Dubai: Top international padel tennis players Fernando Poggi and Cristian Gutierrez Albizu from Argentina will be among the select band of players to feature in the Nad Al Sheba Ramadan Championships that opens at the Nad Al Sheba Club from Thursday night.
The organising committee has announced that all preparations are in place for the event, which will run until August 2.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the event will see competitions including five-a-side football, volleyball and padel tennis get under way from 10 pm on Thursday.
The total prize fund for the championships is Dh3 million.
One of the highlights this year is the organisation of one-off competitions every Friday, starting with a 10-km run at 10.30 pm on July 12, followed by an exhibition football match involving famous players — possibly including Diego Maradona and Michel Salgado — on July 19 and a 70-km cycle race on July 26.
“We invite fans and spectators to attend matches at the club as we have exciting raffle draws each day. The grand prize at the end of tournament draw will be a four-wheel Lexus 570,” said tournament director Hassan Al Mazroui.
The volleyball tournament see 16 teams in action while 20 teams have confirmed for the football competition. There will be four preliminary round matches played each day in the five-a-side football competition. The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the knockout quarter-finals.
Members of the organising committee have been working closely with the UAE Athletic Federation and UAE Cycling Association to finalise the routes for the 10-km run and the 70-km cycle race.
“The Padel Tennis Tournament will be a huge affair with reigning doubles world champions Poggi and Albizu attending, with a few other stars from across the world. Also involved will be eight teams from the UAE. Nearly all the finals will be held on August 2 much before Ramadan concludes,” said Hamdan Mohammad Al Merri, head of the competitions committee.
