Dubai: More than 300 UAE swimmers took part in the inaugural Arena Development Swimming Gala at the Hamdan Sports Complex on Saturday for the chance to meet Olympic gold medallist Chad le Clos.
Ali Mohammad Ali and Aradita Sunder topped the boy’s and girl’s Under-12 categories respectively. Tanish George and Salma Reda won the Under-11s, while Adham Sherif Jaseb and Yasmen Ossman won the Under-10s.
Fahad Ali Mubarak and Shakthi Balakrishnan won the Under-9s, Mohammad Bin Fawzi and Thea Kadri won the Under-8s and Utkarsh Gar and Haia Ahmad Esmail won the Under-7s.
The 12 lucky winners will meet the South African 200-metre butterfly gold medallist at Atlantis, The Palm on Monday.
“To witness such drive and talent from so many young, local swimmers was very encouraging,” said Mohammad Al Baker, Deputy Chairman and CEO of Gulf Marketing Group. “Sun and Sand Sports is delighted to be working so closely with Arena to offer the future stars of the UAE fantastic opportunities such as the Arena Development Swimming Gala.
“All 300 participants should feel proud of their achievements and look forward to promising futures in the world of swimming.”
The Arena Development Swimming Gala served as a platform for local swimmers to experience what it takes to reach the very pinnacle of their discipline, whilst promoting the spirit of fair competition and sportsmanship.
Ali Mohammad Ali, aged 12 years old, said: “I feel really happy because I love winning and I train hard. I liked this event because it was a good opportunity to compete and warm up for bigger events.”
Chad le Clos will launch his new Arena surf collection during Monday’s meet and greet. The collection will be available from next month at a select number of Sun and Sand Sports stores throughout the Middle East.
Le Clos will return to the region for the 12th Fina World Swimming Championships (25 metre), taking place in Doha from December 3–7.
