Juma Al Ali rejoices as he is announced winner of the Fazza Championship for Youlah.

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

Affection towards the heritage sport like Youlah has witnessed a record number of Emiratis attending the finals of the 20th edition of Fazza Championship for Youlah in which young Emirati “Yuweel” Juma Obaid Al Ali was declared the winner.

Al Ali, a former junior champion in Youlah, was awarded the Fazza Gold Cup and also took home the grand prize of Dh1 million.

The results were announced as more than 400,000 people voted to choose the best “Yuweel” (Youlah performer) in a live show held at the Heritage Meydan in Global Village.

The 15th year of live telecast on Sama Dubai TV has seen participation from UAE nationals and those from Iraq, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Libya.

Around 85 per cent votes were cast for Jumaa Obaid Al Ali.  The heritage sport event lasted for four months and was organised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Centre (HHC).

Al Ali had to go through weeks of intense competition before emerging as the grand champion.

He bested another young “Yuweel” Sultan Abdullah Al Ketbi, who settled for second place and took home Dh500,000.

After receiving the award, Al Ali said: “The feeling is indescribable and I thank everyone who voted for me and supported me in this participation. Winning the Fazza Gold Cup is a dream that I sought for years ago and now it has become a reality.”

Abdullah Hamdan Bin Dalmook, CEO of HHC while talking to the media has remarked that the HHC has successfully concluded the 20th edition of the Youlah championship.

“Our journey was very long and in this track we connected people with government departments, while promoting our heritage sports Youlah, to make the participants

a perfect man. We are connecting generations and making our identity stronger with bonding with each other,” he said.

Rashid Sultan Al Darmaki and Essa Al Ahbabi finished third and fourth places and were awarded Dh250,000 and Dh200,000 respectively while Mattar Ali Al Habsi also received Dh150,000 for winning the Fazza Loyalty Championship award.

All “Yuweels” displayed outstanding skills and confidence during the 3-month-long competition.

Youlah is a very technical sport that requires intense training. Aside from spinning the rifle and tossing it in the air at a required height between 17-20 metres, the “Yuweels” were also obliged to make sure that their ghutra (traditional headgear) did not fall to avoid point deduction.

For several weeks, every Friday, the public who watched the action at Global Village, and tele-viewers who viewed it live on Sama Dubai TV, were also treated to inspiring presentations from renowned Emirati singers and poets who rendered cultural and patriotic performances.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Hamdan said the HHC would continue and even make the Youlah championship bigger in the coming years.

He said: “When His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, directed the launch of Youlah championship more than 19 years ago, he signalled the start of a popular heritage sport that has attracted young Arabs to hone their talents in our culture and tradition.”

Souad Ibrahim Darwish, HHC Director of Championships, thanked all the participants and the public for their support. “Everyone is a winner in this popular forum. We have strongly delivered the message of highlighting our heritage and social values,” she underlined.