Dubai: Al Jawareh produced a superb performance to sweep aside Zabeel in the Volleyball Championship final as the 10th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament came to a close in Dubai on Monday.
Held under the theme ‘Limitless Abilities’ and organized by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the NAS Sports Tournament is the biggest event of its kind in terms of participation and prize money, and has been held every year in the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013 at the iconic Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.
Held annually, the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament this year featured competitions in eight different sporting disciplines, including volleyball, padel, wheelchair basketball, running, cycling, archery, jiu-jitsu, and fencing, where more than 5000 male and female participants competed.
40,000 spectators
The event, which started on March 23, ran for 19 days, carried a prize purse of AED4 million and was watched by more than 40,000 spectators of different ages and nationalities.
Al Jawareh, featuring French, Brazilian, and Spanish players, dominated the match from the beginning and defeated Zabeel 3-0. Al Jawareh, who lost the final last year to Emperor, didn’t take the foot off the gas after winning the opening set 25-17. Keeping their rivals under pressure, Al Jawareh won the next two sets 25-18 and 25–16, respectively, to comfortably claim the title.
The prizes were given by Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council and Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee of the tournament, Lieutenant General Mohamed Ahmed Al Marri, General Director of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) and Chairman of the Sports Games Sector at Shabab Al Ahli Club, Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council and Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the tournament, and Hassan Al Mazrouei, Tournament Director, in the presence of the sponsors.
Third place
Zabeel finished second, while the defending champion, Emperor, had to settle for third place.
Mohammed Abdulaziz of HMS won the Best Citizen Player award, and Al Jawareh’s Brazilian import Gabriel Da Carlos Silva won the Best Overall Player of the Tournament award. Leonardo Matinez of the Zabeel team got the Best Hitter award.
International referees including Hamed Al-Rossi, Ismail Ibrahim, Khalid Rashid, and Mohammed Al-Dawla were also honored during the closing ceremony of the 10th edition of the NAS Sports Tournament.
The organizing committee also feted the main sponsors of the tournament. Mona Sadoun, VP, Customer Experience and Marketing, received the award on behalf of Al Tayer Motors. Ramesh Cidambi, Chief Operating Officer, received for Dubai Duty Free. They also honoured FTN, and Naraq Shaghalsian was there to accept it on their behalf. Dr. Harmik Singh, Group President of Plan B, and Abdul Rahman Amin, Director of Dubai Sports Channels, representing Dubai Media Incorporated, were also honoured during the ceremony.
