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ICLDC announces its Ramadan Football Tournament

PLAY SPORTS! Live Healthily is a pillar of Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC)’s award winning public health awareness campaign, “Diabetes. Knowledge. Action.”, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak. It focuses on raising public awareness of the importance of physical activity in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

According to ICLDC’s Medical & Research Director and Consultant Endocrinologist, Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, this year’s event will be played over five nights on specially-constructed pitches inside the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

She said that participating organisations have doubled from last year with 16 teams confirmed to compete in this year’s event when it kicks off on August 22. The semi-final and final matches are scheduled for August 26.

“This is the tournament’s third year and we are thrilled to have such a big rise in participants. The increased support reaffirms our faith that the community is very willing to help and give its time in support of activities encouraging people to be active and stay healthy.”

Dr Maha cited recent figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) suggesting that 285 million people are living with diabetes around the world. In fact, five GCC countries feature in the top eight countries in terms of diabetes prevalence as a percentage of the population. “These statistics indicate that the region has high risk factors for diabetes, mostly related to rising obesity rates and physical inactivity,” Dr Maha said.

However, the good news is that eighty per cent of type 2 diabetes is preventable simply by introducing a healthier lifestyle including increased physical activity and a healthy diet.

Dr Maha said that the tournament works well to draw public attention to the importance of regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Last year, more than 1,000 spectators attended the tournament.

“We are hoping that this year’s tournament will also attract even bigger spectator participation. It is an indoor event this year and it will have a dedicated activity zone for children and families.”

Dr Maha also confirmed that Mubadala Development Company, ICLDC shareholders, has once again entered a team of its employees as well as coming onboard as the event’s Presenting Sponsor.

Suhail Al Ansari, Associate Director, Mubadala Healthcare and Chairman of ICLDC, praised the Centre for its ability to put the tournament firmly on the Abu Dhabi community activity map.

“We are very proud of Imperial College London Diabetes Centre’s tremendous achievements in public health awareness and community outreach. Team sports and competitive tournaments like this are an excellent way to encourage people to get active. We are delighted to support the event once again and the Mubadala team players look forward to participating next week, cheered on by their colleagues, friends and family.”

Fourteen leading Abu Dhabi-based organisations are joining Mubadala and ICLDC to make-up the 16 teams that will compete this year. They include Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) - the 2009 champion and one of the event’s Official Sponsors. Meanwhile, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) have also confirmed a team entry and Official Sponsorship each.