NBA, Hawks and Bucks to host series of events for youth
Abu Dhabi has continuously rolled out its mats, hosting events such as the Jiu-jitsu World Championships, the Asian Championships, and the ADWPJJC
in a way that raises public awareness.
In June this year, the IFMA World Muay Thai Championships – the annual amateur Muay Thai competition – was held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, atracting more than 600 young athletes from six continents. While Thailand topped the medal table, the UAE showed its growing prowess to finish second with five golds, four silvers, and three bronze medals.
The judo scene in Abu Dhabi is also extremely active, helped no doubt by Sergiu Toma making history at the Rio Olympics in 2016 when he secured the second medal in UAE history, taking bronze in the Men’s 81kg category in Brazil. As a result of growing interest, the UAE hosted the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam last November, atracting 223 judokas from across 41 countries and five continents. It will return this October.
The presence of championship boxing is also growing in the capital. In May this year, some of the biggest names in boxing and MMA – including Floyd Mayweather and Anderson Silva – clashed in front of a sold-out crowd at the Etihad Arena on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, during the Abu Dhabi Boxing Unity Event.
The venue will come under the boxing spotlight once more when it hosts the WBA light heavyweight title fight between Dmitry Bivol and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on November 5. The bout, organised by DCT Abu Dhabi and Matchroom Boxing, pits two undefeated boxers against each other, bringing the atention of a global audience to UAE capital once again. It is the inaugural event in the new Champions Series and promises to be the first of many high-profile bouts in the emirate.
Abu Dhabi: The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced a series of youth basketball engagement programmes that will be hosted in collaboration with the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks as part of The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022.
The week of activities, which will include the league’s first Jr. NBA Week in the Middle East, will run from Monday, October 3 –9 and will reach nearly 2,000 youth, coaches and basketball stakeholders from the UAE and across the Middle East and Europe.
Jr. NBA Week will be comprised of youth basketball clinics, camps and showcases focused on teaching the game of basketball, promoting health and wellness, and empowering the next generation of female players and coaches.
The events will feature appearances by Hawks and Bucks players and coaches, NBA and WNBA legends, and USA Basketball Head Coach/coach Director, Youth and Sport Development, Don Showalter.
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 will feature the Hawks and the 2021 NBA champion Bucks playing two preseason games at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, October.6 and Saturday, October. 8 at 8pm. GST, marking the league’s first games in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf.
The games are part of a groundbreaking multiyear collaboration between the NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) that earlier this year saw the launch of the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls ages 11-14 from schools across Abu Dhabi.
The collaboration also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event.
On October 3 as part of Jr. NBA Week, Hawks players and coaches will lead three simultaneous youth development events at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus’s three-court facility, including basketball clinics for boys and girls from the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League and the Abu Dhabi Special Olympics program, as well as an NBA FIT clinic for local youth that will focus on the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle with an emphasis on mindfulness, nutrition, rest and recovery.
The Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League participants will then atend the game on October 6
On the same day, Hawks assistant coaches Joe Prunty and Mike Longabardi and Bucks assistant coaches Mike Dunlap and Vince Legarza will each host Coaches Clinics for more than 300 male and female basketball coaches from across the UAE. The clinics will teach coaching techniques and best practices for team and player development at any level.
On October 4 as part of Jr. NBA Week, Bucks players and coaches will lead players from the NBA Basketball School in Dubai and the Jr. NBA Elite Training Camp through a series of basketball drills, skills stations and challenges at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus.