5,000 participate in 10th edition of NAS Sports Tournament

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The 10th edition of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament ended on a successful note on Monday after an action-packed couple of weeks and receiving extensive coverage from local, Arab, and international media.

These media outlets gave the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament extensive coverage and keenly followed the events, which began on March 23, ran for 19 days, carried a prize purse of Dhs4 million, and were watched by more than 40,000 spectators of different ages and nationalities.

Held under the theme ‘Limitless Abilities’ and organized by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the NAS Sports Tournament is the biggest event of its kind in terms of participation and prize money, and has been held every year in the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013 at the iconic Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

The biggest sporting highlight of Ramadan was broadcast live for more than 140 hours on Dubai Sports Channels II and III, attracting millions of viewers. Arab and international media outlets also covered the tournament, which lasted 19 days and featured fantastic competitions that attracted thousands of fans.

The tournament witnessed a significant increase in the number of nationalities among the participating athletes.

The tenth edition of the Nad Al Sheba tournament featured more than 5,000 participants from 103 different nationalities across all continents, both Emiratis and expats, who came to compete. They participated in eight disciplines, including volleyball, padel, wheelchair basketball, running, cycling, archery, jiu-jitsu, and fencing. The NAS Sports Tournament carried a prize purse of Dhs4 million.

Dubai Sports Council thanked the sponsors and partners for their support for the tenth edition.

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai was honored for its support of the event by facilitating the issuance of visit visas for international athletes from various continents.

Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council and Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of the tournament, presented momento to Lieutenant General Mohamed Ahmed Al Marri, General Director of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) and Chairman of the Sports Games Sector at Shabab Al Ahli Club, in the presence of Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council and Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the tournament, and Hassan Al Mazrouei, Tournament Director.

Dubai Sports Council also honoured the other sponsors in recognition of their role in supporting and making the event a success.

The Dubai Sports Council also expressed gratitude to the Nad Al Sheba Events Volunteer Team, which participated with more than 40 volunteers and was led by Haider Al-Enezi. To make sure the tenth edition of the course was successful, this crew put in more than 1800 hours of work, or 95 hours per volunteer. They supported activities, administrative planning, and crowd admission and exit to the stands.

The competition drew 26 sponsors from public and private organizations, departments, and businesses, including volleyball team sponsors as well as Dubai Duty Free, Al Tayer Motors, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, Dubai Police, Tadawi Medical Center, Plan B, Media partner Dubai Sports Channel, and supporting partners FTNT, Dubai Refreshments Aquafina, and PepsiCo.

This sponsorship serves as an affirmation of the shared eagerness of the Dubai Sports Council and various national institutions to make the Nad Al Sheba tournament a success by providing a sporting event that will serve as a family gathering place, inspire younger generations, and support our national athletes in the various competitions that have brought them together with some of the best athletes in the region and the world. The collaboration of these national institutions was crucial to the tenth edition of the tournament's success, and the institutions were eager to support it as the most significant occasion that personifies the value of sport in society.