Katara – the Cultural Village has announced the names of people who have been granted leadership (Serdal) titles for the sixth ‘Senyar Championship,’ a pearl-diving and fishing competition set to kick off on April 13 at Katara – the Cultural Village.

The winners of Senyar 2016 will act as mentors throughout the Senyar Championship 2017, and will also guide the traditional dhows to the competition area.

Mohamed Jawher al-Sulaiti was granted the title of ‘Lead Fisherman’ after winning the first place in the hand-line fishing (Haddaq) competition last year while Abdulah Jassim al-Tamimi bagged the ‘Pearl-Diving Leader’ title after winning the first place in the pearl-diving competition.

The festival stems from Katara’s efforts to preserve Qatari culture and heritage by promoting craftsmen, traders and practitioners of activities unique to the region, and providing a platform to display their skills.

“Appointing leaders is an initiative that seeks to preserve Qatari culture and to revive the heritage of our past ancestors, noting that the title of ‘Lead Fisherman’ originates from our maritime heritage,” the event’s organising committee said.

Throughout the championship, the Lead Fisherman is responsible for major duties such as leading the opening and closing routes of the championship, checking the weather forecast throughout the event, predicting heavy wind storms, and choosing ideal locations for pearl-diving or fishing.

The leaders from each category, renowned for their proficiency in technical skills, will have the honour of signaling the start of each competition, and will distribute awards to first winners.

The event’s media and communications manager Mohamed al-Sada said the festival attracted more than 1,100 participants, where 962 placed in 74 teams for the hand-line fishing competition, and 143 participants grouped in 11 teams for the pearl-diving competition.

Al-Sada noted that April 11 is the deadline for the participating traditional dhows to enter Katara’s beach for the championship.

Prior to the competition, each participating dhow will be tested and checked for sea-worthiness and to ensure that safety measures such as first-aid kits, life jackets and fire extinguishers, are on board.

The organisers also assigned the conference room in building 15 at Katara as logistics hub for all participants to conduct meetings and make announcements related to the championship. The first meeting is scheduled to take place on April 4 at 6pm.

The organising committee reminded all participating teams to strictly follow the terms and conditions of the championship. Failure to comply may result to disqualification.