NAS Sports event to get bigger and better
Tournament Director Al Mazroui all set to open sixth edition of annual competition today
The organisers of the annual Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Tournament have promised a bigger and better event when the sixth edition gets underway at the Nas Sports Complex tonight.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), German tennis legend Boris Becker will be one of the star attractions at the opening ceremony scheduled for 10pm tonight.
A former world No. 1, sixtime Grand Slam singles champion and winner of five year-end championships, Becker will join a long list of stars who have graced the NAS Sports Tournament in the past.
This year’s Nas Sports Tournament is scheduled to be held from May 17 to June 6 with organisers adding two more events to the programme taking the total number of sporting events to eleven.
“For sure, we have got bigger and better this year, while also going international. Each year has posed a unique challenge to us as organisers of this multi-disciplined competition and we have been able to successfully overcome all of these hurdles,” Tournament Director Hassan Al Mazroui told Gulf News.
“This year we have also ensured the competitions have spread out with the 3x3 basketball open to expatriates and Emiratis taking place at the outside arena of Dubai Festival City Mall (May 18-21) along with the cycling and road races also engaging a wider section of our community,” he added.
On board will be a 3x3 basketball tournament and a JiuJitsu competition in addition to the futsal, volleyball, padel, fencing, Night Challenge, the 5km and 10km road runs, a special futsal competition for people with hearing disabilities, the 75km cycle race and wheelchair basketball. Registrations for all eleven competitions have closed with organisers pleased with the growing interest shown by a cross-section of the community.
For the first time, the event will go international with Jordan and Egypt playing host to a couple of competitions. A five-a-side futsal competition will take place at Cairo Stadium from May 22-26 with eight teams representing eight different Egyptian Olympic sports federations, while the Jordan Volleyball Federation will organise an eight-team volleyball tournament in Amman from May 24 -31.