The fencing championship at the 11th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament offers a great platform for UAE’s fencers to develop their game, Ali Al Marzouqi, the Executive Director of the UAE Fencing Federation, said
More than 125 fencers from across the world are in action at the main hall of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.
Most of the top fencers from 14 nations, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Hungary, Estonia, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iran, Tunisia, Iraq and the UAE will compete in four categories — epee and foil for international men, sabre for Arab men and an epee competition for girls and women born in the UAE.
Al Marzouqi said that the fencing competition at the NAS Sports Tournament will act as the apt preparation for the UAE youth team that is scheduled to participate in the FIE World Cup in Saudi Arabia after Eid-Al-Fitr.
“The Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament has become the forefront of the fencing federation’s local sporting events agenda, due to its artistic, media and public impact at the level of all sports. Therefore, the board of directors from the fencing federation is giving this sport greater attention so that our local fencers can have this opportunity to battle against some of the best from the world of fencing,” Al Marzouqi said.
The NAS Sports Tournament is the largest sports event of its kind held during the holy month of Ramadan at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.
The mega event that is conducted each year under the slogan ‘Limitless Possibilities,’ will continue until March 31.
This year’s event has seen the inclusion of nine sports, including volleyball, padel, jiu-jitsu, fencing, wheelchair basketball, running race, cycling race, tug-of-war and obstacle challenge.
Al Marzouqi said the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament has become very popular among local athletes and administrators in sports federations, thanks to the support of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.
“This is an exceptional event that everyone awaits, not just because of the financial rewards, but also due to the lofty standards of competition. The tournament has become a value for happiness and contributes to stimulating positive energy among all members of society, as it is full of many sporting and humanitarian milestones that deserve to be observed and documented, especially at this time of the year,” Al Marzouqi stressed.