Oriented on making people closer

The World Championship in horseracing started on Friday at the historical breeding circle of the Center of National Equestrian Traditions of the Moscow VDNH. Riders from 9 countries participate in the two- day tournament - Russia, Belarus, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and France. From each of them, a team of three people or one representative in a personal competition will enter the battlefield, the press center of VDNH says.

"The World Championship will be held for the first time on the historical output circle. In 2023, our site has become a place of international cooperation and a center of people's diplomacy, we expect that the world championship in jigging will be held here annually. For us, riding is not just a sport - it is knowledge and traditions that our ancestors passed on to us, it is the historical and cultural code of our people," the press service quoted Boris Petrov, General director of the Kremlin Riding School, as saying.

Jigitovka is a military–applied type of equestrian sport, which is horse racing, during which riders perform gymnastic and acrobatic tricks, as well as demonstrate weapons skills. The name of this equestrian discipline comes from the Turkic "jigit" – a brave and skillful rider. And its uniqueness lies in the fact that jigging simultaneously requires an athlete to have excellent physical fitness and skill in managing a horse.

The competitions will be held in two directions: a special jigitovka, during which riders will demonstrate possession of the selected type of weapon (checkers, sabres, swords or pikes), and a free jigitovka with the performance of trick elements. It is possible for the country to participate both in the full program and in any of the two sections separately.

The horses for the horsemen were chosen by drawing lots, which took place on August 25. After that, the audience could see an open training session of the teams. A parade is scheduled for August 26-the opening of the championship, competitions, determination of winners and awarding.

The Center of National Equestrian Traditions is a project of the Kremlin Riding School and the Moscow Tourism Committee. The organizers of the competition are the Kremlin Riding School, the Equestrian Sports Federation of Russia, the International Equestrian Sports Jigging Federation. The tournament takes place on August 25-26.

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Photo: VDNH press center