The 14th Al Galayel Championship for Traditional Hunting for 2025, kicked off Monday with the participation of 16 teams divided into four groups that will compete at Al Eraiq Reserve until Feb 25.

Annually held during February, the championship is one of the most consequential and suspenseful events that showcases the precision marksmanship of Qatari snipers in conventional hunting methods.

This year's championship is sponsored by the Social and Sport Contribution Fund (DAAM) under the umbrella of the cultural village of Katara. However, based on the championship's rules, contenders should hunt a substantial number of species like antelopes, bustards and stone-curlews, with the organizing committee pledging that it will bring those birds in place and release them within the designated area.

All game species are fitted with tracking chips inscribed with the designation of Al Galayel, and the scoring system for the game is delineated based on each species, whereby a team securing an antelope accrues 80 points, while the capture of every single bustard bestows 30 points, and the successful hunting of a stone-curlew yields 25 points.

The championship began with the first group of hunters, primarily include four teams and will continue until Thursday to figure out the team that will win to compete in the final during the period of Feb 22-25.

In his remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Chairman of the Organising Committee of Al Galayel Tournament for Traditional Hunting Khalid bin Mohammed Al Maadeed said the championship is one of the foremost events that deepens the Qatari legacy and safeguards the heritage of forebears and bestows it upon the new generation, highlighting that the tournament eyes young people who are willing to practice hunting at natural reserves.

One of the championship's primary objectives is to preserve the Qatari environment in alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030, al-Maadeed underlined, stressing that this year's event is as unique as the previous one, as it features the participation of horses, alongside camels, while hunting should be done with peregrine falcons.

Al-Maadeed stated that the public anticipates a powerful start to the tournament with the first group comprising strong teams, including Al-Tahaddi, and another team that comprises members of the erstwhile Al-Sailiya team. He indicated that the current edition will be the strongest one featuring four teams in each group, thereby giving a space for further competition and claiming substantial points.

Leader of Al-Tahadi team Saeed Mohammed al-Somali al-Nabit, said the first group will feature strong participation from the teams making this year's tournament more competitive, highlighting that his team is seriously ready to compete given the strength of other teams.

He highlighted that there are numerous challenges that encounter falconers at the reserve, such as fluctuation of weather which equally affects all teams, but they should adapt to this kind of climate as part of their talents.

Leader of Al-Dhaen team, Salm Idham al-Kuwari, said his team has prepared well for this year's tournament, with foremost efforts in falcon training and physical readiness, giving them confidence for a robust performance.

Interestingly, the team crowned with the first place will receive the tournament banner and a cash reward of QR1mn, with the second winner receiving QR700,000 and QR500,000 will go to the winner of the third place. Additionally, QR100,000 will be paid to each team that has been qualified for the final, as well as QR10,000 for local newspapers that make best press coverage.