UAE being considered as one among the world's safest sporting destination with Olympic participants plan to train here for Tokyo 2020

By K.R. Nayar

 IPL 2021, which is likely to be held in April in the UAE, may see spectators being allowed at 30 percent of capacity


UAE has become the safest and most preferred destination to host sporting events and training camps following the safe and successful conduct of the Indian Premier League 2020 that lasted close to two months. This has caught world attention, especially in being able to keep the top eight teams comprising the world’s best cricketers safe. They played a total of 56 matches in the UAE from September 18 to November 10 at the Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi venues.
The impact of this has been immediate with the world’s top athletes now feeling safe to fly here. Their preparations for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, which will be held in the summer of next year following the postponement of the event due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held here now.  With coronavirus spreading fast in European countries, many athletes from these countries are likely to be in the UAE for training.

In the IPL2021 edition, which is likely to be also held in April in the UAE, one may see a restricted number of spectators being allowed to watch matches live at the stadium. The Dubai Sports Council has already announced that spectators will be allowed to return to sporting events but at a maximum of 30 percent of capacity. It is understood that many international clubs in various sports may also fly in to train here. 

The UAE is also playing host to seven Asian football teams who are camping here as preparation for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and the Asian Cup 2023, as well as an Israeli-American cycling expedition. Many English, German, and Chinese football teams are planning to stage their winter training camps here. The Dubai Sports Council has announced that it is in contact with a number of sports federations and National Olympic Committees of a number of countries looking to set up training camps in Dubai for their athletes as part of their preparation program for the next Olympics and that the Council will provide all the necessary facilities for the camps, including entry visas and training in advanced sports facilities in the emirate.


By hosting the IPL, this country has shown that through discipline and adherence to rules, which are strictly implemented in the UAE, sportsmen and officials can remain safe. UAE's big attraction is the ability to travel easily and safely between venues. It also boasts of training facilities that are at par with those in Olympic participating nations. A Dubai Sports Council statement noted: “Modern and integrated sports facilities are available at  Hamdan Sports Complex, Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, and other stadiums and clubs, as well as sports medicine facilities, and safe cycling tracks that extend for tens of kilometers, away from any traffic. In addition, the country is blessed with weather that is ideal for training.”

As part of permitting spectators to watch events, last week spectators were allowed into a number of events, including boxing, golf, basketball, polo, the Red Bull Car Park Drift, and bodybuilding. 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

European Cricket Association launched in Paris to boost the game in the region

Image
By K.R. Nayar A cricket organisation to boost the game in Europe was launched in Paris today. Six cricketing nations joined hands and formed the European Cricket Association. The inaugural meeting of the association held at Pullman Effiel was attended by representatives of six cricket playing nations  - France, Italy, Jersey, Malta, Austria and Romania. France was the host of the meeting which was held under the chairmanship of Gurumurthy Palani, the Board Advisor to the France Cricket Association, till the president of the body is chosen. European Cricket Association officials at their launch meeting  Gabriel Marin of Romania was elected as the first President of the European Cricket Association, while Fabio Marabini of Italy will be the First Vice President. Three vice presidents were elected, which included Indika Perera (Malta), Sarah Gomersall (Jersey) and Gurumurthy Palani (France). Bilal Zal Mai of Austria will be the Executive Committee Member. Speaking about the...
Read more

UAE’s richest domestic cricket tournament launched through a 100-ball format in Sharjah

Image
By K.R. Nayar Petromann Sports Management is known to stage cricket events with a unique twist. The mastermind behind these innovations is Abdul Latif Khan, Founder of Petromann Sports Management. He brought tennis ball cricket to the international level through the 10PL, offering the richest prize money in this format. Now, he is set to launch Elite Corporate Cricket Bash (ECCB), a unique 100-ball format, which is likely to become one of the UAE's richest domestic tournaments, with a prize of Dh 1.3 million, at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Mazhar Khan and Dav Whatmore release the event jersey as Abdul Latif Khan and Nasir Akram look on  This ten-day tournament will feature 12 corporate teams. Petromann Sports Management, in collaboration with the Sharjah Cricket Council and Emirates Cricket Board, has created this platform to discover emerging UAE talent. The tournament, expected to revolutionize the UAE's domestic cricket scene, will reach an audience of 300 mill...
Read more

Remembering the first girl to play cricket in the UAE as the country hosts its first Women’s World Cup

Image
By K.R. Nayar The UAE is set to host the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 starting on October 3. There was a time when girls in this country hardly considered playing cricket. Instead, they preferred sports like badminton, tennis, and basketball, and rarely, if ever, held a cricket bat. It was during this period that a 10-year-old girl, Natasha Michael Cherriath, walked onto a cricket field with a bat in hand.   Natasha Michael showed the way for other women cricketers in the UAE Natasha had no other girls to play with, and the boys curiously observed her as she joined a game typically played only by them.   Every movement requires a pioneer, and Natasha was the one who started it all for girls' cricket here. While she learned the basics of the game from her father, Michael, he took her to renowned coach Shehzad Altaf, who had represented the UAE in the 1996 World Cup. Although Altaf initially told her that cricket was a sport for boys, Natasha was determined to learn. It didn’t ...
Read more