The two-day Fazza Championship for Falconry 'Al Hay' (Live Prey) witnessed a highly competitive contest between more than 500 of the best species of Shaheen and Tebah falcons.

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Fazza Championship for Falconry – Live Prey is a unique tournament that showcases the innate and age-old relationship between the falcon and its prey, evident to generations of Emiratis and avid falconers from across the region. 

The tournament attracted a large number of participants and spectators from the different emirates and has seen a strong level of performance from competing birds.

Saif Belkadida, Chairman of the Supreme Organizing Committee of the Fazza Championship for Falconry said: "This year's championship has attracted around 500 participants, which reflects the great attention given by the Emiratis to ensure the continuity of this popular sport, which reflects the traditional way of hunting throughout the history of the UAE and the region."

He also confirmed that the GCC round of the Fazza Championship for Falconry – Al Hay will kick off next Friday, and that he expects wider participation by the most skilled falconers from across the region.

For her part, Souad Darwish, Director of Fazza Championships – Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, said: "The Center seeks to promote and entrench the culture of heritage tournaments as a means of maintaining these popular traditions and fostering a deeper sense of belongingness to the country. We organize a number of tournaments inspired by the local environment in which the people of the region have lived in for generations in order to encourage the youth to practice these traditional sports."

She noted that the Falconry Championship – Live Prey is an important platform to test the skills of the falconers and the strength of the birds used in hunting.

A Live Prey Falconry Championship will be held for GCC falconers next Friday, 13 February 2015.