JEDDAH, 19 October — Olympic rider Ramzi Al-Dahami wants Saudi businessmen to support the equestrian game of show jumping and thus encourage the sport that is deeply rooted in the Kingdom’s heritage. "Both financiers and supporters can gain by encouraging the sport, as they’ll get handsome returns from advertisements and get a feeling of satisfaction of supporting the sport that is already deeply rooted and successful," says Al-Dahami in an interview.

Following is the text of the interview:

Q. Tell your story from the beginning.

A. At the age of 10, my father encouraged me to join Riyadh’s Knighthood Club where I was trained and supervised by the club’s instructors.

Q. Is it true that this kind of sport is restricted to those financially well off?

A. Yes, to a great extent. The cost of horses and other expenses associated with care, veterinary service, feeding, coaching and training are quite high. Therefore, there should be someone or some entity that could financially support expenses including monthly salaries of veterinarians, handlers, coaches and jockeys.

Q. Can elderly people learn such a sport and practice it?

A. That’s possible. But they will not be able to excel or compete with the young even if there were a good trainer or coach. Moreover, elderly people generally lack the will for undertaking adventures and challenges.

Q. What are the elements of a knight’s personality?

A. Clear goals, dedication, hard training, awareness of international arenas and knights, and participation in tough competitions and tournaments.

Q. Why the Brazilian coach, who was assigned to train the Saudi team, does not show up in local tournaments.

A. You mean Nelson Pesao? This coach is one of the best in the world but is only a part-timer with us. He has other engagements worldwide. So he only supervises the team when international competitions are held. Local tournaments are the responsibility of national coaches.

Q. Are there no contradictions in training styles between the Brazilian coach and national coaches?

A. Not at all. As I said earlier, the Brazilian coach is only a part-timer and his task is limited to planning and supervision related to veterinarians, staples and determining participation of the national team.

Q. Why are you participating in this humble local competition?

A. To be honest, the main reason is to make money that I need so as to cover expenses related to my horses and team.

Q. Who is providing full financial support to your team?

A. In fact, and without exaggeration, I myself. I hope that the press and the rest of the media will reflect our episode in order to find someone or some entity that would consider supporting us.

Q. What are your expectations from the knighthood you’ve earned?

A. Hope it would look serious for the financiers of both the knights and the teams. This is necessary for future participations and accomplishments.

Q. What’s your next surprise for Saudi fans?

A. Not really much. My horses are aging and I can’t buy younger ones with my limited financial resources.

Q. List your accomplishments up to date.

A. Many local, regional and Asian gold medals; the world’s amateur championship; the World Police Championship; the Belgium Grand Prix Championship and the Europe Open Championship in Spain.

Q. Were there critical moments that you faced or tackled in the arena?

A. A lot of them in the Sydney Olympics wanted me to be the first in the field during the finals. My horse tumbled and I fell off in the first curve, and had to abandon the race. In fact, I was the first runner for a medal in that tournament, as predicted by many.

Q. Do you wish to make any observation?

A. I would like to address Saudi businessmen to support and encourage this sport that is deeply rooted in our heritage. Moreover, financiers and supporters can gain as well. They would get a lot of mileage from their advertisements. They could thus serve their country better and participate in developing a sport that is already there and successful.