DOHA: The 'Al Talaa'Championship kicked off on Sunday in Sabkhat Marmi in Sealine, as part of the activities of the 16th edition of the Qatar International Falconry and Hunting Festival 'Marmi 2025', which is held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, and with the support of the Social and Sports Activities Fund 'Daam. Itwill continue until February 1.
The 'Al Tal'a'Championship witnessed strong competition from falconers in groups one to five, as the competitions resulted in the qualification of the Barzan team with two falcons from groups two and five, and Khaled Omair Mubarak Al Nuaimi from group three and Mubarak Abdulrahman Al Nasr from group four to the next round.
Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Ali, Chairman of the Al Tal’a Championship, explained that the distance of the Al Tal’a Championship, which is the distance separating the starting point and the place of releasing the Houbara, is estimated at 2 kilometers, noting that one of the competition rules is also to set 5 minutes from the moment the falcons are removed (the veil is removed) from their heads. If a falcon rises and hunts, the group race ends, and if it rises and does not hunt, the owner of the falcon that rose and did not hunt is disqualified, and the race is repeated for the rest with the counter reset to 5 more minutes (since the first and second attempts are 5 minutes each), and in the third attempt, the timing is resumed in the race that was stopped at the second replay.
The head of the Tal’a Championship said: “The Tal’a Championship is one of the most important championships in Marmi, as it showcases strong falcons capable of practicing actual hunting and speed as well.”
On the other hand, the competitions of the fourth group in the Hadad Al-Tahadi Championship were held today in the evening, where the falcons presented wonderful performances, and were able to confirm their strength and speed in front of the carrier pigeons, as the competitions resulted in the qualification of each of Mohammed Taleb Al-Nabet, Al-Gharbia team, then Hamad Nasser Jumaan.
Mutab Mubarak Al-Qahtani, Director of Marmi Festival, crowned the winners and finalists, each of whom won a cash prize of QR100,000, in addition to the shield for qualifying for the final. Thus, the number of finalists to date has become 4 contestants in the Hadad Al-Tahadi.
For his part, Shawi Al Kaabi, Chairman of the Challenge Threat Committee, praised the efforts of the falconers from the fourth group, which numbered 31 contestants, 26 of whom attended, and the results resulted in the victory and qualification of three new falconers. He pointed out that the atmosphere was conducive to the competition between the falcons and the homing pigeons, as the audience watched a wonderful round and strong competition that demonstrated the ability of the falcons and their distinction in challenge and strength.
The participants presented strong performances in an excellent competitive atmosphere, stressing that the performance was strong from the falcons, which was met with challenge and determination to escape from the homing pigeons of Abdullah Fakhro, who also succeeded in presenting exciting and enjoyable performances in the clear sky in Sabkhat Marmi.
In a related context and within the framework of the festival management’s keenness to enhance and diversify the events, the shooting championship is held on the sidelines of the Marmi Festival.Ahmed Mubarak Al Kuwari, the shooting official at the Marmi Festival, said: “We participate annually in the festival with the aim of promoting shooting in the community, as the Qatar Shooting Federation has significant contributions at the global level, and thus these events are an opportunity to discover talents in this type of sport, and they also enjoy public interest in Marmi.”
Al Kuwari added: “This year’s shooting event includes 3 championships, one for age groups up to 20 years, another for the general public over the age of 20, and then a special championship for the elite, who are specialists in this sport and registered with the Qatar Shooting Federation. He noted that the organising committee has set valuable prizes for each championship, and it will start next Saturday and will be held successively every Saturday, noting that the championships involve competition in shooting shotguns (plates), and the winners will be crowned with valuable prizes.”
He pointed out that shooting starts every day for the public, accompanying the festival, during the morning period from 8.30am and continues until 12.30pm.
