Seventeen countries are participating in the Katara International Exhibition and Conference for Pigeons — a first-of-its-kind event in the Middle East — which opened yesterday at the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara).
About 3,350 pigeons are on show at the event which was inaugurated by Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara, in the presence of a number of ambassadors to Qatar and several delegates.
Commenting at the launch event, Al Sulaiti said that the show is the largest platform in the Middle East which brings together amateurs and companies specialising in this trade. He stressed that the exhibition, which is being held in an Arab country for the first time, is held in cooperation with the International Federation of Pigeons.
He said that the Katara homing pigeon race started on February 15, in which 1,100 pigeons are participating, and a large number of them arrived in Doha for the competition. The first 40 will be chosen to win valuable prizes.
Al Sulaiti explained that the aim of the exhibition was to make Qatar a hub for homing pigeons in the Middle East, expressing confidence that Qatar will enter the map of the homing pigeon Olympics starting next year due to its geographical location which places it at the centre of participating countries in the homing pigeon Olympiad from Asia and Europe.
He said that the exhibition comes within Katara’s keenness to diversify its activities to include various interests, hobbies and sports, whether in relation to the Qatari folk heritage, or events of a global nature.
“Katara International Exhibition for Pigeons brings all pigeon enthusiasts together. Pigeons are part of the Qatari folk heritage. We share this heritage with many countries of the world,” he said.
The exhibition includes several activities that will give the participants an opportunity to meet representatives of various international companies and exchange knowledge and experiences. Also, it provides a wonderful opportunity for visitors to learn about the homing pigeon sport.
Istvan Bardos, President of the Federation Colombophile Internationale (International Racing Pigeon Federation) expressed his happiness on the huge international participation at the event, saying that this exhibition will pave the way for other bigger activities in the sector.