The new season of the Fazza Championship for Falconry-Telwah, organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), starts on Monday (December 30) at Al Ruwayyah, Dubai.

Held under the generous directives of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the falconry championship, which is one of the oldest and largest tournaments of its kind, will run until January 16 next year, with participation from Emirati and GCC falconers.

Deeply rooted to Emirati culture and traditions, the Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah will continue to hone the skills of top falconers and find new talents in the season that promises to be the biggest so far.

Falconry is a traditional and highly valued custom in the UAE, reflecting the Bedouin love of this sport.

The annual falconry competition will start with the RC (Remote Controlled) airplane for the Sheikhs followed by the General Public category on Monday 30^th  of December 2019.

The Sheikhs category in Jeer Shaheen-Farkh & Jernas, Jeer Tabaa- Farkh, & Jernas, Pure Jeer, Qarmoosha Farkh & Jernas will be held from January 2 to 5 and the General Public category for the same four competitions will take place from January 6 to 9.

The first round of the Emirates Falcon League will be held for the Seniors and Public categories on January 10, followed by Jeer category on January 11.

The GCC competitions in Pure Jeer, Qarmoosha Farkh & Jernas, Jeer Shaheen-Farkh & Jernas are scheduled on January 12 and 13 with the General Public category happening on January 14 and 15. The closing ceremony will be on 16 January, coinciding with second round of Emirates Falcon League in the General Public category

Rashid Muburak Bin Markhan, Deputy CEO of the HHC, said: “The current season is exceptional.  With the cooperation of the Abu Dhabi Falconers Club, the Emirates Falcon League has increased the competition days of the Fazza Championship for Falconry–Telwah and has expanded it to more participants.”

For her part, Souad Ibrahim Darwish, HHC Director of the Championships, added that there has been a great demand for participation in this year’s falconry championship.

“We have just recently witnessed the third edition of Sharjah Falconers Club Championship and more falconers are participating in the upcoming competitions. The falconry championship has become a major showcase of heritage sports and a platform to promote the authentic Emirati heritage, with exciting prizes for the winners.”

Dh570,000 total prizes in RC airplane categories

The total cash prize in both the Sheikhs and Public categories RC Airplane Falconry is Dh570,000 with first placers in both the Sheikhs and Public categories to receive a cash prize of Dh150,000 each. Second placers will get Dh50,000; third Dh30,000, fourth Dh20,000 while the fifth placers will get Dh10,000 and those in the sixth to 10th places will receive Dh5,000 each.

Smart ring

The falconry championship will continue to implement smart technology. During races, ‘smart rings’ are attached to the falcons to monitor their speed over a distance of 400 meters.  They are lured using the bait of pigeon wings.

Official sponsors

The official sponsors of the Fazaa Championships are Global Village and Al Oula Radio Network

For more information, please e-mail info@hhc.gov.ae