Curtains came down on the sixth edition of the Senyar Championship, a pearl-diving and fishing competition, with a spectacular ceremony at the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara’s beachfront yesterday. 
The annual marine heritage competition stems from Katara’s efforts to preserve Qatari culture and heritage, specifically, the values and practices associated with the life of Qatari pearl divers and fisher folk unique to the region, by providing a platform to display their skills and lifestyle. 
The popular championship, which attracted 1,100 participants for the pearl-diving and fishing competition, also saw the participation of 74 highly competitive teams. The teams were led by the ‘Lead Fisherman’, Mohamed Jawher al-Sulaiti. The overall performance and results surpassed those of the previous editions.
The grand closing ceremony, Al-Gaffal, held at Katara’s beach, saw awards being distributed to the winners. The victorious teams were presented with awards for three competitions that were categorised as Al-Haddaq (a fishing technique), Al-Laffah (a fishing technique), and a competition for the biggest fish.  
The first prize winner of the Al-Haddaq competition was team Al Nahham, as they had caught the largest quantity of fish, 783kg.  The second position was awarded to team Al Janoub, for hauling in the second highest catch of 670kg. Al Wakrah came third, with 589kg. 
Awards were also handed over to the winners of the Al-Laffah category. The first prize winner was team Al Uraiq , which netted 305kg of fish.  The second position went to team Al Jasasiyah, with a catch of 296kg. Team Al Jeriyan, with 235kg, came third. 
Team Al Jasasiyah was also declared as the winners of the ‘biggest fish’ competition. Another highlight of the closing ceremony was a captivating traditional performance that gave the audience a taste of Qatar’s rich maritime heritage. 
Visitors to the event were transported back in time, through a performance that mirrored the hopes, expectations, and concerns of the families of pearl divers and fishermen, whose expeditions out into the open seas were often fraught with danger. The climax of the event, apart from the award ceremony, was the sight of numerous dhows approaching the shore, mimicking the arrival of fishermen and divers from bygone days.
The championship, targeted at participants of Qatari nationality as well as other contestants from the GCC countries, clearly reflected the proud place that Qatar’s maritime heritage occupies in the country’s history.