Falconry preparations in full swing

The Chairman of the Supreme Committee of the Bahrain Falconry Championship Khalifa Al Gaoud and members of the organising committee visited the championship’s venue in Al Sabkha area near Bahrain International Endurance Village to observe and inspect the latest preparations for the championship from January 7 till February 6.

HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and President of Bahrain Olympic Committee has directed an additional contest to the championship for traditional Arabian horses for the first time.

This reflects the care and patronage of the leadership to equestrian sports and its connection to the heritage and traditions of the people of Bahrain and GCC countries.

Director of the Royal Stables Dr. Khalid Ahmed Hassan announced that organisers had opened registration for competition and set the terms and conditions for it, following the directives of Shaikh Nasser who instructed that participants must be in Arabian attire during the race to preserve the traditional character of the championship.

He said registration conditions includes that all participating horses should be registered with the concerned office for Arabian horses in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the ages of category should be strictly followed, adding riders should be above the age of 14 and fit for the competition.

Hassan also said, “Horses without the necessary documents will not be accepted and these include vaccination and registration certificates and passports for the imported horses. Registration forms should be submitted to the registration office at Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF) five days prior to the race.

For Registration inquiries applicants should contact 00973 37117858. The championship schedule features five rounds over January 9, 16, 23 and 30 for three years and above over 1,000 metres distance with the top three receiving prizes per round.

Meanwhile, registration for the Bahrain Falconry Championship has been extended until Monday following an increase in application requests received.