RIYADH: The deputy governor of Makkah Region, Prince Saud bin Mishaal, honored the winners of the sixth Crown Prince Camel Festival on the final day of the event in Taif on Wednesday.
The competitive action on the closing day featured four 6-kilometer races contested by 107 elite camels from several countries in the Gulf region.
In the first race, in the general Zamoul category, a camel called Madhaal claimed victory in a time of 9 minutes, 13.419 seconds, earning a cash prize of SR1 million ($267,000) for Saudi owner Hafeez Saeed Al-Marri.
The second race, in the open Zamoul category, ended with Barzan, belonging to Al-Shahaniya Camels from Qatar, taking the SR1 million prize in a time of 9:22.023.
Al-Dheeb, a Camel belonging to to Al-Siliya camels in Qatar, triumphed in the general Heil category in a time of 9:09.218 to secure the SR1.5 million prize.
And in the final race, in the open Heil category, Rahiya, another Al-Shahaniya camel, was the winner in a time of 9:06.368, also earning a SR1.5 million prize.
The total prize pool for the festival totaled more than SR57 million, which was shared by the local and international owners of winners in the various race categories.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki, the Saudi minister of sport and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, thanked Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his generous patronage of the festival.
He said this support reflected the unwavering commitment of the crown prince to the development and advancement of sport in the Kingdom, and in particular his dedication to the preservation of camel racing as a cherished tradition and integral part of Saudi heritage.
The festival began on Aug. 10 with preliminary rounds featuring 350 races. This was followed by an 11-day finals phase that featured 239 races in various categories, beginning with a marathon consisting of five stages.
The sixth staging of the festival coincided with the designation of 2024 as the “Year of the Camel” in Saudi Arabia, a celebration that recognizes the deep cultural significance of the animal in the Kingdom.
