Sports | Friday 18 March, 2016 2:55 pm |

 The second tournament of the Saluki Championship season will take place in the Seeh Al Selm area of Dubai on Saturday afternoon (Start: 2pm).

This event, which is being organized and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), is split into amateur and professional categories with two separate speed race rounds – two Kms for each, and open for female and male Salukis.

The competition exhibits the spirit of competition among non-professional and thoroughbred greyhound owners and the sustainability of the UAE’s rich culture and heritage that’s renowned across the Arabian Gulf.

It’s expected that there will be around 200 hybrid and purebred Salukis on the start line for this competition, which has attracted participants from across the GCC region as well as foreign countries from even further afield too.

Souad Ibrahim Darwish, the Director of Championships at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), commented: “As part of our concerted efforts at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) to revive and maintain the intangible culture and heritage of the UAE, we support the Saluki Championship as there are a great many people that are interested in this historical pursuit.

“That support, in turn, has contributed to the sustainability of hunting with greyhounds overall, despite the challenges this rare breed of domesticated dog faces in terms of the evolutionary threat of extinction.”

Darwish added: “I’d like to take this opportunity to show my admiration, appreciation and sincere thanks to all of the participants of the Saluki Championshipand the respective tournament sponsors, including the Al Futtaim Group, Al Tayer Motors, AW Rostamani (Arabian Automobiles), Global Village and the Al Oula radio station, for their cooperation and efforts to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage of the UAE.”