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Dubai Schools Games ready for action; new sport, awards introduced

Now in its fourth edition, the event is aimed at preparing the country's next Olympians

Published: Tue 17 Oct 2023, 4:53 PM

Updated: Tue 17 Oct 2023, 6:46 PM

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Photo from previous Dubai Schools Games (Source: dubaischoolsgames.ae)

Photo from previous Dubai Schools Games (Source: dubaischoolsgames.ae)

Students who have always loved their karate classes now have the perfect venue to put their punches, kicks, and blocks to the test.

Karate is now part of the Dubai Schools Games, officials said on Tuesday. An innovative points system will also be introduced this year. Now in its fourth edition, the games will begin on Thursday.


“This year we're very excited to announce that we are going to be introducing a new sport. One of the sports that we noticed and are supporting this year is karate. It is something that is also part of the UAE’s future vision. So, we have integrated that into the programme of events this year," Pippa Clark, managing director at ESM, told Khaleej Times.

“We have opened registrations for four events so far this season, and we are already witnessing registrations from students representing more than 60 different schools.”

Karate championships and a school leaderboard are the new elements in this year’s school games, which are hosted by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) every year.

The competition runs until June 26 and includes a range of tournaments for all children — from team sports such as netball and cricket to alternative sports such as archery, gymnastics, and golf.

Over the next nine months, 20 unique sports will be on offer across 25 different venues, with a goal of honing talent and preparing the youth for their journey to become Olympic champions in the future.

New awards

In the 2023 Dubai Schools Games, new awards will recognise top schools under two categories. These will be titled "2023-24 Dubai Schools Games Champion – Primary" and "2023-24 Dubai Schools Games Champion Secondary".

Clark explains schools earn points through athlete and team performance, promoting healthy competition. The Top 10 schools will be updated on the leaderboard after each event for motivation.

“We are also introducing the school leaderboard. So, this is something that's going to help build on these games, build the enthusiasm around the games, and get more children participating.

“For every gold medal, we're going to be offering six points to that school. For every silver medal, there will be three points and for every bronze medal, there'll be one point. After each event, we'll update our leaderboard to be able to see how schools are progressing. At the end of it, we'll find out who is the number one school. We'll have two separate boards, one for the primary schools, and one for the secondary schools,” she added.

Exciting venues

Additionally, the games will take place at some of the most well-known sporting locations in the city, including the Hamdan Sports Complex for swimming; Dubai Sports World for basketball, badminton, and unified games; Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Stadium for tennis; Al Nasr Sports Club for football; and the iconic Expo City Dubai for cycling.

Saeed Harib, secretary-general of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), reiterated that the largest school sports event represents the preliminary step for scouting and developing sports talent among the youth.

“Around 8,500 students will participate from more than 200 schools partaking in over 20 games. All the games will be held across several clubs and different venues," Harib said.

"We want to observe and select the best talents in Dubai to be part of our clubs or private academies and make them future champions. I’d like to emphasise that Dubai has consistently shown support for children and encourages students to participate in these sporting activities.”

The partnership between talabat and Dubai Schools Games adds further excitement to the annual event, with planned engagement activities for parents and children.

Simonida Subotic, vice-president of talabat UAE, said: “We support the mission, and we support the goal of the games and engaging young students to promote a balanced lifestyle. I always say to know how people eat is to know how they live. If you think about athletes…how they eat is to know how they perform. So, the importance of a balanced lifestyle is something that is important to us as a brand and important to young people.”

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