Dubai: Two of the most popular sports in the UAE provided the impetus for UAE National Sports Day celebrations with the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Women’s Open Championships being conducted at Dubai Design District from February 16 to 17.
Organised by UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association’s Chairwoman of the Women’s Sports Committee, Eng. Majd Al Beloushi, in conjunction with the Dubai Sports Council, Shuttle Time Dubai and Ping Pong Dubai, and with the support of venue partner Dubai Design District and technology partner MySports.ae, the event atttracted more than 200 players from 15 nationalities.
The competition was organised in four age categories in table tennis and three categories in badminton in a round robin competition before the knockout rounds to ensure players gained valuable competition experience. The preliminary rounds were held on Thursday, with thefinals being held on Friday.
Two Kuwaiti clubs, Salwa Al Sabbah Sports Club and Al Fatat Sports Club, also joined the competition and their participation lent added glitter to the proceedings.
The badminton competition saw 63 matches contested and succeeded in unearthing some new talent, particularly in the Under-13 category. In a display of great racquet skills and footwork, the Nidhi Shailendra Desai from Dubai won the category, with Rinitha Rajith of Ajman finishing runner-up.
The under-17 category was one of the most hotly contested of the tournament with young star Tanisha Crasto adding to her impressive tally of victories in the region with a win over Nidha Abdul Najeeb.
