The UAE has always been a country rich in heritage, traditions and values. These traditions have been reflected in every single aspect of the life of people throughout the different times, in past and present and that is expected to be the situation in the future. People, who lived in the UAE and practiced sports in the past, have rich memories, and when they recall it now, you feel that they are full of joy.
I have always been curious about how people in the UAE used to spend their leisure time with the absence of the modern facilities of today, as in the past there were no TVs, no mobiles, no cinemas and also no new well-furnished hotels, shopping malls, cafés or fun cities. To get the information that I need about sports in the UAE in the past and how people used to spend their leisure time, I got hold of all of the questions and headed towards my grandfather. He is the father of my mother, and I have always been fond of speaking with him and listening to his memories and exciting stories about life in the UAE in the past. When I asked him about how they used to entertain themselves in the past and how they used to practice sport, he welcomed my questions and answered me with great willingness.
He started by saying that the sports in the UAE in the past had a special flavor , that he still feels with all of his senses . He was particularly fond of camel racing, and was very happy , when he was still a child and his father took him to watch the races, when the camels run on the dusty tracks creating around them clouds of dust. The racing tracks were not as proper as today, and the places for the audience were not as modern and well equipped as today, but the pleasure was not less than it is today in any way. The camel races were held locally and with limited scope , they were not as today, as today people come from different cities and sometimes from out of the country, so as to watch the camel races. The tracks are well constructed, and modern means are also used, such as the devices that direct the camels. There are also expensive presents and rewards in today’s competitions , while that was not the situation in the past .
In general camel racing today differs from what it was in the past , but it has always been very popular in the country as a sport and a way to spend leisure time practicing or watching.
I have always been curious about how people in the UAE used to spend their leisure time with the absence of the modern facilities of today, as in the past there were no TVs, no mobiles, no cinemas and also no new well-furnished hotels, shopping malls, cafés or fun cities. To get the information that I need about sports in the UAE in the past and how people used to spend their leisure time, I got hold of all of the questions and headed towards my grandfather. He is the father of my mother, and I have always been fond of speaking with him and listening to his memories and exciting stories about life in the UAE in the past. When I asked him about how they used to entertain themselves in the past and how they used to practice sport, he welcomed my questions and answered me with great willingness.
He started by saying that the sports in the UAE in the past had a special flavor , that he still feels with all of his senses . He was particularly fond of camel racing, and was very happy , when he was still a child and his father took him to watch the races, when the camels run on the dusty tracks creating around them clouds of dust. The racing tracks were not as proper as today, and the places for the audience were not as modern and well equipped as today, but the pleasure was not less than it is today in any way. The camel races were held locally and with limited scope , they were not as today, as today people come from different cities and sometimes from out of the country, so as to watch the camel races. The tracks are well constructed, and modern means are also used, such as the devices that direct the camels. There are also expensive presents and rewards in today’s competitions , while that was not the situation in the past .
In general camel racing today differs from what it was in the past , but it has always been very popular in the country as a sport and a way to spend leisure time practicing or watching.
