Participants in the competition hail from several Gulf nations and fall under various categories based on their breed and age. However, prior to the famous competition, camels are inspected by a medical committee using X-rays to prevent fraud and ensure the animals have not undergone any surgical improvements. It's a precaution that was put in place after 43 camels were disqualified from a previous competition as some owners reportedly gave their animals Botox and face lifts to boost their chances of winning. The camel competition is fierce, with various age and type categories.
Speaking about the competition, Qatar Camel Mzayen club president Hamad Jaber al-Athba mentioned that the beauty pageant is similar to the ongoing World Cup and it has big names for the tournament. “The idea is similar to the soccer World Cup, we did a camel beauty World Cup. We have participants from the Gulf Cooperation Council, we have big names and today is the fifth day of the tournament," he told Reuters.
Fierce competition at this year’s Qatar camel beauty contest. Journalism doesn’t get much harder hitting than this. My powerful piece for @BBCWorld #qatar #camels #WorldCup2022 #beauty #contest pic.twitter.com/OioDW3DYlO— Tom Brada (@TomBrada1991) November 30, 2022
Hamad Jaber al-Athba went on to say that the characteristics used to assess a camel's beauty differ from one group to the next. He gave an example, saying that black camels are judged based on the size of their body, head, and the location of their ears.
The club president continued by outlining the traits that would earn a camel the title of the competition. “But for the Maghateer-type camel, we look for proportionality and the ears should be dropping down, not stand straight. In addition to the way, the mouth is curved. As far as the Asel are concerned, they have special characteristics. The location of the ears is important, there should be a delicacy in the bones, the hooves, so there are characteristics that need more detail," revealed the club president.
Prior festivals were more regionally focused, but since Qatar now allows camels from all across the region, breeders from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates attend it.
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