November 03 - The Qatar Endurance Racing Club (QERC) has organized Al Wasmi:The Qatar Endurance Racing Club (QERC) has organized Al Wasmi, the first race of the 2024-2025 season, in the Marathon Village of Sealine, covering a distance of 100 kilometers held over four phases. The riders showcased strong competition at the beginning of the new season, with rider Salman Fahd Salman Al Hajri winning first place, rider Mohammed Abdullah Tais Abdullah Al Jumaili placing second, and rider Saeed bin Ali bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Balushi finishing in third place, as well as the rider Abdullah Mohammed Al Naimi who secured fourth place. According to Qatar News Agency, QERC was established on Oct. 7, 2021, as an extension of the Qatar Endurance Committee, which was formed in the early 1990s. It was originally part of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) prior to being an independent committee that reports administratively to the Qatar Olympic Committee and is supervised and monitored by the Qatar Equestrian Fede ration. Qatar is the first country to organize endurance races in the Gulf, Arab, and Asian regions, with races commencing in 1992. Additionally, it organizes local races that do not exceed 40 to 42 km. In 1994, the first international race was held, featuring several Qatari riders as well as participants from outside Qatar, and it took place in the city of Ras Laffan in the Al-Hamla area. At that time, endurance races were referred to as desert races and were governed by simple local regulations.