Al Wusta Channel Camel Festival kicks off on February 19

The Festival is organised by Al Wusta Channel from Al Dhaid, affiliated with Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (SBA), in cooperation with Sharjah Camel Racing Club, on the grounds of Al Dhaid Camel Racing Track, and will continue for 3 days.

62 open rounds

The festival will see the organisation of 62 open rounds for those wishing to participate from all the Emirates and the Gulf States, including 3 categories, 24 rounds on the first day for the Haqaqa age group, 20 rounds on the second day for the Laqaya age group, and 18 rounds on the third day for the Idha age group, while 12 rounds have been allocated for the people of the Central Region. 

The rounds vary between rounds for symbols and others for the general public, all of which are crowned with prizes, as valuable cash and in-kind prizes have been allocated for the festival in addition to the sword of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah.

Annual tradition and cultural heritage

Saeed Rashid bin Fadel Al Ketbi, Director of Al Wusta Channel from Al Dhaid, said that the festival has become an annual tradition that aims to preserve the cultural heritage of the Emirate of Sharjah and the United Arab Emirates as a whole and to preserve the popular heritage that the people of the UAE are still proud of, in addition to activating the economic movement in the city of Al Dhaid and the Central Region in general.

Al Ketbi stated that Al Wusta Channel looks forward to the fifth edition of the festival to be as big as the ambitions in celebrating one of the most famous heritage sports, through which the channel revives the rituals of the past that this beautiful city and the cities of the UAE as a whole have been celebrating for decades, in a step that confirms the close relationship between the heritage of the ancestors and the UAE bright present.

Al Ketbi added that Al Wusta Channel from Al Dhaid, affiliated with SBA, will keep pace with the festival’s activities through live and direct coverage through its staff in various editorial, technical and engineering specialisations, in addition to digital media, who will provide live and direct broadcast of the race rounds, during the morning and evening periods throughout the days of the festival, in addition to a series of qualitative coverage and reports, dialogues and meetings with festival guests and participants.

Abdullah Mohammed bin Howaiden Al Ketbi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sharjah Camel Racing Club, thanked His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for his generosity to by having Al Wusta Channel from Al Dhaid to be a media beacon for the people of Al Dhaid city. He added that the club is unable to thank His Highness enough for what he does for us, whether in the field of sports or other development fields. He also extended his appreciation to the efforts of Al Wusta Channel from Al Dhaid in reviving heritage, organising the festival, and honouring its guests from inside and outside the UAE. 

It is noteworthy that the festival was launched under the directives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah following the opening of the Al Wusta Channel building from Al Dhaid in February 2020, as its four editions saw wide participation from camel owners from inside and outside the country.