Stage set for much-awaited 10th edition of NAS Sports Tournament

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The much-awaited 10th edition of the NAS Sports Tournament, the biggest of its kind that takes place during the Holy Month of Ramadan at Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, will get underway on Thursday.

Organised by the Dubai Sports Council under the theme ‘unlimited capabilities’, the NAS Sports Tournament has been one of the top sporting attractions during the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013.

The 10th edition will feature competitions in eight sports disciplines, including volleyball, padel tennis, Jiu-Jitsu, archery, fencing, wheelchair basketball, running, and cycling.

In another first, the organizing committee has announced the launch of the inaugural edition of the Nad Al Sheba International Padel Competition with the participation of eight teams alongside other padel competitions, which are organized every year.

The draw ceremony of the competition was held at Dubai Sports Council ’s premises in the presence of Hasan Al Mazrouei, Tournament Director, and Adel Al Bannai, Head of the Technical Committee.

Participating teams have been classified into two groups as per their rankings.

Egypt are seeded on top, along with the UAE, the competition’s host. Qatar and Iran are seeded second, Japan and Kuwait are third, and Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are fourth.

The UAE, Qatar, Japan, and Saudi Arabia share the same group, while Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, and Bahrain are in another group.

Participating teams in the volleyball competition, are classified into two groups as follows: the first group comprises the defending champions, Emperor, Fohoud Zabeel, HMS Team, and Al-Shababi, while the second group is composed of Al Jawareh, Zabeel Team, Al Khalidiya, and Bin Thani X Team.

The wheelchair basketball competition will witness the battle for top honours between 10 teams, who are classified into two groups.

The first group comprises Dubai Courts, Dewa, Dubai Police, the Department of Finance, and Al Bustan Center and Residence, while the second group is composed of RTA, Dubai Municipality, Community Development Authority, Ability Life Team and Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services.

The 10th edition of the NAS Sports Tournament, kicking off with the padel competition, will conclude on April 10.

The Jiu-Jitsu competition will take place on Friday. An archery competition will take place on March 26–27 at the main hall of the Nad Al-Sheba Sports Complex.

The fencing competition is scheduled for March 28-29, and the cycling competition will take place on March 30–31 at Meydan Road and various locations in Mohammed Bin Rashid City.

The volleyball competition will begin on April 1. A wheelchair basketball competition will take place from April 1 to April 9 at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.

The running competition is slated for April 7 at the Meydan Track.

Almost 39,000 male and female competitors, both professional and amateur, representing different countries took part in the tournament's previous nine editions, which began in 2013.

The organizing committee has completed all preparations to make the event successful.

Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council and Deputy Chairman of the organizing committee, said: "Since its launch as per the directives of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, NAS Sports Tournament has attained remarkable sports and community goals. "The tournament gives amateurs a chance to compete alongside professionals and sharpen their skills," he added.

Hasan said: "We are eager to build on the exceptional results achieved throughout the tournament's nine previous editions and look forward to more athletes participating in the various competitions of the event."