DOHA: Two participants emerged winners in the Tala’a contest, which began yesterday at the Qatar Falcons and Hunting Festival in Sabkhat Marmi, Mesaieed.
Mohammed Al Temtam Al Marri and Abdulhadi Al Mahran Al Marri won the first round of the competition in the morning.
Fahed Al Musaifri won and the Hudud Al Tahaddi Challenge in the afternoon and will move to the final round.
The same schedule will be followed today, with the morning devoted to Tala’a and the afternoon to Hudud Al Tahaddi.
Ibrahim Al Nasr, a member of the Shura Council, stressed the contribution of the festival to supporting falconry which is an important component of national heritage.
He praised the festival for bringing amateur falconers together and motivating them to adhere to their identity and traditions, thus raising a generation with interest in their heritage and commitment to its role.
He also commended organisers for a job well done.
Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Ali, Head, the Tala’a Organising Committee, said the event did not begin until the panel was confident about the weather to hold it at 7am.
He said 100 contestants were divided into four groups of 25, with one group competing each day. The top 10 participants will qualify for the final round. In the Hudud Al Tahaddi Challenge, falcons seek to obstruct the flight of homing pigeons especially trained to fly away, causing them to land.
It tests falcons’ speed and ability to identify the locations of their preys and involves an electronic Habari bird or bustard put about one kilometre away. The qualifying time is counted from the moment the falcon is released.
The Peninsula
