A falconer at the starting point.
Doha, Qatar: The organising committee of the 17th Qatar International Falconry and Hunting Festival (Marmi 2026) announced yesterday the winners of the “Promising Falconer” Championship, which was held as part of the festival’s activities.
The festival is held under the patronage of H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and is supported by the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund “Daam” at the Marmi Sabkha in Sealine. It will continue until the 24th of this month.
The Promising Falconer Championship is dedicated to the 6-15 age group. It is a falconry competition over a distance of 200 meters, with specific conditions for the falcon, including a maximum length of 15 inches.
Two categories are participating: the Kobaj, Qarmousha, and Wakri. Imran Nasser Al Qubaisi won first place, Abdullah Omair Al Nuaimi came in second, Majid Mohammed Al Qahtani took third, Saleh Mohammed Jassim Sultan finished fourth, and Mohammed Salem Mohammed Jarallah Al Nabti came in fifth.
In the category of falconry and falconry (Al-Shuwayhna), Ali Mohammed Al-Marri won first place, Ali Mohammed Al-Asiri came in second, Amer Abdullah Al-Kaabi took third, Saeed Abdullah Obaid finished fourth, and Ali Jarallah Al-Ghayathin came in fifth.
Head of Committees and Official Spokesperson for the Marmi Festival Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Ali stated that the 17th edition of the festival reflects continuous development and demonstrates a special focus on the younger generation through the introduction and development of the Promising Falconer category.
This initiative aims to instill a love of falconry and preserve this heritage among new generations.
The Marmi Festival spokesperson explained that this category now includes younger participants who have gradually progressed from the Junior Falconer category to the Promising Falconer category, reflecting a clear vision adopted by the festival over the years to enhance falconry skills in the younger generation.
He also noted that the organising committee had allocated competitions tailored to the abilities of this category, reducing the distances of the “Dawa” (falconry) to approximately 200 meters, thus ensuring safety and encouraging participation.
He pointed out that a number of former participants in the junior categories are now competing alongside professionals in the various stages of the festival.
On another note, the qualifying rounds for the Al-Talaa Championship for groups five through ten were held yesterday, resulting in the qualification of the following falconers: Faisal Jaber Al-Buraidi, Abdulhadi Obaid Al-Mahran Al-Marri, Abdulhadi Jaber Abdulhadi Jaber Hussein, and the Barzan team.
Regarding yesterday’s Al-Talaa competitions, Vice Chairman of the Al-Talaa Committee at the Marmi Festival Rashdan Obaid Al-Rashdan stated that the second day of the qualifying rounds witnessed a high level of competition and enthusiasm among the participants, reflecting the strong preparation and readiness of the participating falcons.
Al-Rashdan explained that the qualifying rounds were held for groups five through ten, with four falcons advancing from the five groups, while no falcons qualified from group seven. This underscores the intensity and strength of the competition among the falconers.
He noted that the weather conditions contributed significantly to the success of the competitions, as visibility was clear and the weather was perfectly suited for the falconry events, without any weather factors that might have hindered the hunt or affected the falcons’ performance, especially against houbara bustards.
