1 April 2015, Hollywood, California ~ The HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards and the 28th annual Darley USA Awards sponsored by the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is set to be staged at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, for the second straight year. The winners will be named during the celebrations ceremony on Friday.
The Awards ceremony will be attended by HE Abdulla Al Subosi, General Consulate of the UAE Embassy in Los Angeles, Arif Al Awani, Secretary General of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Sami Jassim Al Boenain, Chairman of the International Federation for Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR), Ms Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, Chairman of the Int’l Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA), Chairman of Ladies & Apprentice Racing Committee in the Int’l 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 the Arabian Racing Cup Stewards headed by Chief Steward, Denise Gault, in addition to the Festival’s sponsors and a large number of Arabian enthusiasts including horse breeders, owners, and men and lady jockeys from around the globe.
According to Ms Lara Sawaya, the staging of the Mother of the UAE Darley Awards and the US Darley Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood is a landmark event and 250 guests will pass over the red carpet to the awards.
“The Awards spotlight the attention and care received by women in 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. Therefore, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards for the best woman providing services for the Arabian Horses represents an important turning point in the sport as it draws new lines for the future of the woman in Arabian Horse racing, ” she added.
“I would like to thank HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, for their strong support and backing for the festival,” she said.
Sawaya reiterated that the festival has shown the way pursuant to the vision and directives of HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The staging of the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Awards in the Hollywood, the capital of the world of cinematic awards added a new challenge for the festival that has been achieved thanks to the determination of the persons involved.
For the Awards, three candidates have been nominated for each category from which the winner will be selected.At the international level there are 60 ladies who have been nominated for the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak awards which were increased to 13 categories,” she said.
“The ceremony will start at 7.30 pm (LA time) with all guests passing over the Red Carpet, and will be followed by a Cocktail party for all breeders, owners, trainers and jockeys involved in the Arabian horse races.
Jasim Al Darmaki, Acting Director General of the Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA) pointed out that the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Racing Festival is an ambassador for the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular.
“TCA is keen to support the festival in line with its strategy to promote tourism and commerce. The staging of the Awards at the Dolby Theatre is a pride for the UAE and good stage to promote Abu Dhabi,” he added.
Arif Al Awani, secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council hailed the great effort which is played by HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to promote the Arabian horse.
“The vision and initiative of HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan has contributed to the promotion of the country’s civilization,” he said.
Sheikh Hamdan Bin Suroor Al Sharqi, representing Invest AD said: “It’s an honor for us to be associated with the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival.”
The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is sustained by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and coordinated by Abu Dhabi Sports Council in cooperation with Emirates Racing Authority, IFAHR, Emirates Arabian Horse Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare with The National Archives as the official partner and Emirates airline as the official carriers and sponsored by Invest AD, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Al Awani General Enterprises, Kabale, Al Wathba Centre, the UAE’s General Women’s Union, the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2015, Dr. Nader Saab Switzerland, Al Wathba Center, Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Eastern Mangroves Suites-Abu Dhabi by Jannah, Yas Channel, Omeir Travels and Racing Post.
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