Young Saudi equestrian competitor Dalma Rushdi Malhas – the first Saudi female to take part in an Olympic Games competition – succeeded Saturday in navigating all her jumps at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 81 seconds with no errors, enhancing her chances to win a medal at the tournament. Dalma, 16, was the first to enter the ring. She was commended on her performance by President of the International Equestrian Federation, Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussein, who shook her hand after the event and congratulated her on her steadiness, good handling of the horse and the positive result. Dalma's grandfather, Dr. Hamed Mutabbaqani, and her mother Arwa Mutabbaqani, have accompanied her to Singapore. The grandfather was quoted by Al-Watan newspaper as saying his granddaughter has been riding since she was four years old at her family's private stable. During the tournament “she trains two to three hours in the morning which is a program set by the committee supervising the competition. Her spirit is high despite the difficulty of the competition in which 31 countries are taking part,” he added. She is competing at the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) first-ever Youth Olympic Games. There are 3,600 athletes representing 205 countries participating. According to Equestrian.com, 31 youth riders from all over the world are participating in showjumping from Aug. 18 to 24. The riders are participating in a team event, where they will represent their continent, and an individual event, where they will represent their country. Dalma is riding as an individual.
