Abu Dhabi gears up for first Middle East Spartan World Championship
Thousands of participants ranging from elite athletes to members of the community
Abu Dhabi Sports Council, in cooperation with the Spartan World Foundation, has completed preparations for the World Spartan Championship to be held at Mureeb Hill, Liwa Desert in the Al Dhafra region from December 2-5. It is the first time that the Championship will be hosted outside the United States and is also the first of its kind to be conducted in the Middle East.
The desert oasis of Liwa is expected to welcome thousands of participants ranging from elite athletes to members of the community hoping to excel in the events dedicated to their respective groups.
The organising committee, in coordination with the concerned authorities, has completed all the final preparations for the event which will be held in conjunction with the UAE’s Year of the 50th National Day. It will be a special week filled with unique experiences including an Emirati food corner and cultural performances as well as sand dune shows, yoga classes and fireworks to celebrate the National Day.
Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “Hosting the World Spartan Championship is a huge success for Abu Dhabi, especially since the tournament is being held for the first time outside the United States of America and also for the first time in the Middle East, which confirms the confidence of the international sports community in the capabilities of the UAE and the successes it has achieved over many years, earning its global reputation.”
“We expect a large record participation, especially since this new type of sports is characterised by a global interaction of fans in different countries of the world, since the championship tracks, obstacles and barriers will be decorated with desert nature, adding more challenges and increasing the determination of the participants.”
The tournament will include three categories: elite, teams and Spartan juniors, in addition to the community tournaments that will be held on the sidelines of the global event. The latter is an expression of Abu Dhabi’s keen interest in placing community participation at the forefront of sporting events.
The programme of the Spartan World Championship includes a number of races, beginning with open trial races of 50km and 21km. Participants and followers can spend the first night under the stars in the camps located at the Spartan village in Liwa, and enjoy riding buggies across the sand dunes and sandboarding.