Records fall as Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah opens for General Public

Abdullah Khalfan Al Qubaisi’s entry ‘Al Sirmi’ breaks 17-second barrier

DUBAI, 9th January 2018:  The Fazza Championship for Falconry - Telwah (the lure), the first falconry competition of the new Fazza Heritage Championship season, organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) produced record-breaking performances in the General Public category on Sunday in Dubai.

Abdullah Khalfan Al Qubaisi’s entry named ‘Al Sirmi’ broke the 17-second barrier clocking the fastest time of 16.979 seconds in the six-day old championship as 280 falcons competed in the Jeer Shaheen Farkh and Jernas events in Ruwayyah.

The Fazza Championship for Falconry – Telwah will continue until January 15th at the dedicated site for falconry in Ruwayyah area off Emirates Road (Exit 55) in Dubai with Pure Jeer Farkh and Jernas events for General Public on Tuesday January 9th.

Jeer Shaheen Farkh 
The General Public category got off to a brilliant start with Al Qubaisi’s falcon flying at a top speed of 84.81 kmph to win the Jeer Shaheen Farkh (Trophy) event in style. Saeed bin Tarraf Al Mansouri’s entry ‘Al Dabawi’ took second place clocking 17.465 while Tariq Obaid Khalfan Al Shamsi’s falcon ‘Trouble’ (17.715) clinched third spot. 

Hamid Rashid Al Mansouri’s falcon ‘78N’ clocked a winning time of 17.236 seconds flying at a top speed of 83.54 kmph in the heavily contested Jeer Shaheen Farkh (Car) event which had 40 starters. Khalid Nasser Al Hajiri’s falcons ‘Yas’ (17.557) and ‘Chew’ (17.809) won second and third places, with just 00.321 separating the winner.

Khalid Nasser Al Hajiri’s falcon ‘Entire’ won the Jeer Shaheen Farkh (Cash) event clocking 18.658 seconds while Tariq Obaid Al Shamsi’s entry named ‘22’ took second place clocking 18.860, just 00.202 seconds off the pace. Khalid Nasser Al Hajiri’s entry named ‘Prison’ (18.990) clinched third position.

Jeer Shaheen Jernas 
Mohamed Khalifa Mansouri’s falcon named ‘Love’ won the Jeer Shaheen Jernas (Trophy) event clocking 19.056 seconds. Hamad Ahmad Al Kindi’s entry ‘3119FOX’ won second place clocking 19.175, just 00.119 seconds off the pace. Hamdan Saeed Jaber’s ‘Thanked’ (19.202) won third position. 
Mohammed Saeed Al Mansouri’s entry ‘Western’ won the Jeer Shaheen Jernas (Car) final clocking 18.775 seconds. Hamdan Saeed Jaber’s ‘Confused’ won second spot clocking 18.842, just 00.067 seconds off the pace. Marwan Ahmed Mijrin’s ‘Sarmad’ (18.922) claimed third place.

Sustainability
Ms. Suad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, lauded the record number of participants in the General Public category in the ‘Year of Zayed’ and inspired by their moral obligation of protecting the tradition of falconry and its sustainability as a cultural and social system historically linked to the region in general and the United Arab Emirates in particular. 

“Our congratulations to all the winners and participants in the strongly contested events in the General Public category. Our objective is to always improve the standard of organizing this Championship and to create opportunities to bring out the best performances from contestants,” she said.

Ms. Suad Ibrahim said that the Fazza Championship for Falconry has always attracted experienced falconers who contribute in no small measure to revive, preserve and sustain this cultural heritage in the UAE. 

Magnanimous
Humaid Al Mansouri, one of the most prominent falconers in the General Public category, enjoyed success after a disappointing season last year when he failed to achieve good results because of injury and health issues to his falcons.
In a magnanimous gesture, Humaid Al Mansouri dedicated his victory in the Jeer Shaheen Farkh (Car) final to his fellow falconers. “I was not among the favourites at the beginning. I give this victory to my fellow falconers. Our presence together to commemorate these heritage celebrations unites our goals in preserving our UAE identity,” he said.

"The new competition format has helped me a lot in choosing the right falcon in the right category,” said Al Mansouri. “There is no clear indication about which falcon will win, but I know the ability of every falcon and where to place it. Fortunately, the format of different disciplines this season allowed us to have more opportunities in the field and achieve better results.”

Among the participants was Fazza Free diving champion (UAE & GCC Category) Nasser Al Razi, who expressed his happiness to participate in the Fazza Championship for Falconry.

“I am fond of our heritage sports including diving, equestrian and falconry. The presence of top falconers is an experience that one learns a lot from,” he said adding that the new system has given falconers opportunity to increase their chances of producing winners.

Sponsors
The official sponsors of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center are: Al Tayer Motors Land Rover, Dubai Airports, AW Rostamani (Arabian Automobiles), Global Village and Al Oula radio station.