New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS): World Cup qualifiers for equestrian tent pegging will be held in Greater Noida from Match 11 to 14. The qualifiers will be hosted jointly by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) and Equiwings Sports, a private firm organising the sport in India.

Among the seven countries that will be participating in the qualifiers will be Pakistan, thus making it the first event in India in a year in which athletes from the country will be participating. Russia, USA, Belarus, Sudan, Bahrain and hosts India will be the other six competing countries. The teams that finish in the top two will compete at the World Cup scheduled to be held in South Africa in 2023.

The last event in which a Pakistan team competed in India was the Asian Wrestling Championships that was held in New Delhi in February 2020.

World Cup Qualifiers will be a part of The Penta Grand 2021; which also includes National Equestrian Tent Pegging Championship, the Half Million Cup and the Noida Horse Show to be held at the Gautam Buddha University Sports Stadium, Greater Noida from March 3 to 14.

"Efforts are being made by the Federation (EFI) through a constant dialogue with Asian Equestrian federation (AEF) to get Tent Pegging re-included in the Asian Games," said EFI secretary general Jaiveer Singh.

Tent Pegging is a sport that features a mounted horseman riding at a gallop and uses a sword or a lance to pierce pickup and carry away a small ground target symbolic of a tent peg. It was included as an official sport by Olympic Council of Asia in 1982 and is an International schedule game today.