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Sport in the United Arab Emirates

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are sporting events held in United Arab Emirates.

Football

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Main article: Football in the United Arab Emirates

Football is one the most popular sports in the country.[1]

Motorsport

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A satellite image of the Yas Marina Circuit.

A motorsport race was the 1981 Dubai Grand Prix held at a purpose-built circuit in Deira Corniche[2] and from 2010 the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held at the end of the season.

The 24 Hours of Dubai race is held at the Dubai Autodrome every year in January, marking the first auto race of the calendar year.[3]

Cricket

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A cricket match between Australia and Pakistan in Dubai Sports City in 2009.
Main article: Cricket in the United Arab Emirates

Dubai is home to the International Cricket Council.[4]

Badminton

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BWF's "grassroots" programme, Shuttle Time Dubai, aims to broaden badminton's appeal and raise its profile in the emirate by working with 40 schools on how to teach and engage youth in the sport. The ‘BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals’ leg was scheduled to be the first time the international tournament is hosted in the Middle East and enables the sport to connect with a whole new region of fans, explains BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer in his interview to Vision.[5][6]

Camel racing

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Main article: Camel racing

Inhabitants of Arab States of the Persian Gulf have practiced camel racing.[7] Robot jockeys have been used after government regulations were passed prohibiting underage jockeys from racing.[8]

In 2021, an all-female camel racing team is formed.[9]

The cloning industry has been receiving demands from customers wanting to reproduce better racing camels for competitions. Where a female camel may reproduce one calf in every two years, cloning industries have increased this number to an average of 10 to 20 babies every year. Animal rights groups have raised concerns regarding the process which causes the animals providing egg cells and carrying embryos to "undergo undue suffering".[10]

Cycling

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There are places to cycle in Dubai, including Nad Al Sheba Cycle Path, Al Qudra Cycle Path and Jumeirah Open Beach Track.[11] There is a 30 km cycling lane in Dubai's desert. Since 1 October 2019, cyclists risk getting their cycle confiscated if they ride outside of some cycle lanes in the city. Not wearing protective gear can also lead to confiscation of a cycle.[12]

Endurance riding

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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum participating in an Endurance race.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is an endurance rider.[13] The Dubai Endurance City has practiced the sport and there are endurance yards.[14][15]

Falconry

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Falconry is practiced.[16]

Golf

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The 2013 DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates delivered a US$44 million gross economic benefit to Dubai, according to research commissioned by tournament organisers, The European Tour.[17]

Ice hockey

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Main article: Ice hockey in the United Arab Emirates

In 2018, new president of the Emirates Ice Hockey League (EHL) Vladimir Burdun was appointed. His role was to strengthen UAE ice hockey team and attract more business opportunities.[18]

In 2019, Burdun announced the goal of entering a team in Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) which involved teams from Belarus, China, Finland, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Slovakia by 2021. He also aimed at getting more players ready for KHL. A new ice arena was expected to open in Abu Dhabi, possibly before the end of 2019, with a seating capacity of 17,000[19] and that venue would meet all the requirements of KHL.[20][18] The plan was to replicate the "success" of an NHL team situated in deserts, Vegas Golden Knights. KHL and former NHL players, such as Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Mozyakin, Alexander Ovechkin were mentioned as prospects who might help to increase the future team's competitiveness.[21]

Squash

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Squash lessons are available from ex-professionals and a Dubai Open Squash is even held with a $25,000 cash prize to the winner.[22]

Table tennis

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Ping Pong Dubai is a nonprofit community initiative aimed at encouraging people from all walks of life to pick up a bat and play table tennis.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ Niloofar Margarite Rouhani. "Women's Sport Participation in the United Arab Emirates : A Case Study" (PDF). Dro.deakin.edu.au. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  2. ^ UAE's first 'grand prix' nearfaded into memory - The National
  3. ^ "Hankook 24H Dubai - Dubai Autodrome". 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  4. ^ "Cricinfo - Grounds - United Arab Emirates". Content-uk.cricinfo.com. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  5. ^ "Badminton in Dubai: a winning pair". Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  6. ^ "Badminton boom: World Superseries Finals". Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  7. ^ Dubai By Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, pg. 17
  8. ^ The United Arab Emirates Yearbook 2007 By Ibrahim Al Abed, Peter Vine
  9. ^ "How the UAE's first all-female camel racing team hopes to transform the sport". The National. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  10. ^ "Clone your camel: beauty pageants, races spur high demand". France24. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  11. ^ Nada Al Taher, Staff Reporter and Farah Hamdy Special to Gulf News. "Cycling enthusiasts on the increase in Dubai". GulfNews.
  12. ^ "Pedalling uphill: the rise of cycling in Dubai". Archived from the original on 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  13. ^ Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
  14. ^ "Shaikh Mohammed attends Dubai International Endurance City Ride". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  15. ^ "» People: Trailblazer: Hussain Al Marzooqi". outdooruae.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  16. ^ Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates by Sayyid Hamid Hurriez, Sayyid Hurreiz, pg 143
  17. ^ "Dubai Golf Championship - Teeing off: the changing face of golf - Vision Magazine". Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  18. ^ a b Sam Bridge (2018-11-23). "How one Russian expat aims to make the UAE an ice hockey force". Arabian Business. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  19. ^ "New arena to be 'game changer' for Dubai". The Stadium Business. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  20. ^ "Hamad Al Qubaisi calls on investors to help build ice rink on Yas Island". The National.
  21. ^ Aivis Kalnins (2019-02-20). "Russian businessman talks KHL expansion to Dubai". HockeyBuzz. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  22. ^ Al Kiremli, Ahmed. "Squash In Dubai". squashindubai.com. Squash In Dubai. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  23. ^ "Ping Pong Dubai:Growing craze - Vision Magazine". Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  24. ^ "Ping pong: the big bounce". Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
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Media related to Sports in the United Arab Emirates at Wikimedia Commons

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