S P O R T S
The UAE has already established itself on the international sporting stage, hosting many of the world’s major events in a wide range of sports, from horse racing to motor racing, golf, tennis, football, rugby, cricket, sailing, powerboat racing and almost every other competitive sport. These events not only attract large numbers of competitors and sports enthusiasts from around the globe to the UAE.
Aside from the international circuit events, the UAE has a healthy indigenous sporting environment with the local community taking part in a wide variety of sporting activities. Teams from throughout the seven emirates regularly compete in national leagues and cups in a multiplicity of sports that are controlled by specialised governing bodies.
Sports are also played at a social level and residents are able to take full advantage of the country’s parks and recreational grounds where football, basketball and cricket matches are a favourite pastime, while the desert and mountain areas outside the main cities provide rough, rugged terrain for more adventurous pursuits. It would be extremely difficult to pinpoint a sport that is not enjoyed in the UAE as there are always new centres, clubs and associations being established around the region.
With the Arabian Gulf on its western shores and the Indian Ocean along its eastern flanks, the UAE is particularly attractive for watersports’ fans. Those living on the Gulf coast are blessed with long stretches of sandy beach where residents take part in sports such as sailing, jet-skiing, surfing, swimming and kitesurfing. Snorkelling and diving are hugely popular within the region. Many residents and visitors enjoy the UAE’s east coast, which also provides a wealth of exotic fish and coral.
Like any other sporting nation, the UAE has a huge interest in football. The UAE FA was first established in 1971 and since then has dedicated its time and effort to promoting the game, organising youth programmes and improving the abilities of not only its players, but of the officials and coaches involved with its regional and national teams.
Cricket is another very popular sport in the UAE with events being organised throughout the Emirates. The magnificent new Zayed International Cricket Stadium, which was opened in 2006 in Abu Dhabi.
Plans to nurture a UAE tennis champion are being supported by Tennis Emirates, the governing body for the sport in the UAE. Tournaments, such as the annual Tennis Championship at Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex, are staged throughout the UAE with the aim of seeking out both new and undernourished talents.
Camel racing is a big tourist attraction throughout the winter months as are the races of thoroughbreds and the legendary purebred Arabians which take place at the Dubai International Racing Carnival.
Motorsports, with its singular global reach, has become a particularly popular sport, especially, the Formula 1, with the new Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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