On August 13, the launch ceremony and press conference of the 2019 China Xinmin International Equestrian Endurance Race were grandly held. Attendees included Tian Dexin, Director of the Baiye Training Base of the Liaoning Provincial Sports Development Center; Wang Wentao, Head of the Equestrian Program at the Baiye Training Base of the Liaoning Provincial Sports Development Center; Tian Ye, Director of the Social Sports Management Center of the Shenyang Municipal Sports Bureau. Also present were Chai Jingxiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Xinmin Municipal Party Committee; Li Xiaomeng, Vice Mayor of Xinmin City; Liang Yong, Director of the Xinmin Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, and Radio & Television. Guests and leaders such as Jia Huilin, Chairman of Beijing Jiuzhou Jinma International Cultural Development Co., Ltd.; Zhi Gang, a renowned Chinese equestrian endurance race champion rider; Zhang Xiuyan, a three-star equestrian endurance race champion from Chile; and Cai Meng, a famous CCTV host, attended the press conference.
The 2019 China Xinmin International Equestrian Endurance Race will take place over two days, August 24 and 25, along the beautiful Liuhe River in Xinmin City, Liaoning Province. The event is organized by the Chinese Equestrian Association, hosted by the People's Government of Xinmin City, and has been approved by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). Hundreds of horse-rider combinations from both China and abroad, along with nearly ten thousand equestrian enthusiasts, are expected to participate. The competition will feature an FEI one-star endurance race as well as FEI 40km and 80km endurance standard races. This one-star endurance race will be the first of its kind held in Xinmin City, Liaoning, and also represents the highest-level international equestrian endurance event in the Northeast region to date.
It is understood that this event boasts a high standard and a high degree of internationalization, with over a hundred athletes from China, Dubai, Thailand, Japan, and other countries and regions participating, along with nearly ten thousand equestrian enthusiasts. In accordance with FEI competition regulations, riders and horses participating in the one-star race must have completed the required endurance qualification standards before their registration can be accepted. Riders must be 14 years of age or older, and horses 6 years of age or older. The competing horses mainly include Arabian horses, Anglo horses, Budyonny horses, domestically improved breeds, and Sanhe horses. To ensure fairness and impartiality, the judging and veterinary teams come from China, Malaysia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and other countries. Foreign judges and veterinarians are all designated by the FEI, while the Chinese judging and veterinary teams consist of registered veterinarians and judges from the Chinese Equestrian Association.
Xinmin is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Shenyang, Liaoning Province. It is recognized as a National Advanced Cultural County and a National Ecological County, and is known as the "Hometown of Chinese Poplar Trees" and the "Hometown of Chinese Lotus Flowers." In 2018, Xinmin successfully hosted the China (International) Equestrian Endurance Standard Race and the Departure Ceremony of the Chinese Equestrian Delegation to the World Equestrian Games, contributing to the Chinese team’s outstanding performance in international equestrian endurance competitions. Building on this foundation, with the approval of the Chinese Equestrian Association and the Liaoning Provincial Sports Development Center, and authorization from the FEI, the 2019 China Xinmin One-Star Equestrian Endurance Race is scheduled to be held in Xinmin City on August 25, 2019. This has become an important opportunity for Xinmin to showcase a new image of green, civilized, healthy, and vibrant development, and to establish its signature equestrian events brand.
This equestrian endurance race will be held along the Liuhe River in Xinmin. The course is uniquely designed and is one of the best equestrian endurance race tracks in China. Its main highlights include: a wide, flat riverside track with appropriate width; sandy soil with moderate hardness, free of stones, making it easier and safer for horses to run, beneficial for horse protection, and highly suitable for endurance competitions—especially for showcasing the horses’ capabilities. Along the sides of the track, riders will find lush grass and shaded trees, or expansive views with rolling green waves, all set in fresh, clean air and a beautiful ecological environment. Riding on such a course is a visual delight and conducive to optimal performance, helping riders achieve excellent results.
It is understood that Xinmin City is thoroughly implementing the rural revitalization strategy, advancing industrial revitalization, talent revitalization, cultural revitalization, ecological revitalization, and organizational revitalization in parallel. The city is promoting its tourism and sports brands and attracting visitors and merchants, welcoming guests from all directions with its beautiful ecological environment and humanistic spirit, thereby driving the rapid development of sports culture tourism centered around horses. At the same time, this event serves as an opportunity to showcase Xinmin’s international image to the nation and the world, to inherit and promote distinctive horse culture, and to organically integrate horse breeding, horse raising, horse racing, and horse-themed cultural tourism. This will effectively boost the healthy and rapid development of Xinmin’s cultural tourism industry, stimulate new industries and business formats, drive industrial transformation and upgrading, and continuously achieve new accomplishments in high-quality county economic development and the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.