Abu Dhabi: Winners of the Summer Olympics 2010, held under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmad Bin Nasser Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, were honoured at a ceremony held Wednesday, where they were present among family and friends.
Having had over 400 participants taking part in different tournaments, including beach soccer, beach volleyball, tennis, squash and swimming, the Olympics extended over a period of three weeks, which began on July 13 and ended Wednesday.
They were open to people of all ages, and had a diverse range of nationalities, and were held at Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort."These tournaments are hosted to increase the awareness of sports and activities in public and to create a social get-together" Dr Mohammad Naeemat, chairman of Adbox Events, co-organiser and sponsor of the Summer Olympics, said.
Bringing people together
"The games were open to all experience levels in special categories, be it young or old or with special needs. As Abu Dhabi residents, one of our main priorities is to bring people together and there is no better way than a sports event," he added.
Participants of the event told Gulf News that they enjoyed the experience and would consider joining the Summer Olympics if it were to take place next year.Twins Amira and Mohammad Hassan were both very pleased to have taken part in the swimming category. A lot of hard work, training and dedication went into preparing the two eight-year-olds, along with plenty of encouragement from their parents.
"I had to train every single day, for two to three hours," Amira, who had been swimming since she was six, said.
"I love to swim, because the sport has helped me strengthen my muscles and my body, and it is an important skill to have when I go to the beach".
Percy Pilane, who was part of the South African team for beach soccer, explained that his team had held a training session every Tuesday for over three weeks in order to shape up for the challenge."We had to meet every week to train. A lot of people came, even those that weren't playing, simply to cheer us on," Pilane, who has been residing on the UAE for eight years, said.
"Training was exhausting. In South Africa, we are born loving soccer, and we all play it since a young age. But this was the first time for me to play beach soccer, and it is more difficult to play on sand," he added.
"We were pleased to see an enormous interest in the Summer Olympics, mainly by the Emirati community and the overall positive feedback towards this event," Roxanne Campbell, resort manager at Sheraton, said.
