THE MEDITERRANEAN CHAMPIONSHIP IN TUNIS

On Saturday 19 April, the Mediterranean Horse Racing Union Council met in Tunisia at Haras Gantouria, one of the oldest Arabian thoroughbred stud farms, run by Trad Ben Gobrane on a farm dating back to 1735. This is where champions such as Istimara, winner of seven Group 1 races, were born, and the UIM delegates were able to
admire her sister, born just a few days earlier.

Italy, France, Libya, Tunisia, Spain, Malta, Portugal and Serbia took part in the meeting, which was held in an atmosphere of cordial and constructive cooperation, as is the tradition of this association, which brings together horse racing authorities and trotting and gallop racecourses in the Mediterranean and Black Sea area and aims to promote
cooperation and dialogue between peoples through a love of horses.

Changes were made to the Mediterranean Championships calendar, with the Libyan stage moved to September to coincide with a traditional horse riding festival and the stages scheduled in Ufa postponed to 2026, in the hope, emphasised by the Bashkortostan Ministry of Agriculture, for a rapid end to the conflict leading to the normalisation of relations with the Russian Federation.

The Libyan Horseracing Authority has applied to host a new edition of the Mediterranean Arabian Horse Championship, an event that includes an important race reserved for Arabian thoroughbreds trained in the Association's member countries, which has been held in the past in France, Tunisia and Sardinia.

The MASAF initiative to organise an international conference on the contribution of horses to the cultural heritage of humanity on 9 July at the Italian Cultural Institute in London was welcomed with great enthusiasm. The UIM will propose to include in the panel of speakers an academic who can provide an update on the multinational application project
for the inclusion of the relationship between humans and horses in the intangible cultural heritage
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, launched by the Association.

The Tunisian round of the Mediterranean Jockey Championship took place on Easter Sunday at the Ksar Said Racecourse in Tunis, as part of a highly successful racing conference focusing on the local stage of the President's Cup circuit, which was attended by, among many other dignitaries, the Tunisian Minister of Agriculture and the Minister (18 starters) Prix de l'UHM, won by Libyan jockey Azaiez riding Ouja. Eight races for Arabian thoroughbreds provided a programme rich in entertainment and side events, in front of a large and particularly young audience,
despite the public holiday and the coincidence with the local football derby.

The next stage of the UIM Championships will be the Mediterranean Islands Championship, scheduled for 22 June in Corsica.