NAT-181219-Labour-Standards1-(Read-Only)
(L TO R) Fathi Afana - CEO of Fastlink ,Tariq Alkhanbashi- Founder and CEO of Reach Target. Salem Al Qaseer, Chairman of Sharjah Labour Standards Development Authority.Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Secretary-General of the Sharjah Sports Council,Brigadier General Khalifa Al-Marri, Deputy Director General and Ammar Hassan Al Ali, Chief Inspector at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation during the press conference to announce the Sharjah Labour Sports Festival at Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Image Credit: Atiq Ur Rehman /Gulf News

Sharjah: Sharjah will organise its second Labour Sports Festival from December 28 till March 31 in a bid to promote healthy activities among the blue-collared workers in the emirate.

The three-month sports festival is being organised by the Sharjah Labour Standards Development Authority. More than 60 teams will take part in the festival, which will have football, basketball, volleyball, hockey and cricket championships.

The matches will be held every Friday at Sharjah National Park, in the morning from 8am to 11am, and evening from 3pm to 6pm.

More than 1,000 workers are expected to take part in the event, while the number of teams registered for football and basketball championships reached 25 each, for cricket 35 teams registered, 12 for volleyball and 18 for hockey. Teams can register till December 25.

Salem Al Qaseer, chairman of the Sharjah Labour Standards Development Authority, told a press conference on Wednesday that the festival will be held in collaboration with Sharjah Sports Council and the BB Sport Service under the theme of ‘Bringing Happiness to Sharjah’s Labourers’.

Al Qaseer said, “We are very pleased with the success witnessed in the first edition of the Labour Sports Festival, and are confident that the next edition will be equally good. We encourage all nationalities that make up the segments of labourers residing in Sharjah, to participate in this festival, which will serve as a bridge to increase cooperation, whilst deepening cooperation between labourers and employers, making them more transparent”.

Games and activities for children and families will also be held during the championships.

Eisa Hilal Al Hazami, Secretary-General of the Sharjah Sports Council, said launch of the festival is an extension of the Council’s role in developing sports for workers, which is in line with the vision and guidance of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

He said the council appreciates the contribution offered for the festival, where the stadiums of the council, in addition to the National Park will host the games and sports activities.

Companies can adopt and sponsor the teams participating in the competitions, with prizes worth more than Dh155,000 for the winners. The team winning the football crown will get Dh60,000, while the winning volleyball team gets Dh20,000. Similarly, the winning basketball team will receive Dh35,000, while cricket match winners will receive Dh30,000, and the winner in the hockey game will receive Dh10,000.

The fees for participating in football and basketball championships are Dh2,000 each; while the fee for volleyball is Dh1,000. Similarly, the charge for participation in cricket is Dh1,500, while the participation fee for hockey championship is Dh500.

What: Sharjah Labour Sports Festival

When: December 28 to March 31

Where: Every Friday at Sharjah National Park from 8am to 11am, and evening from 3pm to 6pm