Dubai: Several of her cousins in tow, Reem Mohammad (name changed on request) is always among the first to turn up at the Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Complex daily to take in a Ramadan sports competition under way there.
As a Grade X student at Gems Our Own Al Warqa, Reem no longer has to worry about waking up early and going to school the next morning — the annual examinations are over and it is the summer vacation.
For the past few days, Reem has been among the regulars at NAS Ramadan Sports Festival, soaking in the atmosphere.
“As in the past, this year there is no tension about waking up in the morning and getting ready for school," Reem said.
"This year has been just so cool for us as the examinations are over and we can stay here till all the games are over late in the night.
"My cousins and so many of our friends are here and that gives this a really good meaning.
“This competition blends well with Ramadan. Everyone here is so courteous and nice and we feel welcomed,” she added.
Reem has been a regular visitor to NAS since the first edition was held in 2013. The first edition, though on a sort of experimental basis, had a prize fund of Dh4 million from Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
Residents trickled in initially but, by the time the second edition was held last year, the event had been established as one of the go-to competitions during the month of Ramadan. This year, there is a total prize money outlay of Dh8 million for seven sporting disciplines.
In a short span of time, NAS Sports has managed to establish its identity and, by doing so, some of the best names from the world of sport have started making the UAE their destination for the various competitions.
As per competition rules, each team is allowed to field foreign professionals. Last year witnessed stars such as Portugal’s Ricardinho and Brazilian Falcao featuring in futsal. This year too, teams have been guarded until the start of the competition in disclosing the names of their marquee players in the hope that they can impress and win a chunk of the prize money of Dh1.2 million allocated for futsal.
“This competition is basically what we can do for our youth. Society is changing and our youngsters need the right focus and direction to make sport a part of their lifestyle. They are faced by various pressures and that is why it makes perfect sense to have a tournament like NAS during this month,” says tournament director Hassan Al Mazroui.
“Shaikh Hamdan has been constantly backing us to raise the bar for this tournament each year. This year, for the first time, we have the wheelchair basketball and archery so that our not-so-privileged members of society have an opportunity to be part of the fun. And archery is an Olympic sport. Who knows we may stumble upon some hidden talent who will bring glory to our country in the future,” he adds.
Just over a week into the third edition and the organisers are already scouting for ideas to see how they can grow this event even more in 2016. “There are no boundaries for what we can achieve through this tournament. Shaikh Hamdan is our constant guide and he supports anything that we put forward to grow this tournament as one of the biggest and the best during Ramadan in the near future,” Al Mazroui says.
And Reem, who is busy minding her young cousins, thinks aloud: “I have really never played any sort of sport so far as I am keen on my studies. But who knows it is high time that I start playing some sort of sport.”
