The activities and competitions of the 14th edition of Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival (Marmi 2023) were resumed Sunday after the weather improved considerably.
Three more falcons qualified for the pre-final round at Al Tala'a (release of the falcons to hunt) category, taking the total of qualified birds to 18. The stable weather conditions made the competition more exciting. Better visibility meant that falconers could follow their falcons as they chase the houbara bustard through the naked eye or binoculars while the audience could have a closer look through the coverage of Al Kass Sports channel.
The distance between the hunting falcon and the targeted prey ranges around 1.8 to 1.9km and this could be shortened when the visibility drops due to weather conditions. According to the rules set by the organising committee of Al Tala'a, the timing between the release of the falcon after its prey and removing the hood over its eyes should not exceed five minutes.
The qualifying falconers expressed their happiness for this achievement stressing that the extensive efforts exerted before and during the tournament have been rewarded and hoped for more success in the upcoming rounds.
Falconer Abdulaziz al-Ansari, whose bird qualified for the pre-final round, noted this is his first time as a participant in the Marmi festival and lauded the positive atmosphere.
Falconer Mohamed Ali al-Sada said that he is often keen on training his falcon at the location of the tournament so as to familiarise it with the surroundings ahead of the event. His falcon qualified earlier at the Ras Laffan Falcons Championship 2022. He also stressed that the weather conditions are excellent for the competition and the horizontal visibility outstanding most of the time.
The festival, organised by Al Qannas Qatari Society, is being held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani. Local and international falconers are taking part in the competitions, which will continue at Sabkhat Marmi, the Sealine, until January 28.
