Dubai: Al Jawareh and Emperor reached the semi-finals of the Volleyball Championship at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament in Dubai on Wednesday.
Held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, and organised by the Dubai Sports Council, the NAS Sports Tournament has been one of the top sporting attractions during the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013.
They both secured a spot in the last four of the competition after registering an impressive win over their rivals. Riding on Carlos Silva’s all-around efforts, Al Jawareh defeated Spider Team 3-0 (25-19, 29-27, 25-20).
The Emperor advanced after beating Zabeel 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-21). Branimir Krasimov was named the best player in the match.
The semi-finals of the volleyball championship will take place tomorrow, where Emperor will square off against Fohood Zabeel at 9pm while Al Jawareh takes on Bin Thani at 11pm.
Padel Championship
In the professional category of the Padel Championship, Javier Garrido - Lucas Campagnolo beat Saeed Mohammed AlMarri and Pablo Castillo 6-0, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals.
Abdulla Ahli Ahmad and Jaime Chipi also sealed spots in the next round following a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ramiro Garcia Romero and Jorge Tupayachi.
In other matches, Raul Marcos Duran and Javier Garcia Mora downed Borja Lopez Vidal and Pablo Jose Fernandez 6-2, 6-1 while Fares Al janahi Aljanahi and Barahona beat Javier Garcia Lopez and Ignacio Gonzalez Gadea 7-5, 6-5.
Meanwhile, the quarter-finals of the different categories of the padel event will take place tomorrow. Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum and Issa Al Marzouqi will meet Fernandio Mendes and Enrique Gonzalez. The match will kick off at 10:30 pm.
Ignacio Ruiz Barroso and Victor will meet Jonathan Alan Green and Amish Kalan, while Farhan Hoda and Marwan Al Qaisi will face Karl Shafiq Mishnatif and Michael Maxoudian.
Ali Omar Al Balushi, a member of the tournament’s organizing committee, acknowledged the high level of competitiveness and technical level of the competitors.
“This demonstrates the excellent level of athletes from the country, as well as residents and professionals, who traveled to Dubai to compete in the tournament,” he said.
Balushi also stated that the ninth edition of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament is the best in terms of technical level for athletes, particularly in volleyball, due to the organizing committee’s decision to change some of the competition regulations related to the number of participants from various nationalities in the presence of a larger number of game stars from the UAE, the region, and various countries around the world, which was positively reflected in the increase in the strength of competition.
Great players
“The volleyball teams had excellent technical standards, allowing tournament viewers to see great players from a variety of countries, which added to the enjoyment of watching and the competitiveness of the competition.
Balushi also lauded team managers’ efforts in selecting players and coaches, as well as securing sponsors, in order to construct strong teams and provide the most exciting matches.
One of the highlights of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament 2022, the Spartan Nas Night Race, will take place on Saturday. Organisers are leaving no stone unturned to make this event a huge success. The competitions include 20 obstacles extending over a distance of 5 km.
The Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament for this year features competition in eight different sports, including volleyball, padel, wheelchair basketball, running, cycling, archery, Spartan Nas Night Race and jiu-jitsu.
Dubai Police, Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai, Dubai Municipality and Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services are the strategic partners for this year’s Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, while Tadawi Medical Center, Emirates Foundation (Takatof), Dubai Duty Free, Pocari Sweat, Palazzo Versace Hotel Dubai and TecnoTree have signed up as sponsors for the ninth season of the event, which is one of the biggest events of its kind in terms of participation and prize money.
