QNA
Dubai
The Qatari Society of Al Gannas has been ranked second place in the International Federation of Falconry and Racing Cup 2024, which was held on Thursday in Dubai, UAE, with the participation of 22 teams from 20 countries.
The Qatari Society of Al Gannas team participating in the tournament consisted of Meteb Al Qahtani, Director of Qatari Society of Al Gannas Championships and Marmi Festival, as head of the delegation, Abdul Wahab bin Omair Al Nuaimi as deputy, and the falconers who are members of the team including Mohammed Ali Al Asiri, Mubarak Abdul Hadi bin Naifa, Mohammed Madi Al Hajri, Hamad Abdullah Al Arjani.
Meteb Al Qahtani expressed his happiness at achieving this result, explaining that the results were based on the rule of collecting points for each of the four rounds in the race.
The Director of Qatari Society of Al Gannas Championships and Marmi Festival said that the falconers team participated in the four rounds, where it obtained second place in the Pure Gyr Falcon category with 18 points, first place in the Shaheen Gyr Falcon category with 25 points, fourth place in the Qarmousha Gyr Falcon category with 12 points, and third place in the Taba’ Gyr Falcon category with 15 points, for a total of 70 out of 100 points.
He said that out that the teams’ ranking is determined by calculating their total points in each round. Giving details about the points he said that first place entitles the winner to 25 points, second place 18 points, third place 15 points, fourth place 12 points, fifth place 10 points, sixth place 8 points, seventh place 6 points, eighth place 4 points, ninth place 2 points, and tenth place 1 point.
The Al Gannas team was formed from the best four falcons that qualified in the four categories in the Ras Laffan Falconry Championship and the Katara Falconry and Hunting Championship last year.
The first place went to a team from the Emirates Falconry Federation from the UAE, and the third place went to the Popular Heritage Sports Committee from Bahrain.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the International Federation for Falconry and Racing board of directors was held on Wednesday. It approved extending its current term beyond the end of the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics.
It also approved a proposal to grant member states the right to host the third edition of the International Federation for Falconry and Racing Cup, scheduled to be held in December 2025, according to the standards and requirements that will be determined later.
The Qatari Society of Al Gannas has a long history in organizing international championships and festivals related to falcons, the most important of which is the Qatar International Falconry and Hunting Festival (Marmi), and it is also a pioneer in setting the laws regulating this type of race.