Dubai: Hundreds of UAE residents from different Asian countries are gearing up to participate in the 45-day Chinar Sports Festival which will be held in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.
Starting on January 7 with a Badminton tournament in Dubai, the Chinar Sport Festival aims to engage expatriates in various sporting events encouraging them to adopt healthy lifestyle.
A tree plantation campaign will also be launched as part of the festival being organised by the Chinar Wing, a community group registered with Pakistan Association Dubai.
Chinar trees
“Chinar (Maple) tree is endangered in Pakistan and we have decided to plant Chinar trees in Dubai, India and Pakistan as part of our endeavour to protect environment,” said Raja Asad Khalid, organiser of the Chinar Sports Festival. He said the trees will be planted mainly in UAE, Srinager and Muzaffarabad.
“We have also planned to launch ‘Chinar Bachao Campain (Safe Chinar Campaign) to raise awareness about the impact of climate changes on Chinar (maple) trees,” he told a press conference in Dubai.
Main sponsors of the event including: Raja Mohammad Khan, RMK Industries; Sajid Iqbal Abbasi, CEO of Fly Hawk; Sardar Ayaz, CEO of Silver City Housing Project, Rawalpindi and Raja Abdul Jabbar, CEO of Liva Real Estate were also present at the press conference.
Community gathering
“The Chinar Sports Festival UAE 2024 will be more than a sporting event but it is a huge community gathering which brings people from different countries together,” he said, adding that they have been organising this event under the banner of Chinar Super League for the last four years.
Tournaments
Raja Amjad Kabir, President of the Chinar Wing, said that at least 16 teams will take part in the Chinar Super League and the Chinar Premier League T10 cricket tournaments.
Besides the two cricket tournaments, the Chinar Sports Festival will also have a badminton tournament and a volleyball tournament — the most popular sport among the Asian expats in UAE.
The 16-team Chinar Super League will be played from February 9 to February 18 in Sharjah and Ajman while the Chinar Premier League T10 will be played from February 9 in Sharjah and Ajman.
The badminton tournament will begin on January 7 in Dubai in which 50 teams will participate. The volleyball tournament will be played from January 13.
