Dubai: Zabeel 2 clinched the volleyball after an engrossing battle in the final of the 11th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, which concluded on Sunday.
Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), crowned the champions. Organised annually under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, under the slogan “Limitless Capabilities’, the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament brought together sportspersons from across the globe.
This year’s edition, held from March 11, featured nine sports disciplines, including padel, jiu-jitsu, fencing, road racing, cycling, obstacle challenge racing, wheelchair basketball, tug-of-war and volleyball. The event is the largest sports tournament held during Ramadan.
Exhilarating climax to tournament
The volleyball tournament’s final match served as an exhilarating climax to the three-week tournament, with Zabeel 2 clinching the title through a hard-earned 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 25-17, 21-25, 15-5) victory over Fohood Zabeel. The match took place in front a capacity crowd at the indoor hall of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.
Maksim Sapozhkov, who was adjudged the best server, outscored everyone with 29 points for Zabeel 2, while teammate Valda Davyskiba, who walked away with the most valuable player award, chipped in with 19 points for the winning cause.
Paul Puchegger, who was given the best spiker prize, had 27 points against his name, while Filippo Lanza put together 13 points for Fohood Zabeel.
Smooth win for The Emperor
Italian Tommaso Guzzo came up with a man of the match performance to power The Emperor to a smooth 3-0 win over Al Jawareh to clinch third place in the volleyball late on Saturday.
Guzzo’s 20 individual points was the standout moment even as teammate Luca Purro came in handy with his contribution of 14 points as The Emperor sailed past Al Jawareh 25-22, 25-23, 25-23 in a close fight for third place.
Gift to the community
“The Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament is a prominent annual sports event, generously gifted to the sports sector and the community by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. We are committed to realising the vision set forth by Sheikh Hamdan for the development of sports in Dubai,” Sheikh Mansoor said.
He noted the transformation of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament into an international sports event over the years, extending beyond its traditional Ramadan schedule.
Sheikh Mansoor highlighted the meticulous planning that goes into each year’s tournament, from the selection of sports disciplines to attracting both amateur and elite athletes from around the globe. He also pointed out the significant impact the tournament has had on local athletes.
At the conclusion of the volleyball final, Sheikh Mansoor was honoured in the presence of Lieutenant General Mohammed Al Marri, Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai, Saeed Hareb, Secretary-General of the Dubai Sports Council and Chairman of the Organising Committee of the tournament, and Ali Al Mutawa, Secretary-General of the Endowments and Minors’ Trust Foundation, Dubai.
7,149 participants in nine disciplines
A total of 7,149 amateur and professional male and female athletes of various ages and nationalities participated in the nine competitions of this year’s 11th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament.
The tournament’s road running races saw the participation of 3,010 athletes of both genders, while 1,300 athletes took part in the road cycling competition, and 152 players participated in the volleyball competition.
The padel competitions too were a huge draw with the participation of 600 players of both genders, while 160 players participated in the wheelchair basketball competitions, and 127 players took part in the fencing contest. In addition, 440 male and female athletes took part in the two-day jiu-jitsu competition, while a total of 700 male and female athletes contested in the Obstacle Challenge Racing and 660 participants took part in the Tug-of-War competition.
