Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The third edition of the Crown Prince Camel Festival will kick off on Aug. 8 (Sunday) in Taif.

The festival will see a large group of local and international camel owners compete for prizes worth SR53 million.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, who is also the president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and head of the International Camel Federation, expressed his thanks and gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for their generous support for the sports sector in general and camel racing in particular.

For his part, Prince Fahd Bin Jalawi, the vice president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee and head of the Saudi Camel Federation, said that the third edition of the festival comes as part of efforts to consolidate the heritage of camel racing and promoting it in Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic culture.

It is also aimed at supporting the tourism sector and economic development in the Kingdom in a way that enhances community participation, boosts the national heritage, and reflects the cultural depth of the Kingdom, he added.

The Saudi Camel Federation also announced that the festival will start with a preliminary stage for all age groups with 320 runs, while the "marathon" will comprise 8 runs, and the final runs of the festival will be 204, adding that it will announce the complete program of runs during the next week.

It is worth noting that the second edition of the festival entered the Guinness World Records after more than 13,000 camels participated in it.