TAIF — Amal Bint Misfir Alfaran has provided a shot-in-the-arm for women empowerment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by breaking a norm and racing into history. Alfaran broke the barrier of entering into a domain, previously considered a male purview, by becoming the first woman and owner of camels to participate in the Crown Prince Camel Festival in Taif, since the launch of its first edition in 2018. Alfaran participated in the preliminary stage of the Crown Prince Camel Festival that was organized by the Saudi Camel Federation (SCRF) under the patronage of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman in Taif. The third edition of camel races that are being held here to showcase and boost the camel racing heritage of the Kingdom and Gulf Arab countries. It also emphasizes the fact that the Kingdom lays stress on its heritage as the country modernizes. She participated in the festival with two camels — Al-Dana and Al-Loulou. The names of her camels mean the pearls and they were decorated in blue and pink colors. In the 13th round, Alfaran's camel Al-Loulou achieved sixth place. On the reason for making a foray into this field, Alfaran said that it was her enthusiasm and lack of fear, and the fact of being the first woman to participate in camel races that made here enter in this festival. Alfaran added, "I participated because of the intense and the high level interest in this festival, and because of the most prominent Arab names who participate in this festival." One of the main reasons that encouraged her to take the decision to participate, Alfaran stated, was the current reforms in the Kingdom that has allowed women to become equal stakeholders in every sphere. The reforms and the Saudi Vision 2030 has empowered women and allowed them to make important achievements during the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman in various fields. She revealed the reasons for calling the two camels Al-Dana and Al-Loulou as they are considered well known names in the Gulf, while adding another key element that these being the names of her daughters. She named them after her daughters whose names are Dana and Loulou. Alfaran added that now that she has tasted competition she will be participating in future camel races in the upcoming editions. The camel festival has allocated prizes that are considered as among the highest prizes in this sport, amounting to SR53 million. One million riyals are also allocated to "the Crown Prince's Sword" prize, which will be won by the owner of the camel with the most points in the general rounds of the festival. The race consists of two "preliminary and final" stages, with a total of 532 runs. Hundreds of famous owners of local, Arab and international camels are competing for the prize.
