Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah set to start on January 2

DUBAI, 28th December 2017: Birds of prey traditionally used for hunting in the desert will race for glory when the Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah (the lure) kicks-off the 2017-18 Fazza Heritage Championships season in the new year.

Organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), the strongest racing falcons will be unleashed during the competition which will be held from Tuesday January 2^nd 2018 to Monday, January 15^th at the dedicated site for falconry in Ruwayyah area off Emirates Road (Exit 55) in Dubai.

One of the largest and popular among the series of falconry championships, the Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah, will see the participation of elite contenders in various categories and events.

Format

This year’s Championship promises to be even more exciting with the format having been changed adding to the thrill and suspense of the competition. Every event will be a virtual final since qualification rounds have been done away with except in the RC (Remote Controlled) Airplane category. As a result there will multiple winners on each day of the competition, with surprises galore in store for the champions in addition to cars, cash prizes and trophies.

Dynamics

Ms. Suad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, said the dynamics for this competition has been transformed because of the changes in the tournament format.

She said: “There will edge-of-the-seat excitement in every event on each day of the competition in Ruwayyah for both contestants and spectators alike. There is no looking back once the falcon takes flight because every race is a final. This unprecedented format heightens the level of excitement and will undoubtedly raise the standard of competition to a new notch. The champion falcon owners will be rewarded handsomely every day as reward for months of hard work and training. Falcon racing fans are in for a fortnight of spectacular flights of bird hawking for their prey in a competitive atmosphere with results delivered instantly on large screens in the spacious tent at Ruwayyah.”

Quarry

The ancient art of taking wild quarry with a trained bird of prey, Falconry is a traditional and highly valued custom in the UAE, reflecting the Bedouin love of this sport. During races, the falcons are timed over a distance of 400 meters, with the best clocking around 20 seconds. They are lured using bait of pigeon wings.

The Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah will see competition in the Sheikhs and General Public categories, in addition to contests for juniors, Locals and GCC participants during the 15-day tournament, in addition to RC Airplanes category.

Schedule

Following is the schedule of events for Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah with competition scheduled to begin at 8.00 am on each day.

Tuesday January 2nd: Jeer Shaheen Farkh and Jeer Shaheen Jernas (Sheikhs)

Wednesday January 3rd: Jeer Tabaa Farkh and Jeer Tabaa Jernas (Sheikhs)

Thursday January 4th: Pure Jeer Farkh and Pure Jeer Jernas (Sheikhs)

Friday January 5th: Qarmoosha Farkh and Qarmoosha Jernas (Sheikhs)

Saturday January 6th: Tabaa Wahish and Tabaa Jeer (Juniors)

Sunday January 7th: Jeer Shaheen Farkh and Jeer Shaheen Jernas (General Public)

Monday January 8th: Jeer Tabaa Farkh and Jeer Tabaa Jernas (General Public)

Tuesday January 9th: Pure Jeer Farkh and Pure Jeer Jernas (General Public)

Wednesday January 10th: Qarmoosha Farkh and Qarmoosha Jernas (General Public)

Thursday January 11th: RC Airplanes Qualifying (Sheikhs)

Friday January 12th: RC Airplanes Qualifying (General Public)

Saturday January 13th: Hurr Wahish Farkh and Hurr Wahish Jernas (Local and Gulf)

Sunday January 14th: Shaheen Wahish Farkh and Hurr Wahish Jernas (Local and Gulf)

Monday January 15th: RC Airplanes Final (Sheikhs and General Public)

Notes to Editors:

This month saw the launch of the Fazza Championship for Youlah, the stage show at Meydan Fort of Global Village and the third edition of the National Day Camel Marathon, the longest camel race in the region.

The Fazza Championship for Falconry Telwah (the lure) which will start on January 2nd, 2018 will be followed by the Fakhr Al Ajyal Championship (‘The Pride of the Generation’) that will be held from February 1^st, 2018 and will continue until February 16^th. Both these championships will be held at the dedicated site for falconry in Ruwayyah area off Emirates Road.

Saluki

It will be the turn of greyhound dog breeders and owners when the Saluki Championship for the General Public will be held on February 20th, 2018, while the second Saluki Championship for Elite categories will be held on February 25th, 2018 at Al Marmoum racecourse in Dubai.

Shooting

The Saktoun Rifle Shooting training will be held from March 11th, 2018 to March 13th, in the Dubai Police Shooting Range in the Ruwayyah area, with the aim of preparing and training all age groups for the Fazza Open Championship for Shooting – Saktoun Rifle where the main tournament will take place from 14^thto 17^th March 2018.

The Fazza Championship for Shooting – Saktoun for locals will be held on March 18th, 2018 and will continue until March 21st.

Diving

Free divers will take to the pool in the penultimate event of the Fazza Championship season.

The Fazza Championship for Freediving will be held from March 22nd, 2018 until March 24th at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Sports Complex in Ruwayyah. The Fazza Championship for Freediving is preceded by the annual training programs organized by the Center to improve the performance of the free divers, which will take place from March 19th 2018 to March 21^st at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Sports Complex.

The season finale will be when the knights wielding Youlah weapons arrive on the stage in the conclusion of the Fazza Heritage Championships for 2017-18 at the Al Meydan Fort in Global Village. The final episode of the 18^th edition of the AED 1 million Fazza Championship for Youlah is scheduled for March 18th, 2018 when the winner of the Fazza Youlah Championship Cup is declared after voting by the fans.

Sponsors

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