Al-Ula Camel Cup is a competitive sporting event within 'al-Ula Moments' announced for the first time by the Royal Commission for al-Ula in 2023, in cooperation with the Saudi Camel Racing Federation.
First edition of al-Ula Camel Cup
It was held between March 14-17, 2023, in al-Ula Camel Racing Field. An organizational mechanism has been established for participation in al-Ula Camel Cup events, which consist of sixteen legs, including six marathon legs and ten elite races. The competitions also feature a variety of events for attendees, including artistic, musical, and cultural performances, a heritage market, as well as artistic and artisan exhibitions showcasing the timeless camel culture.
Participants are required to have achieved one of the top three positions in al-Rumuz legs in the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival 2023, Crown Prince Camel Festival 2022, Saudi Camel Racing Federation Cup 2022, Olympic Committee Camel Racing Cup 2022, Ministry of Sport Camel Cup 2022 (the Kingdom), Zayed Grand Prize Camel Race 2022, al-Wathba Camel Race 2022, al-Marmoum Camel Race 2023 (UAE), Founder Camel Festival 2022, His Highness the Amir Festival 2022, and the Father Amir Festival 2023 (Qatar) from Laqaya and Haqaiq to Hail and Zumul, al-Bashayer Annual Camel Festival 2023 (the Sultanate of Oman), and the Kuwait International Camel Race Championship 2023 from Haqaiq to Hail and Zumul.
Conditions have also been set for participation in the marathon legs of the marathon. These include that jockeys and rides must be from the same country, that jockeys must be at least eighteen years old, contestants must be present in the starting area at least one hour prior to the beginning of the race, and jockeys must comply with sports uniform and safety gear specified by the organizing committee.
Record-breaking cash prizes were awarded for each round, with a total prize pool exceeding SAR80 million. For the marathon race, SAR960,000 were allocated per leg. The "heritage races," comprising eight legs, had a combined prize value of SAR51.2 million. Additionally, two legs of the "elite races" offered SAR12 million in prizes for each leg.
Second edition of al-Ula Camel Cup
The second edition took place at the Old Oasis from April 24 to 27, 2024, under the name 'The Pinnacle of Camel Racing,' as part of the Saudi Camel Racing Federation championships. Camels eligible to register and compete had previously secured a top-five finish in al-Rumuz legs of the King Abdulaziz Camel Racing Prize, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Camel Festival, or the Crown Prince Camel Festival.
On the opening day, jockey race of six legs were held: a five km race for men and a two km race for women. The second day featured four legs, split between Hagayeg (four km) and Lagaya (five km) races, with two rounds for each. The third day saw four more legs for Jithaa (six km) and Thanaya (eight km) categories. The event concluded on the fourth day with the Heil and Zmoul (eight km) races. The total prize money for al-Ula Camel Cup amounted to SAR80.960 million.
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