In Al-Mirmam Fort, the 25th Fazza Championship for Yoola and the 21st season of the 'Al-Midan' program kicked off with a large audience turnout. This season's launch was marked by a refreshed theme, reflected in the new environment inspired by the UAE's oases, which gave Al-Midan a vibrant spirit and a visual concept that resonates with the place's memory. Prior to the launch of 'Al-Midan 21', the 16 finalists underwent daily intensive training under the guidance of a group of the center's top experts and coaches to prepare for all the challenges of the program. This was to ensure they would appear in their best form in this competition, which sees fierce competition from the start. The organizing committee set up a comprehensive and integrated training program lasting over a month to prepare and polish the skills of the participants in this year's edition. In the first episode, four Yoola athletes competed with similar performances, reflecting their high readiness, before Ubaid Al Ali from Umm Al Quwain and Salm Faisal Al Khuz from Dubai secured their spots in the second round by excelling in the decisive Yoola challenge. After all participants were tied with 50 points each, Salm Ali Al Katbi from Sharjah and Mohammad Saeed Al Mehairi from Dubai were eliminated from the competition. The organizing committee set up six challenges: Yoola (25 points), poetry recitation (15 points), swimming (15 points), archery (15 points), assembling the saddles (10 points), and camel racing (20 points). The participants delivered outstanding and competitive performances in Yoola skills to the rhythm of the new Al-Midan song for this season, 'The Salt of the UAE,' with lyrics by the CEO of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Centre for Heritage, Abdullah Hamdan bin Dalmook, and sung by artist Mihad Hamad. The music was composed by Maestro Fayez Al Sayed. The judging was overseen by Khalifa bin Sabain, and the episode was presented by Rashid Al Khawani, Director of Fazza Championships at the Hamdan bin Mohammed Centre for Heritage. It was broadcast live on Sama Dubai screens and on the airwaves of 'First 107.4 FM'. In the 25-meter swimming challenge, held at the Hamdan Sports Complex, Salm Ali Al Katbi and Mohammad Saeed Al Mehairi won the race, earning 15 points each. In the archery challenge, held live on the Al-Midan stage, Ubaid Al Ali and Mohammad Saeed Al Mehairi excelled, each achieving 15 points. In the poetry recitation challenge, judged by poet Atiq Salm Al Kaabi, author of the 'Signatures' diary and winner of the 'Generation's Treasure' award from the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Creative Media Award, Salm Faisal Al Khuz and Salm Ali Al Katbi managed to score points in the challenge, earning 15 points each. The camel saddle assembly challenge was the highlight of this season. As a new challenge, it revives a deeply rooted traditional skill in Emirati culture, strengthens the Yoola's connection to the world of camels and their authentic tools, and is based on the speed and accuracy of assembling the saddle on the mount in a race filled with rivalry and focus, revealing the competitors' true skills in dealing with this vital living component of heritage. In this challenge, Ubaid Al Ali and Salm Faisal Al Khuz stood out by successfully executing the task with high efficiency, enabling them to score points in the first episode of the season. In the camel race, Salm Al Katbi and Mohammad Saeed Al Mehairi excelled, with the two winning camels being greeted with saffron, and each earning 20 points. Regarding the launch of the championship, Abdullah Hamdan bin Dalmook, CEO of the Hamdan bin Mohammed Centre for Heritage, said: 'The Fazza Championship for Yoola and the Al-Midan program form a cornerstone of our journey aimed at preserving the Emirati heritage and presenting it in a style that combines authenticity and innovation.' The episode's guest The first episode of the 'Al-Midan' program featured artist Mohammad Al Menhali as a guest, who performed a song titled 'I Can't Describe You,' to great public interaction on the stands of Al-Mirmam, expressing his appreciation for all sports and arts that the nation takes pride in for its heritage.
