Youlah was the first among a series of tournaments launched under the directions of the Crown Prince of Dubai. The debut edition was held in 2002. As an authentic Emirati performance, the Youlah, is tied to the historic roots of the Emirates. It is an expression of enthusiasm, patriotism and festivity. The tournament was designed for the participants to showcase their skills of controlling the Youlah weapon, pace and performance in harmony with traditional rhythms.

This performance has multiple arts and traditions that govern the standards of excellence among competitors. The Youlah committee has summed it up in 5 key performance assessors, placing the UAE as the first among world and regional countries in transforming this folk art to a sport tournament targeting the youth. The 5 assessors include:  pace, rotation of weapon, throwing and receiving the weapon, and general skills such as changing the weapon from one hand to the other.  The performer is graded on a scale of 50 (being the highest).