Al Dhafra Festival prize value raised to Dh20 million
Move aimed at supporting camel owners to acquire breeds of highest calibre
Abu Dhabi The value of Al Dhafra Festival prizes has been increased to Dh20 million, according to a directive issued by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, yesterday (Saturday).
The 13th edition of the Al Dhafra Festival will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed at Madinat Zayed in Al Dhafra from December 9 to 24. It will witness an impressive participation by camel owners from UAE and GCC countries.
Shaikh Mohammad’s directives are aimed at supporting camel owners to acquire the highest calibre of Arab breeds and open the door to the growing number of participants in the Camel Mazayna competition. The move comes in line with his keenness to preserve and transmit cultural heritage to successive generations and promote heritage festivals.
Major General Staff Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Commander-in-Chief of the Abu Dhabi Police and Chairman of the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee, praised Shaikh Mohammad’s unstinted support to the Al Dhafra Festival, which has helped attract a larger number of participants not only from the UAE but also from the GCC countries.
“In implementation of Shaikh Mohammad’s directives, the Higher Organising Committee of Al Dhafra Festival has increased the value and number prizes in the Bayraq Lap (it its two categories Al Asayel and Al Majahim) to five instead of three. The value of prizes in both categories will be now Dh16 million instead of Dh8 million in previous editions,” Al Mazrouei said.
He added that the first winner will get Dh3 million, first runner up Dh2 million, second runner up Dh1.5 million, third runner up Dh1 million and the fourth runner up Dh500,000.
He said to allow for more participants in the Bayraq Lap, the committee has reduced the number of camels required to participate to 30 instead of 50.
The next edition will see introducyion of four new laps with prizes worth Dh2.12 million and another four Mafarid Laps for Tribes with cash prizes worth Dh2.28 million, Al Mazrouei noted.