Camel racing in Dubai: everything you need to know

Attend a camel race is a great way to discover Dubai's heritage and culture.

Here, I tell you everything you need to know about the sport.

Camel racing in Dubai: article summary

Dubai and robot jockeyss

The use of technology has modernized the conventional sport of camel racing. In 2001, the United Arab Emirates banned the use of children in camel racing. At the same time, the world has seen the development of robot jockeys. Before robots, child jockeys rode racing camels. So robots are a safer alternative to human jockeys. Humans are also heavier and slow down the camel.

To keep the robots' weight down, they are made of light metals like aluminum. Today, a typical robot jockey weighs around 27 kilograms. The lighter the weight, the faster the camel. Robots are also equipped with practical features such as GPS, which makes it possible to track the camel's speed and locationand a heart rate sensor to monitor its health.

Al Marmoum camel race

There are many camel racing tracks in Dubai. However, the biggest is the Al Marmoum camel racing track of the Dubai Camel Racing Club. It's half an hour's drive from the city of Dubai, in the Al Lisaili district, near the heritage village of Al Marmoum. Camel races are held here as part of the annual heritage festivals.

The annual Al Marmoum championship is Dubai's most prestigious camel race. In this race, the winning team receives luxury cars, an 80 million dirham prize and trophies.

The day of the camel race

The festivities begin early on race day. As a rule, there are two sessions early morning between 7 and 9 a.m. and in the afternoon after 2 p.m.. There are between 15 and 60 camels in a single race. They wear brightly colored clothing to spot them from a distance.

Racing camels need to be warmed up before the race. So, about an hour before the race itself, the camels are taken for a short sprint, taking care not to exhaust them.

As in horse racing, the camels are placed behind barriers on the starting line. When the whistle blows, all the gates open. It's the caretakers equipped with helmets and breastplates that open the doors.

Camel owners and trainers follow the herd in SUVs. There's a media crew in their cars broadcasting the whole race. The trainer has a remote control to operate the robot jockey. As he presses the remote control, the robot's hand whips the camel to make it run faster. You can also see the owners controlling the camel via loudspeakers.

The camel race is 10 kilometers long. At the start, all the camels run neck and neck. As they approach the finish line, the gaps widen. The race lasts 10-15 minutes. As the camels cross the finish line one by one, you'll hear the crowd cheering and shouting.

Camel care centers

The main care center for racing camels in Dubai is the Al Marmum racecourse. Here, the camel laboratory conducts studies on camels to increase their stamina and endurance.

It produces genetically improved camels that are stronger and faster. thanks to selective breeding and cloning according to the strict guidelines of the Emirates Camel Racing Federation.

Find out more about racing camels

The camels of the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa are mostly dromedaries. These camels have only one hump, are taller and have adapted to survive extreme heat.

The two-humped variety of camel is called bactrian and is found in Central Asia. For racing, only dromedaries are usedand among them, camels are the most sought-after.

Only specific breeds of camels are used as racing camels in the United Arab Emirates:

• the indigenous Mahaliyat race
• the Sudanese breed called Sudaniyat
• Omaniyat of Oman
• the Muhajanat cross

Racing camels can run up to 65 kilometers per hour in short sprints and at a sustained speed of 40 kilometers per hour.

Camels chosen for racing begin their training at the age of two. It is against the rules to use camels younger than this for racing, because their bones and muscles would not be fully developed.

However, the authorities do not keep records of the age of each camel.

Instead, the camel's age is determined by the size of its teeth. Special sprays mark camels approved for racing. Those without this mark are not allowed to race.

The main camel racing tracks in the United Arab Emirates

Although there are many camel racing tracks in the country, there are three main ones:

• Al Marmoum
• AL Wathba in Abu Dhabi
• Al Sawan in Ras Al Khaimah

During your stay, I recommend that you take part as a spectator in one of the famous camel races. You'll be delighted surprised by the extraordinary abilities of these animals.

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