FAIRPLAY

Hassan Abdulrahman – Abu Dhabi

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, the Zayed Camel Racing Grand Prix 2025 kicked off today, Monday, at Al Wathba Camel Racecourse in Abu Dhabi.
The competition will continue until December 1st, with the participation of thousands of camels from the UAE and other GCC countries.

The Higher Organizing Committee has allocated 36 symbols for the participating camels to compete throughout the event . The total number of races in this year’s edition is 234, distributed as follows: 75 races for the Haqaiq age category , 40 for the Laqaya , 34 for the Izaa , 30 for Al Thanaya , and 40 for Al Hawl and Zumul.

The event will also feature 15 races for the heritage camel race for the 15-20 age group. The organizing committee has allocated cash prizes of up to 100,000 dirhams for the first-place winner in each race.

The Haqaeq races will kick off the event and will take place over two days. The morning session will feature 20 races where camels will compete for valuable cash prizes allocated by the organizing committee. The evening session will include 15 races with four symbolic prizes.

The Haqaeq races will continue until tomorrow, Tuesday, with 40 races: 26 in the morning and 14 in the evening. The first four main races of the evening session will feature the finest camels competing for four symbolic prizes: the Open Cup and Rifle for young female and male camels, and the Cup and Saddle for young female and male camels in the production category. Cash prizes will also be awarded, ranging from 1.5 million dirhams to 100,000 dirhams.

The prizes will be distributed among the top camels in the production category. The Al-Laqaya age group competitions begin on Wednesday, the third day of the competition. The organizing committee has allocated 40 races for this category, 26 in the morning and 14 in the evening, with 8 symbolic prizes ranging from 1.5 million dirhams to 100,000 dirhams.

The fourth day of the competition features the Al-Idha’a age group competitions, with 34 races, 20 in the morning and 14 in the evening. This category will see competition for 8 symbolic prizes: 4 for male camels in the morning and 4 for female camels in the evening.

The fifth day, Friday, is dedicated to the heritage race, which is expected to see wide participation from young men and women, providing an opportunity for the younger generation to learn about their cultural heritage. The races will feature two rounds for the Asian camel race.

The Thanaia age group competitions, taking place next Saturday, will see a battle for eight symbols in this category, held across 30 rounds. The morning session will include 16 rounds, featuring four symbols for the production category, while the evening session will have 14 rounds, including four symbols for open and local female and male camels.

The challenges for the senior camels begin with the Hawl and Zumool races on Sunday, November 30th, across 22 rounds: 10 in the morning and 12 in the evening.

The festival will conclude in early December with the most prestigious races, coveted by camel owners. The Hawl and Zumool camels will race in the morning over 14 rounds, dedicated to the production category, competing for four symbols. The focus in the evening will be on the most important races of the festival: the main Al-Hawl and Al-Zamoul races, as well as the local races. The highlight will be the main Al-Hawl race, where the winner will be crowned with the Golden Sword and 5 million dirhams. In the main Al-Zamoul race, the champion will receive a rifle and 1.5 million dirhams.

The race for local Al-Hawl camels will award the winner the Silver Sword and 2 million dirhams, while the local Al-Zamoul race will award the champion a saddle and 1 million dirhams.

It is worth noting that the Zayed Grand Prize was launched for the first time in 1994 and has established itself as one of the strongest and most important camel races in the region.