WAHO conference to tee off on Thursday

Manama, Feb. 8(BNA): Under the patronage of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the World Arabian Horse Organisation (WAHO) Conference will be formally inaugurated tomorrow, Thursday, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Delegations representing 41 countries under the umbrella of WAHO are taking part in the event, which has the support and backing of HM the King, and the personal follow-up as well as attention of HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, son of HRH the Crown Prince. His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman is the Chairman of the High Organising Committee of the event. Senior dignitaries involved in the field of purebred Arabian horses under WAHO will be present in the event. As the event is set to kick-off, the Organising Committees have completed all preparations, with several meetings having being held to ensure the event hit tremendous success. The inauguration ceremony programme of the WAHO Conference will include the National Anthem of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a speech by HH Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF), Deputy Chairman of the High Organising Committee. Following this, Jenny Lees will take to the podium, where she will shed light on Bahrain’s Arabian horses, after which a short movie made in tribute to the Late Izabella Pawelec will be played to highlight her efforts in this field. The Executive Committee of WAHO held its first meeting, presided over by Australian Peter Bond, to discuss important topics which are expected to be addressed at the General Assembly. WAHO’s Executive Committee includes Marek Trela from Poland, David Angold from the United Kingdom, Valerie Bunting from France, H.R.H. Princess Alia Bint Al Hussein from Jordan, Sami Al Buainain from Qatar, Robert Fauls from USA, Xavier Guibert from France, Basil Jadaan from Syria, Lady Pelham from Argentina, Howard Pike from the United States of America, Ali Shaarawi from Egypt and Sami Bin Suleiman from Saudi Arabia. Purebred Arabian Horses Registration Offices in member countries of the WAHO raised their recommendations to the organisation’s executive committee, which in turn will discuss the meeting’s highlights, before submitting them for approval in the WAHO General Assembly. The meeting witnessed the discussion of (17) clauses enlisted on the agenda , which are expected to be discussed at the General Assembly, for approval or revision through the principle of voting between the 41 participating countries, in this international forum. The agenda items included the approval of the previous WAHO’s meeting which was held in 2014 in Qatar, and the accompanying remarks from the participants. During the meeting, the members were also informed on the changes occurred on the European Commission’s laws, with respect to importation and exportation of horses, based on the proposal submitted by France’s delegation. The members of the registration offices also discussed importing and exporting horses from and to the member countries and coordinating the same. They also reviewed a proposal tabled by Kuwait with regard to unifying the format of the registration certificates issued for horses among the member countries in accordance to the regulations in place. And more importantly, the members stressed on the importance of not making any changes on the Arabian horses’ names under any circumstances in accordance with the official standards imposed by WAHO. They also debated a proposal handed by France on registering the purebred Arabian horse trainers to regulate the process and make it more efficient. For his part, Mr. Sultan AL-Zaidi, Director General of the Cavalry of the Sultanate of Oman, praised the warm welcome and generous Bahraini hospitality, pointing that organizing the WAHO Conference in Bahrain enhances the efforts to maintain the Gulf’s customs and traditions related to pure bred Arabian horses, pointing out to the Kingdom of Bahrain's significant role in promoting these traditions in the region. Al-Zaidi: "We are very happy to participate in this conference, held in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with our people and brothers in this generous country and its leadership. Arabian horse has a great history in Bahrain, and we hope that important decisions that serve towards preserving purebred Arabian horses come through in these meetings. We also look forward to utilise these meetings to enhance experiences among the participating countries." The WAHO distributed a tourist handbook to the participating delegations, containing the most important landmarks in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in order to utilise the event to promote Bahrain, inform the visitors about important cultural sites and shed light on the genuine customs and traditions of the Bahraini culture. The booklet has 20 pages under the title "Welcome to Bahrain" and features sites such as Bahrain Fort, National Museum of Bahrain, Block "338" in Adliya, Bab Al Bahrain, Hills of A'ali Tomb, poetry workshops, Muharraq old houses, Qaisariya Market, Al Dar Islands, Bahrain International Circuit and Bait Al Qur'an.