Competitions in the "Gyr Shaheen Jirnas" category for the General Public, held on Friday as part of the Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah, witnessed the participation of 106 contenders amidst a rousing atmosphere marked by a high turnout of spectators of different nationalities and ages.
Hamid Rashid Ahmed Al Mansouri dominated the competition with his falcon and secured the first rank with a time of 18.389 seconds, while Saeed Hamdan Jaber achieved the second and third places with times of 18.398 seconds and 18.544 seconds, respectively.
Falconers praised Dubai’s Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, as well as the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre, and expressed their pride in participating in the tournament. They asserting that the falconry championship has contributed to the provision of significant activities to keep all falconers engaged and gave them the opportunity to practice a hobby, inherited from their forefathers, and enabling them to focus their attention on the training of falcons and preparing for competitions without the need for making and paying for external trips to achieve this goal.
The Weather Forecasts Department of the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology, which plays an important and essential role in monitoring weather conditions in the country and providing reports, was one of the prominent bodies to take part in the championship.
"The meteorology team communicates accurate weather conditions between the center and the championship organisers, in order to help them monitor the course of the competition and maintain the safety of the falconers, birds and spectators, Abdullah Hilal Al Ali, of the National Center for Meteorology and Seismology, said.
“A four-wheel specialised vehicle, equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and devices is allocated to monitor weather conditions, temperature, wind direction and speed. The centre provides forecasts for three days and announces them daily at 10 o'clock in the morning, in order to allow the championship organisers to make necessary preparations, alternations and changes in timings if necessary", he continued.
Mohammad Abdullah bin Dalmouk, Head of the Technical and Development Committee of the Championship said: "Since the inception of the Fazza Championships, we have been striving every year for the development of the technologies used in the tournaments’ management and technical aspects to achieve the satisfaction of participants and spectators, which in turn raises the level of the competition. Today we are keeping pace with the world's biggest championships.”
On the sidelines of tournaments, a special TV show was presented from the site of the championship, in which renowned TV presenter Essam Al Khamiri hosted a number of finalists in the Sheikhs category to review their results and preparations for the finals.
