ISTANBUL

The Saudi Falcon Club’s King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2024, held from Dec. 3 to 19, featured a prize pool of Saudi riyal 36 million ($9.6 million), the largest in the history of the event.

The event, organized in Malham, north of Riyadh, attracted 1,032 falconers from nine countries — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Italy, and Ireland. Among them were 160 international falconers competing with 3,322 falcons, alongside 49 youth participants.

The grand finale showcased the prestigious King’s Sword competition, the highlight of the Al-Mallouah falconry race, featuring the most valuable and eagerly awaited rounds, with total prize money amounting to SR925,000 for each round.

Talal bin Abdulaziz al Shamisi, CEO of the Saudi Falcon Club, expressed his gratitude for the unwavering support of Saudi Arabia’s leadership in safeguarding the heritage of falconry. He said this year’s festival distributed the most prizes in its history, spanning 138 competition rounds.

These included 49 qualifying rounds for local professionals, owners, and amateurs, six rounds for falcons from international breeding farms, one round each for youth and women, and 73 rounds for the esteemed King Abdulaziz Cup.

“Every event we organize aims to preserve the art of falconry and promote its cultural, environmental, and economic values, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to enhance environmental quality and wildlife conservation,” he said.

Shamisi expressed his gratitude to all those who contributed to the success of the festival, highlighting that this year’s falconry season was filled with a wide range of events and activities.​​​​​​​