A falconer releasing his falcon during the qualification round.
Doha: The 17th Qatar International Falconry and Hunting Festival (Marmi 2026) witnessed yesterday, the qualifying rounds for the falconry championship in the “Gyrfalcon Gyrfalcon” and “Gyrfalcon Shaheen” categories, with 20 falconers qualifying for the championship finals in both categories.
The festival is being held under the patronage of H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and is supported by the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund “Daam” at the Marmi Sabkha in Sealine. It will continue until the 24th of this month.
The falconry competition was held in the “Gyrfalcon-Peregrine” and “Peregrine-Peregrine” categories yesterday.
The competition in the “Gyrfalcon” category resulted in the qualification of 10 falconers: Hamad Abdullah Al Arjani, Mashoum Ali Mohammed Al Nabti, Hamad Abdulhadi bin Nayfa (two falcons), Team Lafan, Team Al Zam (two falcons), Team Lusail, Hamad Rashid Al Nuaimi, and Abdullah Amer Al Kaabi.
In the “Qarnas Shaheen” category, the following falconers qualified for the final: Abdullah Saeed Al-Marri (two falcons), Jassim Fahad Al-Kuwari, Muhanna Mohammed Al-Dosari (two falcons), Team Elzam, Abdullah Amer Al-Kaabi, Mohammed Khabab Al-Nuaimi (two falcons), and Saeed Khalid Al-Nuaimi.
Hamad Saleh Al Masoud, head of the Al Da’aw Championship at the Marmi Festival, stated that the Gyrfalcon and Peregrine Falcon categories witnessed fierce competition among the participants, with approximately 50 falcons competing in each category.
The falcons demonstrated their strength despite the wind speed, which sometimes pushed them off course. However, they frequently returned to the track and headed towards the lure.
He noted that the competition was fierce among the strongest falcons, with 10 falcons in each category standing out as the fastest. He added that the first qualifier in the Gyrfalcon category achieved a time of 20.186 seconds, while the last place achieved 21.74 seconds, demonstrating that the difference between the top ten positions was less than a second.
In the Peregrine Falcon category, the difference between first and tenth place was only about 3 seconds, highlighting the participants’ readiness and the intensity of the competition.For their part, the falconers participating in the Qatar International Falconry and Hunting Festival (Marmi 2026) praised the diverse competitions it offers, particularly in the lure-flying events, appreciating the opportunity to compete in the locally bred categories, which have demonstrated the excellence of Qatari falcons.
