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Away from Asian Games, Qataris pursue sport of the sheikhs, camel racing

(AP)
Updated: 2006-12-07 09:56

The lawsuit, filed in Miami, Florida, where members of the royal family maintain hundreds of horses, alleges Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, the deputy ruler, were the most active perpetrators.

The lawsuit claims the boys were taken largely from Bangladesh and Pakistan, were held at desert camps in the UAE and other Persian Gulf nations, and forced to work. It claims some boys were sexually abused, given limited food and sleep and injected with hormones to prevent their growth.

The UAE banned the use of children as jockeys in 1993, but young boys could still be seen riding in televised races for years afterward.

The case is still pending in court.

Such scandals notwithstanding, the sport remains immensely popular in the Gulf states, with some races here drawing camels from as far away as Egypt.

"The best camels are from Sudan," Abdulla said. "They are fastest and have the best endurance."

Abdulla said a good camel can cover the six-kilometer distance in less than seven minutes. The really good camels go down in history.

One of them was "Attiyah."

"Her owners were offered 4 million riyals (about US$1 million) for her," Nouri, the Sudanese trainer, said wistfully. "They refused."

After her retirement, Attiyah was used as a breeder. The slower camels have a less enviable fate. They are slaughtered for meat.

"You can get one of those for real cheap," one of the owners said.

Camel racing enthusiasts see no reason why their sport shouldn't go global. And with such obscure sports as India's kabbadi, southeast Asia's sepak takraw and China's wushu already on the Asian Games' roster, they are feeling a little left out.

Plus, they note, horse riding has been in the Olympics for decades.

"Equestrian is a sport for the elite," said Saeed al-Amin, another race official. "Camel racing is a sport for the masses."

Of course, the lack of camels elsewhere could be a drawback. But the Qataris are undaunted.

"We have support from the government," said camel owner Nasser Bin Saeed, whose entry "Gazelle" placed second in her heat Wednesday and will be headed to the Emirates for the big race in February. "I think it would be quite reasonable to see camel racing in the Asian Games someday."

Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.

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