When it comes to tradition, camel racing can actually be traced all the way back to the seventh century. Yet, back then, it only played an informal role in Emirati society, with infrequent events occurring and featuring such races. Birthdays and weddings, for example. Practiced most primarily as a Middle Eastern sport, it was officially introduced in the 13th century by Hulagu Khan, the Mongol Empire ruler.
In camel racing history, children have often been favored as jockeys due to their light weight. Many of those children have been seriously injured throughout the centuries as a result of falling off the camels while training or during races.
The United Arab Emirates was the first country with camel racing to ban children under 15 from being used as jockeys, though. That ban was announced in 2002, and in 2009, compensation was paid out to 879 former jockeys. Qatar followed suit in 2005 with a similar ban.
Despite camel racing history appearing to have some sort of issues, it remains a popular sport in countries like Pakistan, Mongolia and Australia, as well as much of North Africa and Western Asia.
In modern camel racing, the camels are usually controlled by remote controlled robotic whips. One of the world’s major camel racing tournaments is held at Alice Springs in Australia, with the biggest prize money coming from the same country.
As with all sports, there are specific camel racing rules as well. These dictate that a camel must be at least 3 years old and that a jockey must use a saddle or they cannot race.
Camel racing rules also specify that camels must stay on course and get through all gates to be in with a chance of winning. As noted previously, the jockey must be at least 15 years old. The camel racing events last between one and two days, with most racing events occurring from Thursday through to Saturday.