NAS Sports Tournament gets bigger, better

Munther Ali Hassan Alqahtani during the official Futsal draw of the 2018 Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament.

The Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament is getting bigger and better with the inclusion of three new disciplines and the event spreading its wings to Egypt and Jordan.

The sixth edition of the annual multi-discipline tournament is set to roll at the expansive Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex from May 18 to June 5 and will see the addition of 3x3 basketball, Jiu Jitsu and Futsal for People with Hearing Disabilities.

The 3x3 Basketball championship will take place from May 18 to 21, while the Jiu Jitsu championship will take place on June 1.

A total of 11 events will be held during the tournament and includes Futsal, Volleyball, Padel Tennis, Fencing, NAS Night Challenge, the 5km and 10km Run, 75km Cycle Race and Wheelchair Basketball.

The draws for Futsal and Volleyball were held at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Egypt will host a five-a-side Futsal competition, while Jordan will conduct a volleyball tournament. Eight teams representing eight different Egyptian Olympic sports federation will compete in the five-a-side tournament in the indoor halls of Cairo Stadium from May 22 to 26. The Jordan Volleyball Federation will organise an eight-team volleyball tournament, which will be held from May 24-31 in Amman.

"The preparations for this edition are very special because they coincide with the Year of Zayed, which is dear to all of us," Salah Amin, a member of Dubai Sports Council's Board of Directors and Vice Chairman of Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament's Organising Committee, said on Tuesday.

"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," he added.

"Thanks to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the tournament has achieved record success in a short span of five years and this year, in its sixth edition, it is also being organised in Egypt and Jordan," said Hassan Al Mazrouei, Director of Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament.

"It has become a major sporting event during the Holy Month of Ramadan, providing individuals and teams with an opportunity to play sport and remain physically active. The tournament enjoys great repute, attracting some of the world's top sport stars every year," he added.

Al Mazrouei also revealed that more than 17,000 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.

"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 Organising Committee and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Events.

james@khaleejtimes.com


GROUPINGS:

Futsal:

Group A: The Storm, Dubai Police, Al Hazm

Group B: The Empire, Al Saada, MKS

Group C: Al Taher, Inthar, Al Bahri

Group D: Al Wasl, Rashed Team, Ittihad Team


Volleyball:

Group 1: Surprise, Al Dhafra, F3-A

Group 2: F3, Al Fursan, Spinneys