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 Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, the granddaughter of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej, has been chosen to represent her country in
equestrian, riding a horse called Prince Charming.
The 27-year-old has already competed at the Asian Games before, but
in a different sport. She was a member of the Thai badminton team at
the 2006 Games in Doha, where she spurned any special treatment by
opting to stay in the athletes' village.
Although she has ridden horses since childhood, Princess
Sirivannavari only started showjumping seriously a few years ago,
while she was studying fine arts and working as a fashion designer
in Paris.
She made the Thailand team for last year's South East Asian Games,
where she finished 10th in individual dressage and fifth in the team
event, and has set her sights on winning gold in Incheon even though
the competition is harder.
"I am well-prepared for the Asian Games," she told the Bangkok Post.
"I have trained hard since the end of the SEA Games with the aim of
representing Thailand again at the Incheon Games.
"It will be tougher than the SEA Games and I will do my best."
Princess Sirivannavari is the latest in a long line of royals to
compete internationally in equestrian, a traditionally popular sport
among monarchs.
At the last Olympics, there were three royals in the equestrian
events - Britain's Zara Phillips as well as Prince Abdullah bin
Miteb and Prince Faisal Al Shalan, both from Saudi Arabia.
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There are six equestrian events at Incheon's Dream Park, a former
waste disposal site that Korean officials have transformed into a
riding center, but Princess Sirivannavari is entered in just two,
the individual and team dressage.
"I prefer dressage because it's the foundation of equestrian sport
and requires such a great deal of concentration," Princess
Sirivannavari told reporters.
"The rider and horse must develop a strong bond and be able to
communicate with one another, more so than in any other equestrian
regime.
"And, since I love art so much, I find dressage very elegant and
beautiful. Every posture is marvellous, and the rider has to dress
up too. I also like free style, in which the rider has to control
the horse according to the rhythm of the music that's played."
(Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
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