AlUla in Saudi Arabia was host to the first Arab Camel Cup and first World Endurance Championship, held on May 3 and May 4 respectively, both featuring a field of thoroughbred racing camels.

AlUla, the ancient Arabic oasis city in Saudi Arabia, played host to two of new sporting events last week, with the organisation of the first Arab Cup for Camel Racing and the first World Championship for International Camel Endurance.

According to a press statement by the ministry Royal Commission for AlUla, it worked closely with key partners the Arab Camel Racing Federation and the International Camel Racing Federation to stage the new competitions, which were held back-to-back over two days and featured the region’s best thoroughbred camels.

Held on May 3 at the Mugheira Heritage Sports Village, the debut Arab Camel Cup saw some of the sport’s leading riders from 16 Arab nations compete over 13 hotly contested rounds of racing for a share of prizes exceeding SAR 3 million (USD 800,000).

The statement adds that May 4 featured an international contingent of camels and riders in the first-ever World Championship for International Camel Endurance. With a total prize pool of SAR 2 million to be won, the two-stage challenge covered a total of 16 km with male and female riders competing in their respective categories. 

The winners received SAR 500,000, with the remaining prize money shared amongst the runners up. Riders participating in the World Endurance Championship in AlUla were registered based on their age, at least 18 years old, and type of camels, including Hail, Thanaya Bakkar, Zamoul, and Thanaya Qadan.

The statement says that the two new competitions will build on AlUla’s status as a sports hub and attract an international audience of spectators as well as enthusiasts from across the nation and globally.

It says that the Arab Camel Cup and the World Endurance Championship were both held in support of the Ministry of Culture’s ‘Year of the Camel’ initiative, celebrating the camels’ status in Saudi culture and society. These events also supported RCU’s long-term plan to champion the deeply rooted cultural legacy of camel and heritage sports, while also opening new opportunities for socio-economic growth within AlUla and northwest Arabia.

“Hosting the new Arab Camel Cup and the first-ever World Endurance Championship is yet another exciting milestone in the ongoing evolution and development of heritage sports in northwest Arabia. As the sector continues to go from strength to strength, RCU is excited to welcome the very best teams, owners, and riders to participate in thrilling new competitions that showcase much-loved categories of traditional sports as well as the wonderful, purpose-built facilities that have been created in AlUla to accommodate participants and spectators alike,” says Ziad Alsuhaibani, Chief Sports Officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla. 

RCU says its ambitions for heritage sports are closely linked to its tourism and cultural conservation plans, placing each at the heart of the community as a powerful and unifying area of development aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan.

“The heritage sports sector continues to grow at a rapid pace, bringing with it new opportunities for inclusive growth, dynamic investment, and of course new levels of sporting excellence. The Arab Camel Cup and the World Endurance Championship are new and welcome editions to AlUla’s growing calendar of year-round cultural and sporting events,” says Alsuhaibani.