Camel

Child camel racers banned in UA

by Haitham Sabbah July 10, 2005

Finally: “Associated Press – Under international pressure to stop child abuse in a traditional desert sport, the United Arab Emirates has banned the use of underage riders in camel racing.”

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22 Pakistani camel race riders return home from UAE

by Haitham Sabbah June 21, 2005

Abdul Hakeem was just six years old when he went to United Arab Emirates to work as a servant. But the Pakistani youngster ended up as a camel jockey. He came home on Tuesday after losing nine years of his childhood in a sport internationally condemned as a form of slavery. At 15, Hakeem is [...]

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Qatar’s Child Jockeys

by Haitham Sabbah May 25, 2005

(Photo: Child jockeys in Qatar in April 2005 – AFP/File/Salem) Yesterday, Qatari official announced that it will reportedly slap jail sentences of between three to 10 years on anyone using child jockeys in camel races, will also risk fines of between 50,000 and 200,000 riyals (13,800 and 55,000 dollars). The Qatari government in December banned [...]

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Kamel, the Robot Jockey

by Haitham Sabbah April 25, 2005

October 2004, I posted a news article about the intentions of Qatar to substitute robots for jockeys in camel races. Now the robot is ready and was tested last week. The following photos shows ‘Kamel’, the robot jockey, rides Ghazil, a Qatari camel, during a test-run at the Shahaniah camel race track in Doha, Qatar. [...]

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Qatar to use robots in camel races

by Haitham Sabbah October 20, 2004

Qatar is set to substitute robots for jockeys in camel races, a favorite sport in the oil-rich Gulf region which has faced widespread criticism over the use of child jockeys from the Indian subcontinent. But the sport’s supremo in Doha insists Qatar never abused child camel jockeys in the first place and that the plan [...]

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