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A greeting from Misun and Mubarak! (146K)
What Do Camel Racing and Korean Wrestling Have in Common?
Misun Choi & Mubarak Al Khaili
ISALC, Lewis and Clark College
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What Do Camel Racing and Korean Wrestling Have in Common?
Misun Choi & Mubarak Al Khaili
Every country has a traditional sport or game, and there are differences and similarities between them. The United Arab Emirates and Korea have traditional sports. Two of these are camel racing and Ssirum. Camel racing was developed by Bedouins who lived in the desert for a century. Because the Bedouins loved their camels, camel racing has become a famous sport in the U.A.E. A long time ago, camel racing had been held on informal desert tracks, but nowadays, it is held on eight to ten kilometer enclosed tracks. Likewise, Korean wrestling, Ssirum has a long history. Korea was influenced by Europe 5,000 years ago. At the beginning, most ordinary people played Ssirum but recently only a few people have been trained to play the game. Both camel racing and Korean wrestling are very popular and many people enjoy watching them. These are typical sports for our countries, the UAE and Korea.
There are many differences between camel racing in the UAE and wrestling in Korea. Camel racing doesn’t occur in every season; it’s only in the winter. However, the Koreans wrestle at all times of the year. Another different point is that camel racing is practiced on an open track that could be 5, 8, or 10 kilometers. But Korean wrestlers practice in a covered stadium. Also, in camel racing there are more than 30 camels on every course, each one trying to win the race; however, in Korean wrestling there are just two wrestlers, each one pushing and pulling the other one to put him down. However, all these differences don’t mean that there is no likeness between the two sports. In fact, there are many shared features among camel racing in the UAE and wrestling in Korea.
Like any other sport, camel racing requires some training before the camel is able to race. The camel trainers in the UAE start training their camels when they become three years old. The camel trainers rope the young camel to an old expert camel to teach them to jog with other camels. They usually train them for six months by practicing running on the small track. Later, they take the camels to bigger tracks. Finally, the camel can participate on a championship track. The ground of the race is usually sandy because it's very comfortable for the camels' hooves.
Preparing for the race is the most important thing for the owner and it takes some steps. First, the trainer reduces the camel’s diet a week before the race. The camel's race diet consists of oats, bran, dates, honey and cow's milk. Second, they warm up the camel one day before the race by bringing them to the track to remove the nervousness from the camels and to make them familiar with the track. The last step is bringing them to the race track and waiting for their turn because the race is divided by age and gender.
Camel racing usually is held in the early morning or late afternoon on Fridays and on national holidays between October and March each year. Camel racing gets a lot of people’s attention, the locals and the tourists. People gather under the race platform where they could watch most of the race steps; however, the camels’ owners take buses, which move inside the racetrack to give their instructions to the jockeys running the race by using a walkie-talkie. For example, their instruction would include holding the camel back in the beginning of the race, giving the camel free reign in the middle of race and whipping it at the right time near the end of race.
There are certain famous names in the camel-racing world in the UAE, those who are professional in this field and who have a lot of experience in training and taking care of the camels. Some of them are old and some are young like Shike Mohamed Bin Rashed, the defense minister of the UAE. Moreover, there are some camels which are famous, which always win the races, and which make the camel owners think before they participate in the same race, like the camel called Mahna,which finished the eight kilometer race in Dubai in 13 minutes 56.8 seconds. The first ten winners in the race get a lot of valuable prizes. The government and the local companies give these prizes. These consist of luxurious cars like Mercedes, BMW and Range Rover for the winner in the main race. The other nine places get monetary prizes depending on their places, between $1000 and $10,000.
Although you might not expect it, there are several similarities between camel racing and Korean wrestling. As you can see above there are certain differences, but those two sports have more similarities than differences. The first one is training. Ssirum wrestlers also train their bodies and mind. Ssirum requires not only strong body but also spiritual strength because the wrestler has to judge and make decisions instantaneously. The winner is decided in a couple of minutes in a small circular arena, only seven meters in diameter. In addition, each wrestler can be the winner by simple making his opponent touch the arena with any part of his body except his feet. Therefore, Ssirum requires training and a of variety specific skills, like camel racing. Some colleges or high schools train Korean wrestlers. During the training, they prepare their weight according to weight limits which require a lot of dedication.
Another similarity between camel racing and wrestling is observation of the sport and prize money. Ssirum is held usually on a national holiday, for example, the Harvest moon festival, New Year’s day, etc. Since the Ssirum has been held, it has been observed on every national holiday. When it is held, many people observe around the arena, because Ssirum is a very popular sport among the Korean people. Ssirum, like camel racing is held on sandy ground because it's more comfortable for the participants. As I mentioned, there are schools that train Korean wrestlers like the camel racers, and after they graduate from the school, they become professional wrestlers. They are sponsored by big companies, which organize the events, give prizes, and money.
Although, the differences between camel racing and Korean wrestling are big, there are a lot of similarities. Camel racing is the most popular traditional sport in the UAE because the camel was a symbol of life for the people there for many years. They used it in their traveling, for example, and they also used it as a source of food. In addition, camel racing keeps the people in the UAE in touch with their past. Korean wrestling is one of oldest sports in Korea; it started 5,000 years ago and it was popular in the past, enjoyed by all ages and by ordinary people. Koreans continue observing this sport to stay in touch with their tradition. Both of the sports represent the best of their countries' culture and tradition.
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