TAIF: Saudi women riders made history at the seventh Crown Prince Camel Festival in Taif, winning cups and setting records for the first time in the competition’s history.

Reema Al-Shuwaie took the title of the first main round with her camel Absher, while Hadeel Al-Sharif won the second round with Mubshir, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Marwan Al-Johani, head of competition and registry manager at the Saudi Camel Race Federation, said the results reflect the growth of the sport among women.

“This is another aspect of the development witnessed in camel sports, and it is what we aspired to achieve by raising the performance levels of female camel jockeys in their races,” he said.

Al-Johani credited the support of Prince Fahad bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz, chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Camel Federation, for encouraging women riders and intensifying competition.

“The records we witnessed today are proof of that,” he added.

Held at the historic Taif camel square, the festival features 249 races, including five camel races for 78 men and women riders from eight countries, with total prize money exceeding SR50 million ($13.3 million).

Competitors come from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, Algeria, and the UK.

Saudi Camel Sports spokesperson Murdhi Al-Khamaali said that the event has elevated camel racing beyond sport.

The Crown Prince Camel Festival has promoted authentic Arab culture to the world by blending the diverse cultures of the Kingdom, the Gulf states, and the Arab world, making the festival more than just a sport, but an economic, social, and cultural movement, he added.

According to Al-Khamaali, the festival has revived the cultural and historical memory of Taif, its host city.

Since its launch, the festival has been known for record-breaking participation. More than 90,000 camels competed in its first six iterations, with the seventh surpassing 100,000 and recording multiple new Guinness World Records.