@hhcgovae @fazzaforum Fazza Championship for Falconry witnesses record participation this season

Organisers employ modern technology to direct the route of the birds

The ongoing Fazza Championship for Falconry, organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center in Al Ruwayya, has witnessed record entries this year with 500 participants competing in the various categories.

Day 14 of the Championship saw over 50 contestants competing in the Pure Shaheen Farkh (younger) category alone in difficult windy conditions. “Despite strong winds, 10 participants have qualified for the finals, which will take place on 13^th January subject to favourable weather conditions,” said Dumaithan bin Swaidian, Head of Fazza Championship for Falconry Committee.

He added, “We have seen 500 participants since the start of the championship, the highest number ever. We expect more participation in the other categories over the next few days, including the general public, junior (6-14 years old) and the Sheikh’s category.”

One of the biggest annual challenges for the Championship can be unpredictable weather. Strong winds in the most recent competition forced organisers to alter the course of the birds, so that they flew from the south to the north. New technology introduced this year in the form of new wind breakers   is being used to combat problems of this nature and lessen the impact of the wind.

Committee organizer Ahmed Bin Ali Al Naimi commented, “We face a lot of challenges every day. Sometimes, the birds lose the ability to see the route ahead of them and lose their way to the prey because of the conditions.”

But this year participants say they are very pleased with the progress of the Championship. Obaid Salem, falconer and supporter competing in the Sheikh’s category said that he had been hunting with falcons since he was a child. “I have grown up with falcons and I am both a competitor and supporter of the sport, and this year the competition is livelier than ever,” he said.

Pure Shaheen

The pure Shaheen is among the largest and most sought after of all falcons. They breed in Siberia and migrate to the shores of the Arabian Sea and the Arabian Gulf. The red or black medium sized pure Shaheen are known to also breed in Great Britain and Europe from where they migrate to the Mediterranean and Canada.