The 17th edition of the Fazza Championship for Youllah (folk art) will begin in the Al Meydan quadrant at Global Village this Friday evening.

Organised and supervised by the Hamdan bin Mohammed Heritage Center, HHC, to revive heritage sports, the finalists will vie for the grand prize of AED 1 million and the Fazza Championship for Youllah trophy for the next 13 weeks of the competition.

18 finalists have been short listed after a qualifying round that saw more than 350 competitors of various nationalities battling for a berth in the final round.

The event, which is open to public, also has weekly performances from a Nabati poet and a singer to revive the customary ways of celebrating heritage in the UAE.

Popular singer Hamad Al Ameri and poet Mohammed Al Marri will inspire the participants during the first round of this weekly competition and entertain audiences with songs depicting Emirati culture.

Suad Ibrahim Darwish, Director of Championships at HHC, urged fans to come and enjoy the sublime skills of the finalists as they vie for top honours. "The Fazza Championship for Youllah is a programme which is televised for the 12th continuous year and serves as an endorsement of the enduring popularity of this event. We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that fans at Al Meydan at Global Village can follow every single detail by installing huge digital screens displaying graphics and statistics to give a modern look to heritage sports," he added.

‘Youllah’ is a well-established folk art over the years where a rifle is spun around to the rhythmic beat of traditional Emirati music.