Editing Camel racing (section)

==History==
Camel racing is a centuries-old racing event, which has been practiced as a traditional Middle Eastern sport since Medieval times. It can be at least traced back to the 7th century CE Arabian Peninsula where it was a folk sport practiced at social gatherings and festivals.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Etheredge|first=Laura|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IM6J4sgCU28C&pg=PA138|title=Persian Gulf States: Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates|date=2011-01-15|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc|isbn=978-1-61530-327-4|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Williams|first=Victoria R.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpDdBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA41|title=Weird Sports and Wacky Games around the World: From Buzkashi to Zorbing: From Buzkashi to Zorbing|year=2015|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-640-1|language=en}}</ref> Camels have held an important position in Middle Eastern societies as modes of transportation beyond racing for thousands of years, only recently replaced by automobiles in the mid-20th Century during the [[History of the oil industry in Saudi Arabia|oil boom]] in the region.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Khalaf |first=Sulayman |date=1999 |title=Camel Racing in the Gulf: Notes on the Evolution of a Traditional Cultural Sport |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40465695 |journal=Anthropos |volume=94 |issue=1/3 |pages=85–106 |jstor=40465695 }}</ref>

Historically, many camel races in the [[Persian Gulf]] region of the Middle East existed to serve the purpose of a social event and celebration rather than an intense competition. [[Bedouin]] communities often conducted short, 300 to 500 meter long races to commemorate special occasions such as weddings, religious festivals and feasts, and rainfall.<ref name=":0" />

When competitions occurred in past eras of camel racing, the arrangements and prizes were significantly less planned ahead than they are in the races today. Participants were rarely determined more than a day in advance, and usually came as the result of a challenge between camel owners. The sport had very few rules and regulations, and foul play between riders prior to races was common. Furthermore, there were no age or weight classes for camels or riders.<ref name=":0" />