The first-ever horseback archery competition took place at the yard of the Darul Ulum Al-Fatah Islamic Boarding School in Temboro area, Magetan District, East Java on Saturday and Sunday.
The archery athletes are from Malaysia, Romania, Kuwait, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, Singapore and Indonesia as the host, according to M. Muzzamil Thohir, chairman of the Horseback Archery competition organizing committee.
The Horseback Archery event was aimed at strengthening the Islamic brotherhood as well as the human-being brotherhood in a bid to commemorate the country`s Heroes` Day, which is observed every Nov 10, he said, adding that non-Muslim participants also joined the event.
According to him, the eight countries whose athletes participated in the equestrian archery championship were Indonesia, Malaysia, Romania, Kuwait, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and Singapore.
The Al-Fatah Temboro Islamic boarding school wanted to preserve the kind of sport event which had always been the favorite of the heroes.
"We want to preserve the Horseback Archery sport, because since a long time ago, there were actually many people in our country who were good at riding and archery. For instance the Prince Diponegoro, Imam Bonjol were good in the archery riding," he cited.
Tohir then expressed a hope that the Horseback Archery sport
can be officially competed in the National Sports Week (PON), even at the international level such as in the Sea Games and Asian Games.
"We hope there would be advanced athletes such as in Korea, Turkey, Hungary, and Poland who have many riding archery athletes, he disclosed.
In the meantime, a participant from the Indonesian Horse Archer Association (Prime) in East Java, Dwi Priyo Surahman said that he had participated in the horse archery four times in the Temboro Islamic boarding school, Magetan.
"I have participated in four horse archery competitions at Temboro four times and at the national level," Tohir explained.
Reporting by Louis Rika/Siswowidodo
Editing by Bustanuddin, Yoseph
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
