Hundreds of falconers to converge on Dubai’s Fazza Championship

Registration is now open for the Fazza Championship for Falconry, which will be held between February 18 to 20 at the Seeh Al Dahl area of Dubai. Courtesy Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center

ABU DHABI // More than 700 people have signed up for the Fazza Championship for Falconry, which takes place this weekend.

Organisers of the championship, which takes place in the Seeh Al Dahl area, say they expect the number of participants to grow further.

The three day event has been divided based on competitors’ regions and falcon species — the Shaheen and the Tibah.

On Thursday, competitors from Dubai and the Northern Emirates are scheduled to compete, while GCC citizens and contestants from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia will be competing on Friday and Saturday.

Those who wish to take part can apply through the F3 Championship app or through the social media accounts of the organising body — the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC).

The centre aims to preserve the art of hunting live prey due to its cultural significance in Arab heritage, said Souad Ibrahim Darwish, the director of championships at HHC.

It was “one of the most important means of sustaining a livelihood throughout the Arabian Gulf in ancient times”.

“We have every intention of safeguarding our historical pastimes and pursuits by passing them down from generation to generation,” she added.

Indeed, there has been proactive public interaction with the championship in the past years.

“This tournament has seen a progressive increase in participation numbers and become a place of convergence for Emiratis and GCC nationals alike, especially among young people,” said Saif Belkadida, the head of the organising committee of the Fazza Championship for Falconry.

Organisers have been working hard on developing the contest over the past few years. They have been providing contestants with all the necessary requirements such as “wireless tracking devices to special falconry food and the allocation of sufficient time between the participating falconers.”