Teams from around the world have arrived in Saudi Arabia to participate in the Crown Prince Camel Festival which commenced on Tuesday.
Countries including the US, France, Switzerland, Oman, Bahrain, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the Sudan and Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia, will participate in the fifth edition of the sport at the historic Taif Camel Field, running through September 7, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Over 60,000 camels will be on display at this year’s festival, jostling to be crowned the quickest and most agile beings in one of the biggest camel sporting events in the world, reports AlArabiya News.
The 38-day camel festival aims to promote the Kingdom’s camel racing culture and display the larger Arab heritage to the world, to enhance the country’s tourism.
Since its launch in 2018, the sporting festival has grown exponentially, and sparked the idea of establishing the Camel Racing World Federation (CRWF), led by Saudi Arabia, given the high enthusiasm surrounding the sport in the country.
One of the main goals of CRWF is to encourage the youth to keep camel racing a “lasting heritage and pleasant sport,” the federation said on its official website.
Given the rise in the sports’ global popularity, there is a growing consensus among Middle Eastern countries to launch a joint bid to have camel racing declared an Olympic sport, according to regional media reports.
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