FAIRPLAY

Hassan Abdulrahman – Al Ain

The third preliminary round of the Al Ain Camel Racing Festival kicks off this Friday morning, organized by the Racing and Presidential Camel Affairs Center and supervised by the Camel Racing Federation. The festival will continue until September 21.
This round concludes the series of preliminary rounds for the festival, which began last July and will conclude next October with the final, decisive round, which will crown the elite camels that participated in the festival.
Despite this being the first edition of the Al Ain Camel Racing Festival, it has proven its mettle and has joined the prestigious camel racing events that have received unparalleled attention in the United Arab Emirates. This event promotes the UAE’s identity and heritage sports, preserving the legacy of our forefathers. The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul in peace, was keen to promote Emirati heritage and related sports. The third preliminary round of the festival will be held over 125 rounds at Al Rawdah Racecourse in Al Ain, for the various age groups of participating camels. The festival’s organizing committee has allocated 30 rounds for the Haqaeq age group, 30 rounds for the Laqaya age group, 25 rounds for the Idha’ age group, 20 rounds for the Thanaya age group, and 20 rounds for the Haul and Zamoul age group. All competitions will be held in the morning. The third round kicks off on its first day this Friday morning with the 2 km Al Haqaeq competition, over 15 rounds. The second day of the competition will be held on Saturday. The competitions for the Al Laqaya age group will move on to the 4 km competition on Sunday and Monday. The Al Idhaa age group competition will be held next Tuesday over 25 rounds, over a distance of 4 km. The Thanaya age group competition will be held on September 20th over 20 rounds, over a distance of 5 km. The third round concludes on September 21st with the Al Hawl and Al Zamoul competitions, over a distance of 20 rounds.

Cash Prizes

The winners and participants in the festival will receive valuable cash prizes in all rounds, as allocated by the festival’s organizing committee. The final rounds, held next October, will feature cash prizes in addition to the tokens, which are the most important and valuable prizes in the world of camel racing, encouraging heritage sports and consolidating the event’s position on the country’s annual camel racing agenda. The first and second preliminary rounds were a great success, witnessing wide participation from camel owners from across the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The races lived up to expectations and witnessed a competitive and enthusiastic atmosphere across all categories, confirming the owners’ interest in participating in the festival.