Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center holds a press conference to launch the Fazza Championships 2015-2016

• Expected Increase in the number of participants
• First Fazza Championship for Falconry (Foroukh) will kick off on 12 December
• Fazza Championship for Youlah on 11 December after having conducted the qualification rounds to select 16 of the best performers
• This year adopting other smart and variable technologies to stage one of a kind championship around the world
• Two new international championships for the Disabled this year
• Mohammed Abdullah bin Dalmook: corporate support at HHC, seeks to upgrade and renew technologies to latest international standards
• Suad Darwish: Fazza championships play a pivotal role in reviving intangible heritage in the UAE and we are proud to achieve success in reinforcing corporate identity among citizens of UAE society and looking forward to applying latest technologies and international standards to revive national heritage

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of the Dubai Sports Council, and implementing his directives of supporting the talents of the youth and empowering them to be part of events that reinforce their national identity, the Hamdan Heritage Center (HHC) conducted a Press Conference yesterday, 17 November 2015, at Grand Hyatt in Dubai to announce details of the Fazza Heritage Championships and Fazza Championships for the Disabled for the new season 2015-16.

The Press Conference was attended by His Excellency Abdullah Hamdan Bin Dalmook, CEO of HHC; the heads of Committees of the Fazza Championships: Mr. Dumaithan bin Sweidan, Head of Committee of the Fazza Championship for Falconry; Mr. Mohammed Obaid Al Muhairi, Head of Committee of the Fazza Championship for Shooting – Saktoun Rifle; Mr. Hamad Al Rahoumi, Head of Committee of the Fazza Championship for Free Diving; Mr. Ahmed Saif Al Zafin, Head of Committee of The Saluki Championship (hunting with greyhounds); Mr. Saif Bel Kedieda, Head of Committee of the Fazza Championship for Falconry (Live Prey); His Excellency Thani Juma Berregad, Head of Committee of the Fazza Championship for the Disabled; Talal Merheb, General Manager Sales, Al Tayer Motors; Ahmad AlMarri, Director Of Operations at Global  Village; Reps from Al Futtaim group; Ms. Suad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC; Mr. Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, Director of Events at HHC; Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Bin Dalmook, Director of Corporate Support at HHC; and Ms. Fatima Al Bannay, Manager of The Media Office at HHC and the Manager of Al Oula Radio.

In addition, a large number of officials, distinguished guests and members of the press from local and international media were present.

The many years of hard work that went towards preserving the intangible heritage of the UAE through championships that are heritage-based and sports for the disabled were highlighted at the Press Conference.

During this new season, the latest innovative mechanism of applying smart technologies in accordance with how Dubai is heading towards becoming a Smart City will be introduced and the important role it plays in enhancing all aspects of the Championships was stressed.

This will in general facilitate and speed up registration of all participants and announcement of results, eliminate mundane delays, ensure accuracy and shorten the length of the championship period that used to take longer hours in the past.

In addition, these smart technologies will be used to enhance the interaction of the public because they can see the results instantly on wide screens and on social media platforms as it happens.

The Press Conference began with a short film where the HHC CEO Abdullah Hamdan Bin Dalmook reviewed the history of the Championships and how it has grown over the years.

The audience got a pleasant surprise when the new Championship logo was unveiled in a very interactive way where the giant screen was split open and a 3D model emerged.

This was followed by other short films of the various championships.

Thereafter, the head of each committee took turned to reveal details of all the competitions and how it has evolved over the years following a short video.

Ms. Fatima Al Bannay, Manager of The Media Office at HHC and the Manager of Al Oula Radio, said:

“Firstly, I would like to welcome everyone, the heads of committees, my colleagues at HHC and members of the press who have always been our partners for long years. Ever since the first Fazza Championship more than a decade and a half ago, they continue to support us even after establishing Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center to become part of our rich journey in pursuing our goal of reviving heritage in the UAE. I look forward, together we can spread awareness of our culture through the Fazza Championships and all the activities of the HHC in the future."

Al Tayer Motors, the official importer-dealer for Land Rover in the UAE, has been a long-standing supporter of the Fazza Championships since 2001.

Talal Merheb, General Manager Sales - Jaguar Land Rover, Al Tayer Motors, said:

“The Fazza championships help preserve and promote the UAE’s traditional sports amongst the younger generations of Emiratis. Participation in such national sporting activities strengthens cultural bonds and instils pride in the country’s rich culture and history, while creating a lasting legacy for future generations.”

 'A season full of championships'

Ms. Suad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, said:

"I am quite satisfied with how we have prepared for this new season and the schedule for the Fazza Championships which has grown in popularity. Every year there are some new additions and an increase in the number of competitions, which makes the Championships not only a celebration of culture but an opportunity to experience a “one of a kind” model with competitions between the different categories from the youth, junior, ladies to the elderly, in addition to the categories of people with disability that come under Fazza Championships for the Disabled.

"The Fazza Championships in general seeks to upgrade the level of organization, matching it with world standards in alliance with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

"I'm quite proud that these Championships have grown in size over the years and as we embark on a new season, we are raising the level of these unique championships’ model to spearhead the race for excellence and as always, seeking to preserve UAE’s intangible heritage.

"We've always considered the fact that all segments of the society are involved in this process of reviving the culture and heritage through the Fazza Championships. The disabled category gets really strong support and special attention from His Highness Crown Prince of Dubai, who has directed that it is necessary that we integrate into the society and enhance their participation.

‘Two new championships for the Disabled’

His Excellency Thani Juma Berregad, Head of Committee of the Fazza Championship for the Disabled, said:

"All the championships we host every year such as Powerlifing, Boccia, Athletics, Wheelchair Basketball, etc, will continue along with the two new additions. They are Bowling for the deaf and Special Olympics.

"Fazza Championships have contributed in a large way in opening up to people with disability over the years and bringing them to the forefront is a very important means to communicate their messages to the community and to the whole world. Through their achievements they actually succeed in breaking barriers and overcoming challenges by their will power."

‘Safety of participants come first’

Mr Hamad Al Rahoumi, Head of Committee of the Fazza Championship for Free Diving, said:

"In applying smart technology systems for time keeping and controlling the participation will ensure transparency, make it more interactive for the public and spice up the championship as results can be seen instantly on the screen.

"Our focus is safety of participants. There will be a training session before the championship to explain how to indulge in this sport with a high level of awareness about safety, which comes first. That's why we always have training programs before the championship. Safety is more important than attracting a large number of participants to the championship and to make sure they are professionally capable."

 ‘Radars at start and finish’

Mr. Dumaithan bin Sweidan, Head of Committee of Fazza Championship for Falconry – Tilwah, said:

"The Ruwaiyah championship field awaits the falconers to come and showcase their best like every year. Annually we seek to introduce something new to facilitate the participation process.

"We are going to have a better level of organization and smart technologies and are always pleased to raise the level of competition for contestants. It will also enhance excellence in their performance and ensure more accuracy and speed in time keeping. There will be more radars at the start and finish to capture every second the bird reaches each point.

"The Al Furoukh championship will be held on 12 December. This was launched last year. The main Fazza Championship for Falconry will be held in January 2016 for two weeks. The third Falconry championship Fakher Al Ajiall will be held in February 2016 for 12 days.”

‘Participants will wear smart bracelet’

Mr. Mohammed Obaid Al Muhairi, Head of Committee of Fazza Championship for Shooting – Saktoun Riffle, said:

"Saktoun is a traditional rifle used for hunting in the old days in the UAE. We are getting ready for another championship during Ramadan for men, which is only for locals. This event attracted many participants last year.

"The smart technology raises the level of organization because they will be showing results in a more innovative way. Participants will wear a smart bracelet, each having a microchip containing all the information. It will enable them to walk through smart electronic gates. Saktoun has seen a growth in number over the years by 15 to 20 per cent. It is so popular being heritage-based using a traditional weapon used for hunting in the past.

"This championship consists of six categories: women, girls, men, boys, elderly and clay shooting. Unlike the past years, the result of qualifications will not be added to the final score. This year only the final score will be counted. Yet, qualifications will be conducted in the popular categories of: Men (best 25), Women (best 20) and Juniors (best 15). Another rule introduced to standardise competition is that if participants bring their own rifle, it should not weigh more than 3.4 kgs. There will also be a training programme three days before the main competition.”

‘Real professionals in this sport’

Mr Saif Bel Kedieah, Head of Committee of Fazza Championship for Falconry (Live Prey), said:

"We are looking forward to showcasing one of the best competitions and encourage the best falconers. They are real professionals in this sport and keep training all year round. They go abroad to hunt with falcons seeking to compete for top honours.

"The new smart technologies which will result in accuracy, is an important step towards building trust of contestants who can be involved in small details and get immediate results."

‘Arabian culture of hunting with greyhounds’

Mr Ahmed Saif Al Zafin, Head of Committee of Saluki Championship (hunting with greyhounds), said:

"The Championship will be open for everyone with skill and ability in using greyhounds for hunting. Many people are still maintaining this tradition all over the world. Thanks to the many contestants who enriched this championship and preserved the ancient Arabian culture of hunting with greyhounds. We hope to encourage the youth to preserve this very important heritage.

Meanwhile. Global Village CEO, Ahmad Hussain Bin Essa, has emphasized Global Village’s commitment to hosting Al Meydan, the unique Emirati program.

This is a reflection of Global Village’s main strategic goal to preserve the UAE identity and bridge civilizations and cultures among world citizens.

This is being done through highlighting UAE local arts such as ‘Al Youla’, which enjoys wide popularity in the GCC region.

“Sponsored and hosted by Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, Al Meydan accomplished a great deal of success over the past few years and managed to shed light on one of the authentic cultural Emirati dances. The program succeeded to creatively present this dance to the world and the various nationalities in the UAE. It has also managed to attract Global Village guests who were keen to follow the program and cheer for the performers,” said Bin Essa.

The Youlah for Adults competition were held on 12-13 November whereby 16 contestants have qualified. This year the system was changed and unlike previous years instead of 40 performers, only 16 have qualified to give a chance for the very best to compete.

It will kick off on 11 Dec with a TV show every week on Sama Dubai channel covering it featuring a famous singer in celebration of heritage during the 14 episodes from which two finalists will be selected after elimination rounds while there will also be a tussle for third and fourth place.

A new producer: Suhail Al Abdul has joined HHC to work on the weekly show. It will be an expression of cultural celebration with contestants divided into four groups with each team featuring in one of the episodes."

‘Application of intelligence system’

Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Bin Dalmook, Director of corporate support at HHC, said:

"It is with the support of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, under whose directives these traditional and cultural championships have come to preserve its status in the UAE community and have become popular regionally and internationally.

"It is a great investment in the power of youth and brings them back to the footsteps of their forefathers, to preserve their culture and national identity and link them to their roots.

"Following up the directions of His Highness Crown Prince of Dubai, doubles our responsibility every year as it is our duty to upgrade the Championship from a technical and organizational point of view and make it easy for participants who are growing in numbers. It gives us the incentive to continue spreading awareness of these championships and their importance in preserving the country's intangible heritage and passing it on to the new generations.

"This year we have upgraded it by applying smart technologies on a bigger scale out of our sheer concern at HHC to better manage and organize. Everyone gains because there is lots of prizes, and gets to live an interesting experience of linking past with present.

“Since the championship is growing in size, upgrading the system is crucial to enhancing performance.

“In Falconry, every falconer will be assigned a smart ring for his falcon - containing a microchip making registration easier and reducing delays. They can pass through all e-gates until the finish, making the process of competing smoother. The radar system at start and finish line will also record the crucial seconds to determine the results.

“Free diving this year will have a new system where they will wear a smart bracelet containing a microchip reducing delays in divers taking the splash. The results will also be immediately announced with the scores uploaded instantly on the electronic board.

“Saktoun contestants will also have a smart bracelet with microchip. Since there were thousands of participants earlier, only 20 people were called at a time. Now, they can walk in through electronic gate. The results will also be shown immediately.

“Smart systems for Saluki will be a soft launch this year to actually test it and amend it before coming up with final model.

“The Fazza Championship also launched a Camel Marathon this year. Camels were a key means of livelihood for the people of the Arabian Peninsula. Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and in line with his vision to preserve the UAE’s heritage through different sports and activities, we are launching this marathon in conjunction with the celebrations of the 44th National Day and we expect more than 1,000 participants.”