The three eventual winners of Al Tala'a (release of falcons to hunt) competitions were declared Saturday during the 14th edition of the Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival (Marmi 2023). Falconer Sheheen Salim al-Dossari won the first place, followed by Nawaf Nasser al-Shafi in second place and Barzan Team in third. Mohamed Abdulatif al-Misnad, vice-president of the supreme committee of Marmi 2023 and deputy chairman of Al Qannas Qatari Society, said the finals of Al Tala'a enjoyed strong competitions among the best falcons, with the prowess of falcons and professionalism of falconers being at their best. Al-Misnad considered this distinguished tournament as a key addition to falconry in Qatar. He said the first three places this year were unpredictable as the winner of the previous edition's first place finished second this time. Besides, the winner of the first place this year had not occupied any position in the previous edition.
He said this proves the festival supports the power of competition and winning the first place is possible for all participants who excel. The first-place winner, al-Dossari, said this is the first time he has won the first place in the tournament since the live houbara bustard bird was introduced as a prey. He had won the first place when the prey was an electronic, mock houbara.
Al-Dossari pointed out that his winning falcon qualified for the finals in the last edition but could not finish in any of the first three positions. He noted that hunting live prey is more challenging than the electronic version. The second-place winner, al-Shafi, said his falcon has become well-known in the championship as it won the first place last year and finished second this time after intense competition. He added that this falcon is highly trained in prey hunting and only participates in such competitions.
Meanwhile, Haddad al-Tahadi (where the falcon has to hunt a homing pigeon within certain standards) continued with two new qualifiers, taking the total number of qualified falcons to 47 falcons so far. Ali Sultan al-Humaidi, head of the Haddad Al Tahadi Committee, stressed that the performance of falcons and homing pigeons continued to improve. However, the powerful peregrine falcons were able to capture pigeons in spite of their ability to elude the hunter and move at a high speed.
The supreme committee of Marmi 2023 also announced the start of registration for the international version of Al Da'aw (falcons speeding) championship, which is scheduled for January 19. The registration will be open until the end of January 15. Marmi 2023 has been organised by Al Qannas Qatari Society at Sbkhat Marmi in the Sealine Area under the patronage of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, and will continue until January 28.