Saudi Arabia will stage its first all-women camel race for the 38-day Crown Prince Camel Festival, celebrating camel racing culture and Arab heritage.
The race will occur at the Taif Camel Field in the Makkah Province of southwest Saudi Arabia, an area famous for its annual harvest of over 550 million roses. Camel racing has been an ancient sport in the Arab Peninsula since the 7th century CE, and although it has traditionally been an all-male sport, things are changing rapidly.
Last year, female jockeys were invited to join the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. Now, the festival is taking a step further by holding its first all-female race, with a prize pot of 150,000 Saudi Arabia riyal (Dh146,900). One of the teams competing in the inaugural 2km race is from the Arabian Desert Camel Riding Centre in Dubai.
The team leader, Linda Krockenberger, expressed her excitement about the groundbreaking event and hoped it would inspire other women to follow their passion and get involved. Coralie Virauloud, a member of the Dubai team, said that the race is an opportunity to showcase skills, leave a mark, and set an example for other women to join the sport with camel welfare at the core.
The Crown Prince Camel Festival is an annual celebration of Bedouin culture and the long heritage of camel racing. It is the biggest camel event in the world, with over 10,000 animals participating in 589 races for a total prize pool of $15 million (Dh55,087,500).
