Dubai, 14th March 2017: The finals of the Fazza Championship for Shooting Saktoun for Locals organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre (HHC) will be held at the Dubai Police Shooting Square in Ruwayyah area, as participants from all age groups target cash prizes that await the winners.
The crowning of five champions in different categories – Men, Junior Men, Women, Junior Women and ‘Plates’ Team event – will take place on Wednesday with the final round beginning early morning and continue until evening.
On Monday evening (13th March) the qualifying rounds in the Men’s and Junior Men’s categories concluded with a record of shooters. The qualifying round in the Junior Men’s event attracted 700 participants while the number of contestants in the Men’s event reached 600.
Abdullah Rashid Al Mazroui scored 77 points out of 80, including four bulls-eye hits, to become the top qualifier from among 25 who will feature in the final.
In the Junior Men’s category, Mohammad Sultan Al Ketbi topped the standings with a score of 75 points, as 20 of the best advanced to the final round.
On Tuesday (14th March), the qualifying round of ‘Plates’ event took place in which 80 teams participated. The Women and Junior girls trained over two consecutive days to feature in the final round.
Ms. Suad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, said among the competitors in the tournament, the participation of women of all ages mainly to gain experience should be appreciated.
She said: “After noting the increase in numbers for Women and Junior – Girls categories during training exercises in both the Open championship and this one, it is confirmed that we are on track to achieve our basic goal of promoting this traditional sport through training and competitions.”
“The huge influx of registration in the Men’s category with the total exceeding 1,000 has made us redouble our efforts to provide the best facilities for Locals, both men and women, and encouraging them to exercise this popular tradition, making us all very proud,” she added.
Brigadier Mohammed Obaid Al Muhairi, head of the organizing committee, said that the turnout exceeded beyond his wildest expectations.
He said: “The total number has doubled from the previous expectations. We are very pleased because the purpose of having a tournament dedicated for Locals was in order to give them a greater chance away from the Open Championship and to provide a level playing field. We have seen high standards when large number of participants compete during the Open championship earlier this week. To enter this competition, there have been intense preparations with the expectations of winning first places going by the qualifying performances.”
