RIYADH: Sri Lankan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Pakeer Mohideen Amza enjoyed the Saudi culture and hospitality at the Crown Prince Camel Festival 2023, the 38-day event that started last month at the Taif Camel Square.
“I took part at the Crown Prince Camel Festival, the largest camel sporting event globally, involving 60,000 camels with a line of 589 races, offering a huge award worth SR56.25 million ($14.99 million),” the envoy told Arab News.
Amza also met with Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, vice president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, and president of the Saudi Triathlon Federation and chairman of the Saudi Camel Federation, during his visit.
The key attraction at the camel festival, he said, was the optimum utility of the technology, where robots were introduced replacing riders.
The owners of the camels, driving parallel on a separate track, communicated with and guided the camels using modern technology, he said.
“What is amazing is that the ingredients of the 4th Industrial Revolution have been richly infused and gone beyond in this traditional sport event,” said the ambassador.
The 38-day mega event, which has now reached its final stage, aims to consolidate camel sports and heritage, promote Saudi and Arab culture, and support the tourism sector in the Kingdom.
Camel lovers and tourists from all over the globe have been flocking to the unique festival to enjoy the elegance of the animals and be part of the events on offer, the ambassador added.
The festival’s organizing committee said the event started on Aug. 1 at the Taif Camel Square with the participation of Arab and international teams.
Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi, director of the squares department at the Saudi Camel Federation, said that the 17 million-square-meter Taif Camel Square had undergone renovation and development works using the latest technologies, including the rehabilitation of the track’s soil for the race, the construction of a 64-square-meter arbitration building, and a 188-square-meter frontage wall.
He added that a 100-meter-long wall surrounding the examination area, in addition to a 6 km track inside the square, had been built for the festival.
Al-Rashidi explained that Taif Camel Square has several service sections, including a royal platform that can accommodate 200 people, an area for spectators that can accommodate 220 people, a restaurant, and a media center.
