Dubai: The Spider Team will take on Fohood Zabeel in the opening match of the volleyball competition as the fifth Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament gets under way at the NAS Sports Complex from May 28.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the annual event is being organised by the Dubai Sports Council.
The preliminary rounds of the volleyball competition will get the nine-discipline tournament under way with the futsal final signalling the end on June 16. Al Hazm will play The Surprise in the second volleyball match of the evening starting at 1.30am.
The highlight of the opening night will be a friendly futsal exhibition match involving former Real Madrid star Luis Figo, former African Footballer of the Year Freddy Kanoute and one of the greatest futsal players Alessandro Rosa Viera [Falcao] along with members of the 1990 UAE squad.
“Competitions like the NAS Sports Tournament are meant to spread goodwill and brotherhood in the community. Over a period of just four years, NAS has emerged as a platform to nurture young talent and provide a springboard for their professional sporting careers at the national, regional and international level. This event is intended to ensure that people from within the community engage themselves in sporting activity during the holy month,” Saeed Hareb, General Secretary, DSC.
“We are delighted with the exponential growth and success of NAS. Dubai is a leading destination for international sport and is recognised as a city that promotes health and well-being through various sporting initiatives,” Hareb added.
This year will witness the addition of three new sporting disciplines, namely fencing, a fitness challenge and football for the deaf along with the normal competition for padel, volleyball, futsal, wheelchair basketball, road runs and road cycling.
Held under the theme “Unlimited Capabilities”, the NAS Sports Tournament is one of the richest organised during the month of Ramadan with a total prize offering of Dh6 million. The Futsal competition has been allocated Dh2.31 million, while the Volleyball has Dh1.56 million on offer.
The winners in the road running races will share from the Dh458,000, while the winners of the road cycling will receive Dh360,000. The Padel competition has been allocated Dh297,000, while the fencing competition winners will receive Dh275,000. The champions in the NAS Challenge will split from a prize fund of Dh270,000, while the winning teams of Deaf Football will get Dh120,000.
Entries for the padel competition have closed with the first rounds commencing on May 28, while the finals in all sections will be held on June 15. The fencing competition has attracted 278 athletes competing in five categories and will be conducted from May 30 till June 2. The wheelchair basketball will be at the Dubai Club for Special Needs while the final will be played at the NAS Sports Complex on June 15.
In the futsal, registration of Emirati players has closed but teams are being allowed to rope in international players till June 2. After the preliminary rounds of competition, the quarter-finals will be held on June 12 followed by the semi-finals on June 14 and the final on June 16.
VOLLEYBALL
Group A: Al Jawareh; Marine Sport 2; Quattro Sports Centre; Group B: Al Taher; The Victory; The Storm; Group C: Zajel; The Empire; MKS; Group D: Yas, Sport 4 All, Al Wasl.
FIXTURES: (May 28) 11.30pm: Spider Team x Fohood Zabeel; 1.30am: Al Hazm x The Surprise. (May 29) 10pm: Zabeel Storm x Dubai 2021; 12 midnight: Dubai 2020 x Zabeel. (May 30) 10pm: Spider Team x The Surprise; 12 midnight: Al Hazm x Fohood Zabeel.