Riyadh: The third edition of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Camel Festival will begin on Friday and will run for 10 days, offering prize money exceeding SAR75 million. This makes it the 65th sporting event on the record of the Saudi Camel Sports, the body responsible for organizing, supporting, and developing camel racing in the Kingdom.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the festival began in February 2024, attracting the participation of 2,087 camel owners and 6,869 camels from 13 countries. It has since become the pinnacle of competition and a source of pride for the local community, reflecting its deep-rooted identity and authentic heritage.
The Saudi Camel Sports continues its efforts to organize races across various regions of the Kingdom, preserve this significant cultural heritage, and elevate the sport to international standards. These efforts also include race governance, providing services to racing venues and owners, and creating an ideal environment for practicing and developing the sport.
The festival is not merely a competitive sporting event, but a dynamic economic and cultural driver. The market value of the participating camels has exceeded SAR250,000,000, clearly demonstrating the success of Saudi Vision 2030 in transforming authentic heritage into a leading sports and economic industry, further strengthening Saudi Arabia's position as a global leader in camel racing.