Camel racing has been part of Arabian culture for generations, but today’s races look very different from those of the past. The camels still race across the desert, but the jockeys have been replaced by robots controlled from vehicles driving alongside the track. It is an unusual solution that has become one of the sport’s greatest innovations.
KILOMETER 0: The Starting Line
On race day at a track outside Riyadh, camels line up at the gate with something small and strange strapped to their backs. It’s not a person. It’s a robot, four or five kilograms, dressed in a miniature jockey outfit, with a speaker on its chest and a small motorized whip on its arm. Behind the fence, a convoy of SUVs waits to peel off the second the gate opens. Nobody in those cars is riding anything. They’re about to drive alongside the track for several kilometers, remote control in hand, shouting instructions at a robot strapped to an animal that can hit 65 kilometers an hour over a course anywhere from four to eight kilometers long.
Camel racing itself isn’t new here. Bedouin tribes raced camels informally for centuries before King Faisal formalized the sport in 1964. What changed, decades later, wasn’t the sport. It was who, or what, gets to ride.
KILOMETER 1: Why Any of This Exists
The adoption of robot jockeys was driven by the need to eliminate the use of child riders.
For decades, camel racing across the Gulf relied on children, some as young as four or five years old, because their low body weight offered a competitive advantage. Investigations during the early 2000s exposed widespread child trafficking, exploitation, and unsafe racing conditions, prompting governments across the region to intervene.
Qatar began developing robotic jockeys in 2001. The UAE conducted its first public trials in 2005 while raising the minimum jockey age to eighteen. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain soon implemented similar reforms, replacing child jockeys with robotic alternatives.
KILOMETER 2: What’s Actually Strapped to the Camel
Despite their advanced role, robot jockeys are relatively simple machines.
Modern units typically consist of a lightweight frame, rechargeable battery, communication speaker, and a remotely controlled mechanical whip. Early prototypes weighed nearly 18 kilograms and were prohibitively expensive, but engineers in the Gulf developed smaller and more practical designs.
According to Saudi media reports, a robot jockey generally costs between 700 and 1,500 Saudi riyals, making it affordable for professional racing stables to maintain multiple backup units during competitions.
KILOMETER 4: The Convoy
One of the most distinctive features of modern camel racing is the convoy that follows every race.
Pickup trucks and SUVs travel alongside the camels throughout the course, with trainers remotely controlling the robot jockeys while communicating through onboard speakers. Viewed from the stands, the event resembles two races unfolding simultaneously, one on the track and another on the service road beside it.
KILOMETER 6: Built-In Backup
Today’s robot jockeys do much more than replace human riders.
Many are equipped with GPS technology and biometric sensors that monitor a camel’s speed and heart rate throughout the race. This information is transmitted in real time, allowing trainers and officials to monitor performance as the race unfolds.
Eyes Overhead
Major camel racing festivals also incorporate drones to capture aerial footage and provide live broadcasts for spectators.
Camel racing was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020. Events such as the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival now attract tens of thousands of racing camels and offer prize pools worth hundreds of millions of Saudi riyals, combining centuries-old tradition with modern technology.
THE FINISH LINE
At first glance, the sight of SUVs following racing camels while trainers communicate with robot jockeys appears unusual.
However, the technology represents a significant transformation in the sport. Robot jockeys helped eliminate the exploitation of child riders while preserving one of the Arabian Peninsula’s oldest sporting traditions. Over time, they have also introduced new capabilities, from live performance monitoring to enhanced race management, demonstrating how technology can modernize a historic sport without compromising its cultural identity.
