Abu Dhabi: The HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards and the 28th annual Darley USA Awards sponsored by the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival are set to be staged at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, for the second straight year on Friday.
The awards ceremony will be attended by Abdullah Al Subosi, General Consulate of the UAE Embassy in Los Angeles; Arif Al Awani, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council; and Sami Jassim Al Boenain, Chairman of the International Federation for Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR).
Also present will be Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairman of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), and Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committee in the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR); Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club; Ali Moosa Al Khamiri, Advisor at Meydan; and Kinsman Wright, Darley Award Chairman, besides the festival’s sponsors and many Arabian horse breeders, owners and jockeys from around the globe.
Noora Al Suwaidi, Secretary General of the UAE General Women’s Union, Chairman of the UAE Women’s Sports Committee and Member of the UAE Olympic Committee, said: “It will be only appropriate that we at the UAE General Women’s Union start by hailing the initiatives of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Wife of the late President Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for creating opportunities for women all over the world to showcase their skills and talents in equestrian sport.”
According to Sawaya, the staging of the Mother of the UAE Darley Awards and the US Darley Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood — home of the Oscars — is a turning point for the festival.
“The move proves once again the attention and care received by women’s sports at all national, regional, continental and international levels and such attention will play a crucial role in encouraging women to enter this field very strongly,” she said.
“Therefore, the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards for the best woman providing services for Arabian horses represents an important turning point in the sport as it draws new lines for the future of woman in Arabian horse racing.
“Three candidates have been nominated for each category and the winner will be selected from them in the most prestigious ceremony at international level, with 250 guests passing through the red carpet, including 60 ladies who have been nominated for the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak awards, which were increased to 13 categories.”
