Troops Attend Qatar Camel Races
I thought this was a good read. The information about the camel racing is interesting, plus it's a nice insight into the sort of things the troops get up to during their R&R leave. (For those of you who don't know, the US base in Qatar is used as a destination for troops operating in the region, and they often receive passes to go out and about in Qatar.)
Troops Attend Qatar Camel Races
Story by Dustin Senger
Date: 02.21.2009, Posted: 02.22.2009 10:07
“I didn’t know camels could run so fast!” said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Melanie Haynes, from Del City, Okla., during a camel race in Al Shahaniyah, Qatar, Feb. 21. “It’s amazing they don’t need a lure to keep them running. I didn’t know camels could be trained to race.”
Haynes and U.S. Army Maj. Isaac Peay, from Cassatt, S.C., were participating in the U.S. Central Command rest and recuperation pass program in Qatar, a Gulf state located along the eastern coastline of the Arabian Peninsula. During their four-day pass from duty in Iraq, U.S. Army Master Sgt. Gregory Lewis-Seals, from Dewitt, N.Y., sponsored them to leave the U.S. military installation and witness a popular local past time: camel racing.
“Today we use robots but I was a camel jockey as a child,” said Ali Nasser Al Naimi, a Qatari camel owner and trainer who travels to the Al Shahaniyah race track nearly every day. Camels require constant encouragement to keep running. Amid pressure from human rights activists, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar emir, ordered child camel jockeys to be replaced with robots in 2003 – capturing interest from robotics corporations in United States, Europe and Japan.
“Our first robots were from Switzerland,” said Naimi. “They were too heavy – around 25 kilograms – and their whipping technique didn’t make the weight worth it. Eventually, we received robots from United Arab Emirates that weighed less than three kilograms. They were designed using a common drill motor, rechargeable batteries and a whip – everything assembled to look like a little man. The final robots gave us better performance with fewer injuries to both humans and camels – by far.” According to Naimi, the fastest camel’s record was beaten by over a minute with the introduction of the new technology.
“A camel’s value is based on how well it performs,” he said. According to Naimi, racing camels are generally worth around $20,000 to $275,000. The fastest camels in Qatar are frequently valued over $300,000 – top performers can reach over $2 million.
“Sadly, my camel is showing the beginning signs of sickness today,” said Naimi, driving alongside the race track with Haynes, Peay and Lewis-Seals along for the ride, watching his camel try to keep up. “I can tell he’s getting ill by how poorly he’s running,” said Naimi, controlling the robotic jockey’s whip from his car and talking to the animal through an integrated audio receiver. His camel was trained to respond to verbal commands, to include its name.
“Being in a camel owner’s car during a race was fascinating,” said Peay. “Some camels gave out, while others sped up. I saw one really pick up its stride. Everyone was controlling their robot jockeys with remotes and cars were getting all mashed together – it was wild!”
“The camel races put us in an entertaining and relaxing environment,” said Peay. “I enjoyed Qatar’s weather and generous people. Coming to an event that’s important to our host nation is good for building relationships. When they see us here, they see us taking an interest in their lifestyle.”
“This was a great opportunity to enjoy Arabic culture in a peaceful atmosphere,” said Haynes. “I brought a camcorder to show my kids a video of how fast camels can run.”
Source: http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=30295
There are more pictures on the original article.
There are more pictures on the original article.
I ran into some on Sunday at Souq Waqaf. I've also seen them many times in city Center. They are always so polite and very complimentary of Qatar.
I've seen troops down at the InterCon. They get given day passes to use the beach and facilities. I've also read about them do various other trips around Qatar - dune bashing, souqs etc.
They're sent to Qatar to relax. It's a good thing UKEng.
so what is the big deal here if the troops went to see the camels.. They are not allowed to go anywhere else..Poor sods cant even go to bars in town.. Guess the camel racing is one way of entertainment for these poor souls away from home..
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HE WHO DARES WINS
good to see that poor child camel jockeys are replaced by robots.
http://www.qatarliving.com/node/389658
It looks like soooooooo much fun!
fine ok
that women shouldn't attend camel races?? I want to go but someone told us women should only watch them train in the early am
You can't teach experience...
Da you blind wolf your eyes are not open! It says the first ones they used were 25kg which was too heavy. Now they use ones from UAE weighing 3kg.
yes da..I saw your robot camel jockey..its really small..not at all heavy.
your camels won anytime? saw there some camels given VIP treatments..
for heaven sakes its not more than 15kg.
and the QLers with me have seen it at my place how small it is which is impossible to weigh more than 20kg.
The Prize even reaches to 9M Qr. which is around 2.5M $.