The Chairperson of Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival (Marmi), Miteb Mubarak al-Qahtani, has said that over the past 16 years, the festival has succeeded in deepening interest in falconry among generations.
Speaking to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), al-Qahtani said that over the past years, the festival has envisioned the future of falconry as being one of the most consequential sports in the Qatari community, and has been in pursuit of preserving this legacy which has become a global heritage after being added to the Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
He added that the success came by virtue of organising contests in many categories of falconry, contributing to promoting this legacy among the community members.
Al-Qahtani pointed out that since the festival's launch 15 years ago, one of the main objectives was to train and qualify young falconers.
Today, those young falconers have grown, and they remain closely linked with this legacy, competing with adults and achieve successes in falconry festivals held in the Gulf states.
This, al-Qahtani said, is something that underscores the successful strategy of the Qatari Society of Al Gannas (AGQS) in fostering this sport.
He indicated that the festival continues to offer competitions for young people, affirming that this year the festival features the promising falconer championship for the age 11-15 group, based on a 200m flight distance.
Al-Qahtani said that such contests allow youngsters to experience the competition and upscale their expertise, going beyond what they learn at training programmes to become a love for the sport.
The Marmi Festival, al-Qahtani said, is characterised by diverse contests, spanning a wide array of events, each highlighting a different facet of falconry, such as the Talaa championship, which assesses falconers' strong vision and capability to spot the prey, thereby offering a practical demonstration of hunting technologies.
He highlighted that the Dawaa contest evaluates the speed of falcons, with the Haddad Al Tahadi challenge being renowned for its suspense in spellbinding spectators, particularly involving the confrontation between peregrine falcons and homing pigeons.
The festival, al-Qahtani added, features prestigious contests, such as the shooting championship, encompassing three categories this year, namely youth, adults, and elite, along with Saluki racing championship, to further broaden the horizon of this multifaceted celebration of falconry and hunting traditions.
He also highlighted that the festival is seeing record participation, from falconers who register in various categories, to the large turnout of spectators – citizens, residents and tourists – at the Marmi area in Sealine.
Al-Qahtani emphasised that the festival is also focused on preserving the natural habitat and falcons through many domestic initiatives that primarily aim to return falcons to their natural habitats, and is committed to protecting biodiversity.
Miteb Mubarak al-Qahtani