Racing series cannot start as planned
War: Million horse riding tournament in Qatar canceled
March 2, 2026 – 6:59 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The war in the Middle East also has an impact on the sports world. The start of an equestrian series has to be canceled.
The start of the Global Champions Tour season in Qatar will not take place. Due to the armed conflicts in the Middle East, the start of the equestrian series has been canceled.
A statement said the decision was made “after careful consideration of airspace restrictions, participants’ travel schedules and general operational restrictions.” The plan was to open the world’s most valuable tournament series from March 4th to 7th.
Prize money of almost one million euros was planned for the tournament. The entire series with 17 stages is worth more than 16 million euros. According to the organizers, the Doha Equestrian Tour tournament series is currently scheduled to continue on March 11th.
The statement also states that “all horses and people currently on site are doing well.” On site are, among others, horses and employees of the Germans Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann, Christian Ahlmann, Philipp Weishaupt and Hans-Dieter Dreher. The riders themselves are in Germany and wanted to fly to Qatar at the weekend.
Philipp Weishaupt reported at the weekend, referring to his nurse, that drones were flying over the tournament grounds and were being shot down. “We have to see how we can get the nurses and the horses out of there safely,” said the rider.
