12th International Marmi Festival Concluded with Crowning Ceremony for Winners

Doha, January 30 (QNA) - The 12th International Hunting and Falcon (Marmi) Festival 2021 concluded with a crowning ceremony for the winners at Katara Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) on Saturday. The closing ceremony, held with precautionary measures in place, was attended by a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs and Ministers, HE World Ethnosport Confederation (WEC) President Bilal Erdogan, a number of heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Qatar, the Board of Directors of the Qatar Al Gannas Society, a number of falconers from Qatar and GCC countries, and festival guests. The Festival is held under the sponsorship of HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani. Ahead of the launch of today's event, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani honored HE WEC President Bilal Erdogan. HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani also crowned the winners. Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani awarded first place with a prize of QR700,000, Sheikh Saud bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani won second and third places with prizes of QR500,000 and QR300,000 respectively. In another category of the Festival, Mubarak Abdulaziz Al Maadadi won first place with a prize of QR200,000, Nasser Ali Abdullah Al Misnad finished second with a prize of QR150,000, while Faleh Hassan Al Qahtani won third place and a prize of QR100,000. Speaking on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the 12th Marmi Festival, WEC President Bilal Erdogan praised the efforts of the Qatar Al Gannas Society in preserving the world heritage of falconry, noting that the Festival and all the activities organized by the society seek to promote traditional sports, while hailing the Festival and the diversity of the participating falcons. For his part, Katara General Manager Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti underlined the success of the 12th International Marmi Festival in cementing its presence locally, regionally and internationally as one of the most important activities that preserve the Qatari heritage one of the most important events that are held in the country with the aim of preserving its heritage and identity. The Festival, he said, is one of the most important festivals held by Katara for lovers and breeders of the rarest types of falcons, adding today's saw 15 rare falcons qualified for the finals. This shows the State of Qatar's interest in producing rare and important falcons, as the State of Qatar is considered a major center for falconry in the region, and it may be the first in the Middle East to pay attention to the world heritage of falconry, he said, while congratulating winners of the 12th Marmi International Festival. (QNA)