ABU DHABI, 11 August 2004 — Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Show will attract greater GCC participation this year, the organizers said.
A report published here quoted Mohammad Khalaf Al-Mazroui, board member of Emirates Falconers Club and chairman of the organizing committee, as saying yesterday that the GCC countries are set to increase the number of exhibitors.
“This larger GCC participation is not surprising given the fact that falconry is an age-old heritage of GCC citizens. It is part and parcel of the cultural identity of the people of the Arabian Peninsula,” Al-Mazroui said.
The show, to be held in September, underscores the keenness of the UAE to preserve falconry as a great Emirati heritage and tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation, he said.
“It is also meant to highlight the fact that hunting and falconry are no ordinary sports but also involve the responsibility of preserving the environment and the wildlife, as repeatedly stated by President Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al-Nahyan,” he said.
Al-Mazroui said the combination of the two most popular sports of the Arabs has given the show tremendous popularity.
He predicted that more than 20,000 visitors will attend the show this year, mainly from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
More than 150 exhibitors from over 20 countries will converge on Abu Dhabi for the show.
