DUBAI: The competitions for the eleventh edition of the ‘Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Tournament’, launched and supported by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, will commence from the evening of 11th March 2024.
Held under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, the largest sports tournament of its kind during the Holy Month of Ramadan at the NAS Sports Complex is conducted under the slogan ‘Limitless Capabilities.’
Organised under the auspices of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the annual sports fiesta will continue until 31 March and will feature nine different sports disciplines, including Volleyball, Padel, Jiu-Jitsu, Fencing, Wheelchair Basketball, Road Race, Cycling, Tug-of-War, and an Obstacle Challenge.
The Padel Championship will launch this edition of competitions on Monday and continue until 30 March. This year’s tournament will see some of the top pade
l players from across the world descend on Dubai.
The padel competition will be followed by a three-day fencing tournament to be held from 12th to 14th March. This will be followed by the Obstacle Challenge that will commence on 14th March and continue until 21st March.
The 5-km and 10-km road running race will be next on the schedule at the Meydan Track on 16th March. Next will be the Jiu-Jitsu Championship on 17th and 18th March, followed by the Wheelchair Basketball tournament scheduled to start on 20th March and continue until 28th March.
Next up will be Cycling on 22nd and 23rd March, followed by the Volleyball competition from 22nd to 31st March. The Tug-of-War will also be held from 24th March and continue until 29th March.
Led by Saeed Hareb, Secretary-General of the Dubai Sports Council and Chairman of the Organising Committee, the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament further announced that the top finishers of this year’s various competitions stand to win more than AED3.6 million in cash prizes.
The
volleyball tournament winners will receive prizes worth AED1.5 million, while another AED500,000 has been earmarked for those who complete in the cycling race. The Padel tournament winners will get more than AED374,000, while the various road race winners stand to win a cumulative amount of AED325,000.
The amount allocated for the tug-of-war tournament winners is AED280,000, while Obstacle Challenge winners stand to receive AED265,000. Teams participating in the Wheelchair Basketball tournament will win AED210,000, winners in the Jiu-Jitsu competition will receive prizes worth AED150,000, and the fencing winners will get AED56,000.
Hareb was grateful to Sheikh Hamdan for his support and backing in providing UAE residents with one of the most important international sporting events, the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament. Over the years, this multi-discipline event has grown to be arguably one of the top competitions held during the Holy Month of Ramadan anywhere in the world.
‘The Dubai Sports Council and the
organising committee, under the directives of Sheikh Mansour, are constantly working to enhance the standing of this tournament at all sporting levels. Our main focus is to achieve the lofty goals set by Sheikh Hamdan. We have completed ten editions of this event and we owe much of this success to the vision of Sheikh Hamdan,’ Hareb commented.
‘This is the best sporting event held during Ramadan and our amateur and professional athletes from inside and outside the UAE await the arrival of the Holy Month each year so that they can participate in various activities. Not only do the athletes benefit from a high level of competition, but they also get to interact with top international athletes from across the world,’ he added.
‘Each year, we have endeavoured to add at least one sporting discipline, and this year we have been fortunate to have the tug-of-war and Obstacle Challenge making their debut in the nine different sports this Ramadan,’ Hareb noted.
Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of th
e Dubai Sports Council and Vice Chairman of the Organising Committee, was pleased with the march towards excellence, not just by the event, but by the participating athletes. ‘For sure, this tournament has laid the marker for greatness in sporting events. And this has pushed us towards further excellence in achieving goals,’ he noted.
‘This year, we have nine different sporting events, and once again, we will have athletes from all across the globe descending here to participate in the unique atmosphere that Dubai lays out before the world. The eleventh edition, starting on Monday, will once again witness the participation of some of the top international and Arab stars in various competitions. We have a legacy angle to this tournament as we are keen to provide our own sportspersons with an adequate platform to perform, while also laying out the notion of legacy for sports in the UAE,’ Al Rahma added.
Hassan Al Mazrouei, the Course Director was pleased with the arrangements made by the organising committee
this year. ‘This year’s NAS Sports Tournament will be distinct and unique in all its details. We have ensured we provide the best to the participants so that the level and standard of competition is also of a high nature,’ he said.
Source: Emirates News Agency