Camel racing is a popular sport practiced in regions in the Middle East especially in Kuwait, and in Africa and Australia. In this sport, camels are racing at speeds of up to 64 km / h on dedicated racing tracks. The sport is very similar to horse racing. The camels are led by young riders, whose weight usually does not exceed 45 kilograms and now they even use robots to ride the camels. Child rights agreements prohibit the exploitation of children under the age of 18 from participating in the competitions. Camel racing is an original Arab sport. Famous among Arabs, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Special type of camels used for this sport. Some countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, show enthusiasm to arrange these races regularly and to organize large popular festivals and celebrations during its residency periods.
Every winter starting from November until April. Camel Racing Club in Kuwait arranges free races every Saturday. People there enjoy camel racing just as much they enjoy online Kuwait casino, some even bet on their favorite camel. It is a original Arab sport practiced by the Arabs before Islam and they kept the habit even after Islam, and it has been passed down through the ages and ages. It is a valuable ancient heritage that the present generations appreciate and put in its proper place, and many describe it as the modern ancient sport, or the ancestral sport that stimulates enthusiasm and competition between young children in the modern era. The festival is the main event in this sport. Many camels from all the GCC, and some from European and African counties participate in that event.
Where to Find The Races
Camel races in Kuwait are arranged only by the Racing Club. The place is in the desert, but it is easy to get there by the GPS. Public transportation will not help you as they do not go there any how. Most visitors use their own cars to get to the location. As a tourist you may rent a car easily in Kuwait from any rental agency, especially during the season. The car better be an SUV or at least good for the desert because you are going off-road. It is really not recommended to go there by a taxi as you will stuck there on your way back home.
Once you fix the transportation part all you need to do is to set the point on google maps and start heading towards the Club. The club is located south east on the edge of Al Hamdi Governorate. From the airport it will be around 40-minute drive with no traffic. Many people hire drivers because it is a bit different to drive in the desert, so you may consider that unless you want to try the adventure of driving yourself in the desert. You may feel lost while driving in the middle of nowhere but keep driving towards the club. You will notice the building and the cars around from distance.
What To Expect
After that long drive in the desert you do not want to be disappointed, let me assure you that you will not be. Once you reach the club you will find a bit of civilization once again, people and parking lot. With many people hanging outside the track and camels that are not participating in the race, you can park you car and start enjoying the club. You may ride some camels outside to try the experience if you never had a chance to ride a camel before. In Kuwait Camel Racing Club, you will see different kinds of camels, black, white, brown, and tan. Some of them are rare so you may never see it again in your life.
Once you are inside, you will see a long track, similar to the horse racing track but this one much longer and covered with sand. The owners drive along the track following their camels. Racing now is a different as they do not have riders on their back anymore. The owners use robots to control their camels. The robots keep the connection between the camel and the owner. they could make noises or even movements similar to what the boy riding on the back of a camel would make to urge him to speed up. This way is safer because the camel racing requires the rider not to be more than 40-45kg, and all of them where children. During the day you will watch multiple races. Each race lasts around 10-15 minutes, not longer. Although camels are not the fastest animals to race but people their enjoy the event every year.
