Photos show West Bank championship showcasing purebred Arabian horses in Jericho

JERICHO, West Bank (AP) — Inside a covered hangar in Jericho, breeders and spectators gathered for the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, an event dedicated to showcasing some of the finest bloodlines in the region.

Handlers guided meticulously groomed Arabians into the ring, presenting them before a panel of judges who assessed their movement, posture and overall conformation. The competition is divided into two groups, mares and stallions, with further categories based on the age of the animals. Horses trotted in controlled circles and paused to stand square as judges examined their features and took notes.

The championship brought together breeders from across the West Bank, each hoping to earn recognition for months of preparation and careful training. Between rounds, grooms made final adjustments before trophies and prizes were awarded to top competitors, drawing applause from the crowd inside the hangar.

Now in its 18th edition, the event highlights the enduring pride and cultural significance attached to purebred Arabian horses in the Palestinian territory.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Palestinian children watch the stallion Magic al-Malak, born in 2022, during the third and final day of the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A horse handler performs a routine with his horse during the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Owners and trainers pose for a photo with their horse Sultanat al-Tarab and her trophy, born in 2017 and a gold champion in her class, during the third and final day of the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Teams prepare their horses for the upcoming competition during the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Owners and trainers pose with their trophy winner, stallion RDS Leon, born in 2022 and a gold champion in his class, during the third and final day of the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A horse handler performs a routine with his horse during the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Horse handlers perform a routine with their horses while taking part in a competition during the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A horse handler coaxes his stallion Zayyan al-Majd, born in 2022, and a silver champion in his stallion class, during the third and final day of the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A horse handler prepares his horse during the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

The champion horse Arabilla, born in 2025, poses with the championship trophy during the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A horse handler performs a routine with his horse Alia, born in 2020 and a silver champion in her class, while competing during the third and final day of the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A horse handler performs a routine with his horse Bella Rose, born in 2020, and a bronze champion in her class, while competing during the third and final day of the 18th Palestine Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses, in the West Bank city of Jericho, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — American Lindsey Vonn was preparing to fly back to her home country on Sunday after her terrifying head-over-heels crash in the Olympic downhill, the U.S. Ski Team's chief told The Associated Press.

Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, said the team’s medical staff has been coordinating Vonn’s recovery since the crash and subsequent helicopter evacuation at the Milan Cortina Games and would try to accompany her home. Vonn has had multiple surgeries in Italy to repair a complex tibia fracture in her left leg.

“We’re working through all of that at the moment,” Goldschmidt said. “We’ve got a great team around helping her and she’ll go back to the U.S. for further surgeries.”

Spectators tuning in to see Vonn attempt to win a medal at age 41 with a torn ACL in her left knee and a partial titanium replacement in her right knee were stunned when she clipped a gate 13 seconds into her run, resulting in a spinning, airborne crash that sent her careening down the Dolomite mountain.

“The impact, the silence, everyone was just in shock. And you could tell it was a really nasty injury,” said Goldschmidt, who was there. “There’s a lot of danger in doing all sorts of Alpine sports but it gives more of an appreciation for how superhuman these athletes are.

“I mean, putting your body on the line, going at those speeds, the physicality. Sometimes actually on the broadcast it’s really hard to get that across,” Goldschmidt added. “Danger sometimes brings fans in and is pretty captivating. We obviously hope we won’t have injuries like that but it is unfortunately part and parcel of our sports.”

Vonn herself said she has no regrets.

“When I think back on my crash, I didn’t stand in the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences,” Vonn said in an Instagram post late Saturday. “I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk. Every skier in that starting gate took the same risk. Because even if you are the strongest person in the world, the mountain always holds the cards.

“But just because I was ready, that didn’t guarantee me anything. Nothing in life is guaranteed. That’s the gamble of chasing your dreams, you might fall but if you don’t try you’ll never know,” Vonn added.

Goldschmidt visited Vonn at the hospital twice and said, “She’s not in pain. She’s in a stable condition.

“She took an aggressive line and was all in and it was inches off what could have ended up a very different way,” Goldschmidt said. “But what she’s done for our sports and the sport in general, her being a role model, has gone to a whole new level. You learn often more about people during these tough moments than when they’re winning.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

General view of Ca' Foncello Hospital in Treviso, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, where U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn is hospitalized with a broken leg after crashing during the women's downhill competition at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. (Paola Garbuio/LaPresse via AP)

United States' Lindsey Vonn is airlifted away after a crash during an alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

United States' Lindsey Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)