countless people. It is understood that Qatar's investment of 220 billion US dollars in preparing for this World Cup is the sum of the total preparation amount of all previous World Cups, which can be used by the previous host country Russia to host 16 more World Cups!
However, after the World Cup opening ceremony, which was as cool as the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the hosts could not meet the World Cup debut match that can be said to have been prepared for 12 years with a victory, and they lost 0-2 to Ecuador, becoming the first World Cup opener in history to be lost, and the group qualification situation is not optimistic. But just as football is round, in addition to this World Cup, Qatar has also hosted many sports events before, including the 2006 Asian Games, the 2019 World Championships in Athletics, etc., and even prepared to bid for the Olympic Games. And horse racing is also their top sporting event.
Qatar is famous for its fine Arabian horses. Arabian horses are one of the oldest horse breeds in the world, considered the origin of all horse breeds in the world, and part of Qatar's cultural traditions, and it is a great honor for people to have a horse. Qatar, which has deep pockets, has also invested heavily in improving the breed and breeding more internationally renowned thoroughbred racehorses.
The horse racing industry sponsored by Qatar Capital is currently mainly located in Europe. For example, Qatar's QIPCO founded the British Championship Series and the Emperor's Stakes, Qatar's Crown Prince Al Shaqab Racing sponsored the Le Jingjie Championship Horse Day, and the Arabian horse races at traditional British and French racecourses, the owners of which are almost Middle Eastern. In addition, Qatar has sponsored the World Flat Horse Racing Championship Triumphal Arch Grand Prix, which has greatly increased the economic scale and impact of the event. The Arc de Triomphe is a race that starts at the Racecourse Longchamps in Paris, France, with a total prize fund of up to €5 million, making it the richest and most prestigious race in Europe for horses aged 3 or over (excluding geldings). The Arc de Triomphe was first held in 1920 and this year marks the 101st edition of the competition. THE FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP WAS WON BY A 5-YEAR-OLD FEMALE AND PRE-RACE FAVORITE "ALPINISTA" (ENGLISH) IN 2 MINUTES 35.71 SECONDS, AND THE HORSE ALSO WON 2.857 MILLION EUROS (EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT 19.93 MILLION YUAN) OF THE HEAD HORSE JACKPOT, BECOMING THE BIGGEST WINNER.
Qatar sponsors the 2022 Arc de Triomphe Grand Prix, image from racingpost.com
In terms of domestic equestrian sports, Qatar is also constantly making efforts. The H.H. The Emir's Sword Equestrian Festival is one of the most iconic events in the Qatari horse racing calendar, which focuses on thoroughbred and thoroughbred Arabian horses, offers a huge prize fund of $3.5 million, attracts equestrian athletes from all over the world, and generates a lot of economic income for Qatar's tourism and so on.
The UAE, another "tycoon" in the Middle East, also pays great attention to horse racing and equestrian sports. First Horse Racing Network has mentioned that due to traditional religious reasons, horse racing in the Middle East is not gambling. But the strong financial power of the royal family of the Gulf countries supports the entire horse racing industry. Many international races in the Middle East attract traditional horse racing regions such as Europe with high prize money. Examples include the three-month-long Dubai World Cup Carnival and the Dubai World Cup Racing Day. The Dubai World Cup and Horse Racing Carnival bring more than $400 million in economic value to Dubai every year. In terms of a single sector, the equine industry contributes more than 10% of the UAE's economy.
Image from the web
Going back to the World Cup itself, many of the team's stars at this World Cup have ties to horse racing or equestrian sports. Griezmann, one of the stars of the previous French team, won the championship this year at the Galldrome de Longchamp, France, and his three-year-old mare won his first career victory. He also set up a horse racing company in his hometown, mainly engaged in horse racing, horse leasing and young horse breeding. And German star Müller is also a horse lover, he loves horse racing very much, and his wife is also an equestrian. His wife, Lisa, participated in this year's World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, where the dressage athlete finished 12th in his category. Mueller, her husband, followed her performance in the stands and kept her phone on camera.
Mueller and his wife, picture from the Internet
As you can see, like many sports, football and equestrian are interconnected. Just as hosting this World Cup can make more people recognize Qatar, perhaps in the future, Qatar can also make their horses invincible on the track and become a powerhouse on the world horse racing stage.