Matar Al Habsi wins third place in Final of AED 1 million Fazza Championship for Youlah

DUBAI, 4th March 2017: Matar Ali Ahmad Rashed Al Habsi (number 1) won third place in the 17^th edition of the Fazza Championship for Youlah organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) to revive heritage sports, it was announced during the 12th episode of the event held in Al Meydan quadrant at Global Village on Friday 3rd March.

He was adjudged the winner as a result of receiving more votes from the public than Ahmed Abdullah Aharsusi after displaying great skill in handling the Youlah weapon during the play-off for the third and fourth places in the last episode.

The announcement of Matar Al Habsi’s win was made in style with the spraying of colourful leaves that covered the stage in a manner befitting this prestigious ceremony along the lines of international competition to the applause of an appreciative audience.

Title showdown

The winner of the grand prize of AED 1 million and the Fazza Youlah Championship trophy will be decided two weeks after the vote of the public after the title showdown took place between Ahmed Mohammed Saeed Al Habsi (number 16) and Hamdan Mohammed bin Musleh Al Ahbabi (number 3).

Ahmed Al Habsi taking the stage first gave a mixed performance despite displaying a high degree of professionalism was inconsistent in throwing up the weapon which went off the field a couple of times resulting in his failure to catch it cleanly. The Jury awarded him 46 points.

Hamdan Al Ahbabi in contrast gave an outstanding performance carrying two Youlah weapons and bringing forth his many years of experience in the finale. He displayed an air of confidence engaging the crowd with a sparkling performance, ringing the bell four times at the 17 meters mark to earn the magical score of 50 points from the judges.

Public vote

Ms. Suad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, said the public would have two weeks to determine the champion through voting.

“Both finalists gave fantastic performances throughout the championship from the first episode and they were worthy of being in the grand finale. They have been given scores by the Jury for their performance but finally the public will decide who deserves to be crowned the champion of the Fazza Championship for Youlah 2017,” she said.

Fraternal spirit

A fraternal spirit prevailed between Mattar Al Habsi and Ahmed Abdullah Aharsusi, before and after the announcement of the winner of the third place.

Both affirmed that their main objective to provide a strong performance and entertain the masses and that qualifying for the semi-finals was a victory in itself. They also thanked the fans, organizers and members of the jury for their wonderful efforts.

Rashid Al Khasouny, a member of the jury, said that all participants deserved what they have achieved, but in the end they must be ranked in order.

“We are pleased with their performance and commitment, and congratulate all Yuweel performers without exception,” he said.

Khalifa bin Sabe’en, a member of the jury, also expressed his happiness with creativity of the contenders and their levels in this tournament.

He said: “All Yuweel performers worked hard and we saw it all through their healthy rivalry on the ground. We are privileged to witness their skillful performance in a beautiful and vibrant atmosphere.”

Format

The Championship organizers HHC amended the format of competition this year adding a hint of international television programmes. The 18 finalists were divided into three groups of six each. Each group came under the eyes of an expert member of the jury as his mentor. The merits of each Yuweel (Yuollah performer) will be assessed and his performances fine-tuned to unearth his talents and if he gains the votes from the two juries (excluding his mentor). As the Yuweel qualifies at the various stages of the competition, the final rounds will involve the public as they get to choose through voting. Upon the number of votes the four winners will be announced accordingly in the grand finale.

Voting

Voting for the finalists is according to their numbers as follows: Matar Ali Ahmad Rashed Al Habsi (number 1) Saif Suhail Saif Asamahi (number 2) Hamdan Mohammed bin Musleh Al Ahbabi (number 3) Abdullah Ali Saadan Shehhi (number 4) Humaid Obaid Hassan bin Rakkad (number 5) Muhammad Abdullah bin Sabih Wahaibi (number 6) Saeed Mohammed bin Musleh Al Ahbabi (number 7) Mabkhoot Salim Hamad Al Ameri (number 8) Hamad Al Thani Obaid Edidh Falasi (number 9) Issa Khamis Bilal (number 10) Muhammad Ali Saif Sowaidan Qayedi (number 11) Issa Salman Mohammed Salman (number 12) Ahmed Abdullah Aharsusa (number 13) Abdul Rahman Mohammed (number 14) Mohammed Abdullah Hamdan bin Dalmook (number 15) Ahmed Mohammed Saeed Al Habsi (number 16) Saeed Obaid Saeed Al Wahaibi (number 17) Abdul Salam Abdul Razzaq Abtan (number 18)

Voting via text messages could be done as follows: Saudi Arabia (Mobily 636,666, Zain 742 151), Bahrain (Zain 94,549, FIFA 98 027, Batelco 94,121), Qatar (Oorado 92 045), the UAE (dU 4401, etisalat 4401), Kuwait (Zain 96,911, Oorado 1741), Oman (Oorado 91,829, Oman Thiel 91 192), Iraq (Asia-Cell in 2415, Couric 2598, Zain in 2669, Yemen (MTN 2602, Sabafon 4557, Wi-7140) Yemen (Mobile 88 366) and the rest of the world call (008821626774199).

The official sponsors of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center are: Al Tayer Motors, Land Rover, Dubai Airports, Dubai World Trade Centre, AW Rostamani (Arabian Automobiles), Global Village and Al Oula radio station.

Folk art

‘Youlah’ is a well-established folk art over the years where an iconic rifle is spun around to the rhythmic beat of Arabic music. One of the heritage traditions performed by the young and the not so elderly during ceremonies, Youlah as a sport began with real weapons in the past and then evolved into a weapon used with a hollow inside and free of ammunition. Now it has become even more lighter enabling participants to display greater agility and more skills in a dance form.