First: Competition Registration Requirements

1. Registration is open to citizens of the United Arab Emirates only.
2. Registration must be completed using the participant’s full three-part name.
3. Registration using a valid UAE national ID number is mandatory.
4. Falcons must be registered by providing the following:
   • A photograph of the falcon.
   • The falcon’s ring number.
   • The falcon’s name and type.
5. If a falcon’s electronic ring is lost or damaged, the Joint Organising Committee must be notified immediately so that a replacement ring can be issued.
6. The owner or an authorised falconer must attend the club in person and bring their UAE national ID card to complete registration, pay the fees, and collect the participation card and electronic rings. Registration is available at the following locations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai:
   • Abu Dhabi Falconers Club, Al Falah area, Abu Dhabi.
   • Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, Al Habbab area, Dubai.
7. Falcons that are not registered and do not have the approved electronic ring issued by the competition organiser may not participate in official races.
8. The owner or their authorised falconer must sign the registration form. The owner is responsible for any incorrect information provided and may retain a copy of the form for reference if requested.
9. If the information on the falcon’s origin ring (“farm”) or its type is unclear, and no official supporting evidence is available, the falcon will be referred to a committee for review and a decision.
10. The Joint Organising Committee will announce the registration period for team falcons and the arrangements for issuing participation cards and electronic rings. No team will be accepted after the registration period has ended.
11. A participating team must submit a written undertaking to the Joint Organising Committee confirming its participation in all rounds and agreeing not to withdraw without the Committee’s approval. If a team fails to participate or withdraws, a fine of AED 50,000 (fifty thousand dirhams only) will be imposed. If the team fails to pay, the Organising Committee may take the necessary measures.

Second: Participation Requirements for the UAE Falconry League

1. A team owner, administrator, or falconer may not participate with more than one team, whether by entering their falcons, training falcons, or providing any other form of support.
2. The Committee is responsible for evaluating selected teams based on their achievements in official championships held in the UAE during previous seasons, in order to fill any available places.
3. The Joint Organising Committee may take any action it deems appropriate when registering a new team or falcons with no record of achievement.
4. Only falcons in the “Gyr Tabaa”, “Gyr Shaheen”, “Pure Gyr” and “Gyr Qarmousha” categories owned by UAE citizens may compete in the League.
5. The competition will be held in a single league comprising all participating General category teams.
6. The Joint Organising Committee will allocate teams to Groups A and B by drawing lots.
7. The General category is for falconers competing in that category. One or more owners may form a team and enter it in the UAE Falconry League.
8. All team members must be at least 18 years old.
9. Each team may enter four main falcons, with no more than one falcon from each category approved for the UAE Falconry League.
10. Each team may enter 12 reserve falcons, with no more than three falcons from each category approved for the UAE Falconry League.
11. Only approved falconers and owners holding team participation cards may release a falcon in the competition. No other person may release a falcon on behalf of its owner, unless authorised by the Joint Organising Committee. A falcon will not be accepted in breach of this requirement.
12. Once team registration has closed on the date specified by the Joint Organising Committee, no falcon or owner may be transferred, added, or removed from a participating team.
13. New owners may join a team with their falcons during the transfer period, provided they are not registered with another team during the current season.
14. During the transfer period, which will be announced after the group qualifying round, each team may replace only one falcon in each category: Gyr Tabaa, Gyr Shaheen, Pure Gyr, and Qarmousha.
15. Each team may register one administrator and three falconers.
16. Each team may make up to four substitutions from its reserve falcons across all categories in a round. Substitutions must be made at least one hour before the round begins.
17. Participating teams must submit a suitable team name and logo at registration.
18. The Organising Committee has the right to reject a team name or logo.

Third: UAE Falconry League Format

Participating Teams

1. The League must include an even number of teams, with at least ten teams in total.
2. Participating teams will be divided into two separate groups, Group A and Group B, according to the procedure approved by the Joint Organising Committee.

Team Falcons

1. Each team must register one main falcon in each approved League category.
2. Each team may register two reserve falcons in each category and may use either reserve falcon when necessary, subject to the applicable rules.
3. The approved League categories are:
   • Gyr Tabaa.
   • Gyr Shaheen.
   • Gyr Qarmousha.
   • Pure Gyr.

Qualifying Round Heats

1. The qualifying round consists of four heats for each group, with one heat assigned to each of the four categories.
2. Falcons in each heat will be released according to the draw order approved in advance by the Joint Organising Committee. This order is final and binding.

Scoring

1. Points are awarded according to the positions achieved in each heat, as follows:
   • First place: 25 points.
   • Second place: 18 points.
   • Third place: 15 points.
   • Fourth place: 12 points.
   • Fifth place: 10 points.
   • Sixth place: 8 points.
   • Seventh place: 6 points.
   • Eighth place: 4 points.
   • Ninth place: 2 points.
   • Tenth place: 1 point.
2. The points earned by each team’s four registered falcons will be added together to determine the team’s final qualifying-round ranking.
3. The scoring results issued by the Joint Organising Committee are final and binding.

Qualifying Teams

1. The top five teams from each group, based on their qualifying-round points, will advance to the final round.
2. A total of ten teams will advance to the final round.

Final Round Format

1. Qualifying teams may use any of their registered reserve falcons in the approved categories, subject to the participation rules.
2. The final round consists of four heats, with one heat for each category.
3. The points earned across the four heats will be added together to determine the participating teams’ final rankings.
4. The final-round results are final and may not be appealed.

Tie-Breaking Procedure

1. If two or more teams have the same total points at any stage of the League, the Joint Organising Committee will hold a tie-break heat.
2. One falcon from each tied team will be released in the tie-break heat. The results will determine the final ranking of the tied teams.
3. The results of the tie-break heat are final and binding.
4. The participating team is solely responsible for providing a reserve falcon for a tie-break.
5. If one or all of a team’s falcons in the same category are lost or die, the team will continue competing with its remaining falcons. No new falcons may be added unless they are already registered for that team as main or reserve falcons.

Fourth: General Rules and Participation Guidelines

1. The race distance is 400 metres.
2. Falcon times will first be recorded using radar. If the radar does not produce a time, the time will be recorded using a photo-finish camera. The camera records the time taken by the falcon to complete the race and is connected to the technical system and screens, which display the time live to the audience and competing teams.
3. If neither the radar nor the photo-finish camera produces a time, the falcon will be released again to determine its time. The falcon owner is responsible for following up with the Committee regarding the release.
4. The falcon may be called using a telwah (lure) only. The caller must wear the official national dress.
5. If a falconer is found to have pushed a falcon at the start, the falcon will receive a red card and its result will be disqualified from the heat in that stage.
6. Falcons must be released at the starting line within the time limit set by the committee responsible for organising the competition. The Committee may disqualify a falcon that exceeds the time limit.
7. If a team is found to have engaged in any form of manipulation, the team and all falcons entered under its name will be disqualified from all competitions organised by Abu Dhabi Falconers Club or Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center, and the team will be barred from future participation.
8. The Organising Committee may delay or postpone a race if an emergency affects the conduct of the competition.
9. A falcon registered more than once on the entry list under different names will be disqualified.
10. The Committee may disqualify any falcon whose category is in doubt.
11. The decision of the Judging Committee is final. Participants may not object to a result once it has been announced.
12. All participants must cooperate with the Joint Organising Committee and its subcommittees and comply with the rules and regulations governing the League.
13. Participants must follow the schedule announced by the Joint Organising Committee for the UAE Falconry League, including round dates, start times, and category order.
14. Participants may not object to decisions of the Judges’ Committee or the Joint Organising Committee concerning competition start times, the procedure for conducting or announcing the draw, or the timing of preparations in the falconers’ tent or through the official website. Participants must comply with all decisions issued by these committees.
15. A participant may be disqualified if they fail to arrive at the competition venue for preparation at the announced time and this delays the competition procedures.
16. The competition organiser accepts no responsibility for the injury, death, or escape of a falcon for any reason, whether inside or outside the venue or during the competition.
17. Ownership of falcons may not be transferred between teams after the team’s falcons have been registered, and registered falcons may not be replaced with new falcons.
18. The names of owners, falconers, or falcons may not be changed once the team has been approved by the Joint League Committee.
19. The team administrator must sign the undertaking when registering the team for the UAE Falconry League within the announced registration period. The signatory must be at least 18 years old.
20. The team owner, team administrator, and participating falconer must read all UAE Falconry League rules and conditions. They are responsible for any failure to comply with the requirements and regulations.

Fifth: Rules for Releasing a Falcon from the Starting Point

1. The falcon may be called using a telwah (lure) only.
2. The caller must wear the official national dress.
3. The falconer must follow the instructions of the Joint Organising Committee, stand upright, and not face backwards when releasing the falcon in the release area. The falconer must not make any unusual or inappropriate movement for this sport. The Organising Committee may disqualify the falcon from the heat if this rule is breached.
4. The falcon must be released at the starting line within the time limit set by the committee responsible for organising the competition. The Committee may disqualify a falcon that exceeds the time limit.
5. The falconer must not push the falcon at the start. The falcon’s result will be disqualified if this rule is breached, as determined by the competent committee.
6. Only team owners or authorised falconers listed on the team registration form may release a falcon during the competition. No person who is not listed on the team’s official roster may release a falcon.
7. The falconer releasing the falcon must wear the official national dress of the United Arab Emirates during all competitions. If another person is authorised to release the falcon under the preceding rule, that person must also wear the UAE’s official national dress.

Sixth: Objections and Complaints

1. Participating falconers must direct any enquiries to the committee responsible for organising the competition, in accordance with the procedure it specifies.
2. A competitor may submit an objection concerning any competition procedure within 24 hours of the relevant procedure, through the official channels approved by the Joint Organising Committee.
3. The competent committee will respond to an objection within 48 hours of receiving it. If no response is issued, the objection will be deemed unfounded.