Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The organizers of King Abdulaziz Camel Festival to be held in January have taken measures to ensure that all participating camels were medically checked and are free of any diseases, Al-Watan newspaper reported.

Festival spokesman Sultan Al-Bugamy said Friday was the last day for registering entries for participating in the annual pageant in the desert.

“The registration for the Camels Beauty contest lasted for an entire month and not every entry registered online was accepted. All applicants must have their camels checked up medically and numbered after the beasts pass the medical examinations,” said Al-Bugamy.

He added that the organizing committee would then collect data on all the numbered camels.

“The total number of entries that fulfilled all the requirements reached 1,533, as of Friday, the last day for registration. Participation was not restricted to Saudis alone. There are a number of participants from the Gulf region, but the majority are from Saudi Arabia,” said Al-Bugamy.

He said the highest number of participants would be from Riyadh followed by the Eastern Province.

Al-Bugamy said the organizers encouraged participation of charities in the festival, which he said was held to promote the values of give and take.

“We are promoting a campaign of preserving the blessings and ensuring the food served during the festival is not wasted. In case of leftovers, we will give them away to the underprivileged members in society,” said Al-Bugamy.

He said the organizers would discourage the buying and selling of camels in exaggerated prices.

“Some of the camels sold at the previous festivals had fetched several million riyals. The organizing committee will regulate the prices and constrain the obnoxious display of wealth,” said Al-Bugamy.