Mzayen World Cup begins today
Organised by Qatar Camel Mzayen Club, in co-operation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), Mzayen World Cup competition will start today through Dec. 2. Camels participating in the nine-day event are divided into three categories – Al Mughatir, Al Asayel and Al Mujaheem.
With the aim of spreading sports heritage, promoting sports tourism, and taking pride in the national identity, the Qatar Camel Mzayen Club is organising the Mzayen World Cup, under the slogan ‘Desert Dhows’.
The event will be held on the sidelines of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, in co-operation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC).
The tournament, which starts today and will continue until December 2, aims to enhance the status of Arabian camels at the local, regional and international levels, support the sport of the ancestors, encourage Qatari and Gulf owners to continue breeding camels, preserve rare breeds and provide an ideal environment for camels.
The nine-day competitions will take place during the mornings at the Labseer Square in Al Shahaniya area. The event is expected to see unprecedented participation by the strongest and best types of local and Gulf camels. The winner of the 2022 Qatar Camel Festival “Jazilat Al Atta” is one of the star participant. The tournament is set to be an exceptional sporting event due to the strength of the camels participating.
The competition is divided into three categories: Al Maghateer, Al Majahim, and Al Asayel, with three days for each category from the age of Al Haqiq to Al Gel.
The event also aims to promote sports tourism, enhance pride in the national identity, and highlight the status of camels among the people of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as spread the image of popular sports heritage globally. It seeks to introduce World Cup fans to local sports. With this in mind, the organisers have planned accompanying events such as riding and camels shows, a milking competition, an exhibition of camel collectibles, and other events.
The participating camels will compete for prizes exceeding QR10mn, and for 45 gold, silver, and bronze cups, with 15 cups for each type, and 45 gold, silver, and bronze medals, with 15 medals for each one.
Participation is limited to the winning camels of the first 10 places in the runs of the Qatar Camel Festival 2022, in addition to one of the winning camels in three “Al Marsas” runs and a winning camel of the festival.
For the Al Haqiq category, the first place will receive a gold cup, a gold medal, and a cash prize of QR200,000.
The second place winner will receive a silver cup and medal, and a cash prize of QR150,000.
The third place will receive a bronze cup and medal, and a cash prize of QR100,000, while places from fourth to 10th will receive cash prizes, and so on for all runs.
The championship is one of the strongest tournaments locally and regionally as it will witness the participation of the best Qatari and Gulf breeds.
The Qatar Camel Mzayen Club has launched a ‘Gene bank’ project to build a national archive for camels and preserve their breeds, in addition to installing new chips on camels participating in all festivals and tournaments organised by the club. The project aims to contribute to the preservation of strains and the stability of their genetic fingerprint. The chips help in camel identification during buying and selling. The verification process involves taking blood samples during registration and alignment of the fingerprint, and installation of new chips. The project in its first phase targets 700 camels qualified for the Mzayen World Cup.
The Qatar Camel Mzayen Club has prepared seven events for visitors to the Mzayen World Cup. The activities will be open daily to all visitors, from local audiences to World Cup fans.
The events include the Desert Dhows exhibition, camel parade show, mahaleb competition, the “beit shaar” and display of camel varieties.
Fans can also learn about camels training. Visitors can enjoy Arab hospitality at the “beit shaar”, where guests of the tournament will be welcomed with Arabic coffee and popular dishes.
On the sidelines of the tournament, an exhibition of camel collections will be held in cooperation with the Qatar Museums represented by the National Museum of Qatar, the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al-Thani Museum, the Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed Al-Thani Museum, and the Mansour Al Ruwaili Museum.
The Mzayen World Cup is being held under the umbrella of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, in partnership with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the Ministry of Municipality, and the “Hayatuna” event.