Team F3-K steal limelight with treble triumph on first day of Fakhr Al Ajyal Championship for Falconry – Telwah

DUBAI, 1^st February 2018: Team F3-K headed by falconer Khalifa Bin Mijrin began their quest to qualify for the ‘Noukhba’ (Elite) Super Finals with a hat-trick of victories on the opening day of the sixth edition of the Fakhr Al Ajyal (Pride of the Generation) Championship for Falconry Telwah organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) on Thursday 1^st February 2018 in the dedicated Fazza Falconry Championship site in Ruwayyah area off Emirates Road (exit 55) in Dubai.

The young male peregrines from the F3-K swept the Trophy, Car and Cash disciplines in the Jeer Shaheen Farkh Sheikh category with three of their entries going under 18 seconds while their falcon named ‘H289’ clocked the fastest time of 17.809 seconds to kick-off their campaign in style.

The two Jeer Shaheen Jernas (Adults) events were split between Team F3-R headed by falconer Rashid Saeed Al Kindi (Car) and Team YLS headed by Obaid Khalifa Al Muhairi (Cash).

The second and most prestigious falconry championship which will continue until 15^th February will see the participation of hundreds of elite falconers vying for coveted prizes and also qualify for the ‘Noukhba’ (Elite) Super Finals to be held on the last day of the tournament. The second day of competition scheduled to commence at 9 am on Friday 2^nd February will see five races in the Sheikhs category for (Jeer Tabaa): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Trophy; Jernas – Car (Sheikhs).

Wind

Mohammed Abdullah Bin Dalmook, Director of Corporate Support at HHC, said the unique feature of the Fazza Championship for Falconry is that falcons are not aided by the wind.

“Falcons have been racing against the wind. This proves the ability and strength of the birds because the timings are not wind assisted. They are highly motivated and proficient learning from other championships because only the best of the best are seen in action during the Fakhr Al Ajyal Championship for Falconry Telwah,” he said.

Tough

Ms. Suad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, welcoming the participants said they could expect tough competition since it is the season finale.

“This is the last of the falconry championships this season and it is a very important stop for all falconers because by the time they come for the Fakhr Al Ajyal Championship for Falconry Telwah, the falconers are more experienced and the falcons are well trained. The competition is also more intense because it serves as a qualifier for the ‘Noukhba’ (Elite) Super Finals. It still allows those who did not win top places in the Fazza Falconry Championship Telwah another chance of vying for honours,” she said.

Explaining how participants for the ‘Noukhba’ (Elite) Super Finals are selected, she said: “In the Jernas (adult falcons) category, the first three places qualify for ‘Noukhba’. In Farkh (younger falcons) category, the first two ranks qualify. In the Shaheen and Hurr categories only those who earned first place qualify. In the RC airplanes event, only those who win qualify. The qualifying format has evolved over the years allowing more categories of falcons.”

Maximum

Team F3-K falconer Rashid Bin Mijrin confirmed they had put in maximum preparation for the Fakhr Al Ajyal Championship for Falconry Telwah because it is the final competition of the season.

“F3-K always presents the best falcons and performances possible. We prepared maximum because each race is a heat for the Super Final event. We are happy because we won all three races in the younger male peregrines (Farkh) category and all qualified for the ‘Super Finals’. The wind was slower earlier in the day with the cross winds getting stronger later in the morning,” he said.

Jeer Shaheen Farkh

Team F3-K entry ‘H289’ flying at a top speed of 80.85 kmph clocked the fastest time of the day of 17.809 seconds in the Jeer Shaheen Farkh Sheikh – Trophy event.  Their entry named ‘d991’ took second position clocking 17.861, just 00.052 seconds of the pace. ‘G269’ clocked 18.274 to take third position.

F3-K also won the top three places in the Jeer Shaheen Farkh Sheikh – Cash event with ‘X6’ clocking the best time of 18.548 seconds. Their entry named ‘102’ (18.639) and ‘h3278’ (18.733) took second and third places respectively.

Team F3-K’s entry named ‘318’ also went under 18 seconds clocking 17.978 flying at a speed of just over 80 kmph to win the Jeer Shaheen Farkh Sheikh – Car event. Their entries named ‘81MADRID’ (18.181) and ‘202’ (18.298) won second and third places respectively.

Jeer Shaheen Jernas

Team YLS won the first two spots in the Jeer Shaheen Jernas Sheikh – Trophy with ‘B-68’ (18.142) emerging winner over ‘B-120’ (18.303). Team F3-K falcon named ‘Sensitive’ took third spot clocking 18.450.

Team F3-R tasted success in the Jeer Shaheen Jernas Sheikh – Car event with their entry named ‘3’ clocking a winning time of 18.164 seconds. F3-K’s ‘Yalad’ took second spot clocking 18.229,           just 00.065 seconds off the pace, while ‘N81’ won third position clocking 18.384.

Schedule

Following is the tournament schedule for the Fakhr Al Ajyal (Pride of the Generation) Championship for Falconry Telwah:

Friday 2^nd February (Jeer Tabaa): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Trophy; Jernas – Car (Sheikhs)

Saturday 3^rd February (Pure Jeer): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Trophy; Jernas – Car (Sheikhs)

Sunday 4^th February (Qarmoosha): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Trophy; Jernas – Car (Sheikhs)

Monday 5^th February (Jeer Shaheen): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Trophy; Jernas – Car (General)

Tuesday 6^th February (Jeer Tabaa): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Trophy; Jernas – Car (General)

Wednesday 7^th February (Pure Jeer): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Trophy; Jernas – Car (General)

Thursday 8^th February (Qarmoosha): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Trophy; Jernas – Car (General)

Friday 9^th February: RC Airplane Qualification (Sheikhs)

Saturday 10^th February: Tabaa Wahish Car and Cash (Juniors); Jeer Tabaa Car and Cash (Juniors)

Sunday 11^th February: RC Airplane Qualification (General)

Monday 12^th February: (Hurr Wahish): Farkh – Car; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Car (Local); Farkh – Car; Jernas – Car (GCC)

Tuesday 13^th February (Shaheen Wahish): Farkh – Trophy; Farkh – Cash; Jernas – Car (Local); Farkh – Car; Jernas – Car (GCC)

Wednesday 14^th February: RC Airplane Finals (Sheikhs and General)

Thursday 15^th February: ‘Al Noukhba’ Super Final (Sheikhs) Farkh and Jernas – Car; Super Final (General) Farkh and Jernas – Car

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.

Notes to Editors:

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.

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.

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^th to 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.