The championship is being held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

The opening ceremony was attended by Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler and Crown Prince of Sharjah, Shaikh Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Civil Aviation and a number of Shaikhs and government officials.

Shaikh Sultan praised the efforts of the organisers saying that the tournament has been achieving great success a matter that has positive impact on the promotion of the sport within the emirate of Sharjah and the UAE as a whole.

"We would like to thank His Highness the Ruler for his generous support and continued follow up. This support and care have inspired the UAE riders to make all the success they have been achieving at the local and international levels," he said.

Meanwhile, 90 riders from 17 countries started the competition after the brief opening ceremony with 16 riders having qualified for the third part of the competition.

The teams will compete in the second part of the championship for the Dh42.000 purse while the individual riders will battle for the Dh16.500 money-prize provided by the organisers for the winners.

The UAE rider Abdullah Al Sheibi excelled in the first show and and finished ahead of his Bahraini contender Abbas Al Guraifi while his teammate Abdullah Humaid took the third place honours. In the teams' competition, Sharjah squad, led by Shaikha Latifa Al Maktoum, advanced to the final stages of the competition.

Shaikh Majid Al Qasimi, Ali Al Kumaiti and Mohammed Al Kerbi are the other members which carried the hopes of the city in the event.