India will be competing for the first time in the Grand Prix competition, which is only open to female competitors and is held by the International Tent Pegging Federation.

India to participate in Women's International Tent Pegging Championship for the first time

The Women’s International Tent Pegging Championship will be held in Wadi Rum, Jordan from September 22 to 24. The Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) has chosen a four-person Indian team to compete.

India will be competing for the first time in the Grand Prix competition, which is only open to female competitors and is held by the International Tent Pegging Federation.

Along with Priyanka Bhardwaj of New Delhi and Nanda Agrawal of Uttar Pradesh, Captain Ritika Dahiya of Haryana will represent the nation. She is the first female officer in the Indian Army to participate in tent pegging.

Khushi Singh, a 21-year-old player from New Delhi, is also a member of the Indian team as a reserve.

“We are committed to provide equal opportunities to each deserving athlete. With a transparent approach to select the best player to represent India, EFI had invited interested players from across the country to participate in a week-long coaching camp-cum-selection trials at the Stallion Riding Club in Delhi Cantt. And then based on the order of merit in the camp, these four players have been selected,” said Jaiveer Singh, secretary-general, EFI.

“We are delighted to announce an Indian team in this prestigious championship for the first time. It’s a great opportunity for women players to showcase their skills at the global stage. These are four strong players who have proved their abilities during the selection trials and I’m confident that they will give their best to win the championship. I wish them the best luck,” he added.

The team will be coached by Satinder Singh Solanki, who has previously guided the Indian team to gold medal triumphs as a coach in multiple international tent pegging events in the countries such as South Africa and Egypt.

The selected riders have been currently training at Delhi Cantt as part of the coaching camp and they will leave for Jordan on Tuesday.

Besides hosts Jordan, the championship will also witness participation of top riders from 12 countries including Oman, Russia, UK, Kazakhstan, Norway, South Africa and Pakistan.