Robots Compete with Child Jockeys in Egyptian Camel Races

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20 March 2019 12:31 WIB

A Bedouin breeder runs beside a robot jockey riding a camel during the 18th International Camel Racing festival at the Sarabium desert in Ismailia, Egypt, March 12, 2019. Picture taken March 12, 2019. Remote-controlled robot jockeys lined up at a major camel racing festival in northeastern Egypt, as owners came under pressure from campaigns to stop using child riders. Organisers fielded around 20 robots - child-sized devices with a whipping arm that can be triggered at a distance - alongside dozens of real children as part of a trial run. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

20 Maret 2019 00:00 WIB

Jockeys, most of whom are children, wait at the starting line during the 18th International Camel Racing festival at the Sarabium desert in Ismailia, Egypt, March 12, 2019. Picture taken March 12, 2019. "God willing, in a year, there will be no human jockeys, except for some adults for the sake of tradition," said Eid Hamdan Hassan, head of the Egyptian Camel Federation, which organised the festival in the Sarabium desert of Ismailia. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

20 Maret 2019 00:00 WIB

Abdallah, a 7-year-old jockey, looks on during the opening of 18th International Camel Racing festival at the Sarabium desert in Ismailia, Egypt, March 12, 2019. Picture taken March 12, 2019. Several Gulf countries have banned child jockeys from the traditional Bedouin sport after rights groups said the youngsters were often injured and some had been abducted or sold by their families. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

20 Maret 2019 00:00 WIB

Jockeys, most of whom are children, wait at the starting line on the 18th International Camel Racing festival at the Sarabium desert in Ismailia, Egypt, March 12, 2019. Picture taken March 12, 2019. Owners at last week's Egyptian event said the bans had prevented them from fielding teams in Gulf festivals - and they hoped the move to robots would help them get in. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

20 Maret 2019 00:00 WIB

Jockeys, most of whom are children, compete on their mounts during the 18th International Camel Racing festival at the Sarabium desert in Ismailia, Egypt, March 12, 2019. Picture taken March 12, 2019. Esam el-Din Atiyah, president of the African Camel Racing Federation, which includes Egypt, acknowledged that personally wanted Egypt to move to robot-only events, but the transition was costly and would take time, he added. Young jockeys at the event - local children mostly aged 6-13 - defended the tradition and their participation. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

20 Maret 2019 00:00 WIB

Jockeys, most of whom are children, compete on their mounts during the 18th International Camel Racing festival at the Sarabium desert in Ismailia, Egypt, March 12, 2019. Picture taken March 12, 2019. Around 150 camels competed in eight categories over distances from five to 15 km, cheered on by more than 1,000 spectators. Victory raises a camel's value. "When a camel wins, you sell it for a good price - from 150,000 to 200,000 Egyptian pounds($8,700-$11,600)," said camel owner Mohamed Mostafa. "The camel that doesn't win is sold for only 10,000." REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

20 Maret 2019 00:00 WIB