The Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah, the UAE's premier falconry tournament and one of the most eagerly anticipated heritage sport events in the region, kicked off on Saturday in Meydan, Ruwayyah.
Organised and supervised by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre, the Championship, which continues until 15th January, witnessed fierce competition in the "Airplane Championship-2 km" for general public and the "Garmousha Farakh" for Sheikhs and "Garmousha Jirnas" for Sheikhs categories, with a total of 275 falconers taking part in the first day of competitions.
Top officials from the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Centre - including CEO, Abdullah bin Hamdan bin Dalmouk, Director of Fazza Championships Souad Ibrahim Darwish, and Head of the Organising Committee of Fazza Championship for Falconry, Dumaithan bin Swaidan, were present at the Championship launch.
Souad Ibrahim Darwish said, "We are delighted and proud of the level of excellence achieved at this year's Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah. We are constantly focused on enhancing the Championship at all levels, including in terms of the organisational and technical measures adopted, in order to deliver a superior experience for participants and the public. A highlight of this year's Championship is the use of sensors to monitor the speed of the bird; this innovative technology allows participants and the public to follow all the data and results including speed, distance and time for each bird through a live broadcast on digital and TV screens, which has helped further enhance the Championship's transparency which we have always been committed to achieve." "The Fazza Championship for Falconry has witnessed strong growth in the number of participants and spectators from year to year as we constantly worked on enhancing the tournament's overall standards, under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. The Championship has been attracting significant turnout not only from the United Arab Emirates, but from the entire Gulf region. We are delighted to see such a large number of participants and fans, and we hope the excitement builds further as the Championship progresses," Darwish added.
On the sidelines of the Championship, an exhibition of falconry accessories was opened, including pavilions for exhibitors offering all ancillary services for this important heritage sport, ranging from tools and equipment used in falconry to artificial preys, vehicle equipment and wireless airplanes, as well as assorted apparatus that serve the needs of professional and amateur falconers.
Another exhibition of photographs is also held on the sidelines of the Championship, displaying photos of various figures indulging in the sport of falconry. These include photos of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.