DUBAI (Pakistan Point News - 2nd May, 2018 ) Bigger, better and international in its sixth season, the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament will start on May 18 with the spikers getting the cameras rolling on the volleyball courts of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex on the opening night.
One of the most anticipated events on the country’s sporting Calendar, NAS Sports Tournament 2018 will see the inclusion of three new events - 3x3 Basketball, Futsal for People with Hearing Disabilities and Jiu Jitsu – to its local calendar, taking the total number of events here in Dubai to 11.
Being held from May 18 to June 5 in the Holy Month of Ramadan, the Tournament, which carries a total prize purse of AED6 million, will also see competition for honours in Futsal, Volleyball, Padel Tennis, Fencing, NAS Night Challenge, the 5km and 10km Run, 75km Cycle Race and Wheelchair Basketball.
A five-a-side futsal competition in the Egyptian capital of Cairo and a volleyball tournament in Jordan will this year’s NAS Sports Tournament an international flavour.
In Dubai, NAS Volleyball and NAS Padel will get the event started on May 18 at the NAS Sports Complex, while Fencing will take place from May 19-23. The 5km and 10km Run is scheduled for May 21, the 5km NAS Night Challenge obstacle race for June 1-2, while the NAS 3x3 Basketball championship will take place from May 19-22 at Dubai Festival City Mall (Outside Arena).
The Jiu Jitsu championship will take place on May 31 at NAS Sports Complex, the Wheelchair Basketball and Futsal for People with Hearing Disabilities on June 4, while the NAS Cycling championship will take place on May 25-26. The 12-team NAS Futsal will start on May 27, with the final scheduled for the final evening of the tournament on June 5.
“The preparations for this edition are very special because they coincide with the Year of Zayed, which is dear to all of us,” said Salah Amin, a member of Dubai Sports Council’s board of Directors and Vice Chairman of Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament’s Organising Committee, at the official pre-tournament press conference and draw for the futsal and volleyball competition.
“To make this a memorable edition, we have added new sports like 3x3 Basketball, which is very popular among the youth, and Jiu Jitsu, which has made giant strides in the UAE and has become a positive phenomenon, contributing towards development of our children’s skills and enhancing their intellectual and athletic abilities.”
Speaking on the occasion, Hassan Al Mazrouei, Director of Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, thanked His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, for his unlimited support, which had turned NAS Sports Tournament into one of the foremost events of its kind.
“Thanks to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, the tournament has achieved record success in a short span and this year, in its sixth edition, it is also being organised in Egypt and Jordan,” said Al Mazrouei. “It has become a major sporting event, providing individuals and teams with an opportunity to play sport and remain physically active during the Holy Month of Ramadan.”
Al Mazrouei also revealed that more than 17 thousand participants had taken part in the NAS Sports Tournament over the past five years, starting with 1,500 in the first year, followed by more than 3,000 in the second, about 4,000 each in the third and fourth editions, and more than 4,500 last year.
That figure is expected to grow significantly this year thanks to the addition of three new events, and the hosting of the tournament in Egypt and Jordan.
A futsal competition will take place in the indoor halls of Cairo Stadium from May 22-26, with eight teams representing eight different Egyptian Olympic sports federation fighting for the honours. The Jordan Volleyball Federation will organise an eight-team volleyball tournament, which will be held from May 24-31 in Amman.
“The expansion of the NAS Sports Tournament to Egypt and Jordan this year is testimony to the tournament’s success and growth over the past five years,” said Ali Omar Al Baloushi, Member of the tournament’s Higher Organizing Committee and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Events.”
Registration for the Fencing, Padel, Wheelchair Basketball, Night Challenge, the 5km and 10km Run, Cycling and Jiu Jitsu competitions is still open and those interested can register through the Dubai Sports Council website (www.dubaisc.ae) or the official website of the NAS Sports Tournament (www.nasst.ae).
VOLLEYBALL DRAW
Group A: Al Mufaja’a (Surprise), Al Dhafra, F3-A
Group B: F3, Spinneys, Al Fursan (The Knights)
FUTSAL DRAW
Group A: Al A’asifa (The Storm), Dubai Police, Al Hazm
Group B: Al Embiratoor (The Emperor), Al Sa’ada (Happiness), MKS
Group C: Al Taher, Inthar, Al Bahri
Group D: Al Wasl, Team Rashid, Team Ittihad
