Remarkable conclusion to 12th edition as Dubai celebrates more than 8,000 amateur and professional athletes during annual event

DUBAI: Hot favourites Al Tadawi 1 delivered a resounding final performance to swamp Al Hilal 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-21) to be crowned volleyball champions on the concluding night of the 12^th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament at a jam-packed indoor stadium at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex here, late on Thursday.

Egged on by a huge, vociferous crowd supporting both teams in tandem, Al Tadawi 1 – made up of players from top Russian outfit, Dynamo Moscow left nothing to chance as they played a totally controlled game to outdo Al Hilal in three straight sets.

Al Hilal did seem to get the bearings in during the opening set as they matched Al Tawadi 1 point for point. But the closest they came was when they were tied at 23-23, only to see the unstoppable boys from Russia take it away 25-23.

Al Hilal tried to fight back in the next set, only to see outside hitter Anton Semyshev come up with a match-defining performance of two serves, three blocks and the honour of being the topscorer on the night with 17 points as Al Tadawi 1 powered away to win the next two sets, 25-20 and 25-21.

This was a worthy finale to the 12th edition of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, the largest sporting event of its kind.

Launched and sponsored by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, the tournament is held annually during the holy month of Ramadan at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, under the slogan ‘Unlimited Abilities’.

The winners were honoured by His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, in the presence of Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai; His Excellency Abdullah bin Damithan, CEO and General Manager of DP World in the GCC; Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council and Hassan Al Mazrouei, Tournament Director.

The Al Tadawi 1 team players, representing the stars of the Russian Dynamo team, received the gold medals and the tournament trophy, along with a cash prize of AED 600,000. Al Hilal, mostly represented by players from Italy’s Grottazzolina team, received their silver medals and a cash award of AED 500,000. Al Ameed had to stay content with the bronze medal after having defeated Al Samawi 3-1, the previous night.

There were a handful of individual awards bestowed on the final night with Al Hilal’s Andrea Marquespo winning the Best Receiver award, while Al Tadawi 1’s Maxim Sabshkov won the ‘Best Server’ prize and Al Tadawi 1’s Dmitry Zhuk taking the award for the ‘Best Blocker’. Outstanding for his scoring throughout the competition, Anton Gavarina from Al Samawi walked away with the award for the ‘Best Hitter’, while Al Hilal’s Dusan Petkovic was adjudged the ‘Best Scorer’.

His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul paid a special tribute from the tournament’s organising committee to His Excellency Lieutenant General Mohammed Al Marri for his unflinching backing and support for the annual event. He also honoured a number of the tournament’s sponsors and supporters, including DP World and Dubai Sports Channel.

The refereeing and officiating crew for the final and the administrative staff involved in organising the various competitions throughout the three weeks, were also honoured.

Padel competition concludes

Pablo Arriber and Cesar Freire won the UAE Padel Federation Local 20 Championship after defeating the pairing of Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Padel Federation and Javi Santonja in the final match.

The winners were honoured by His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports; His Excellency Khalfan Belhoul, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council; and Hassan Al Mazrouei, Tournament Director. The ceremony was also attended by Dubai Sports Ambassadors Bacary Sagna, former French national team player, Arsenal and Manchester City Football Club, and winner of the English Premier League and FA Cup titles; Fadi El Khatib; and Eric Abidal, former French national team and Barcelona star and current CEO of Al Wasl Club.

Meanwhile, the 12th edition of the annual tournament saw the participation of more than 8,000 male and female athletes competing in 11 Olympic and community sports, including two new sports added for the first time to the schedule.

Other sports included in this year’s programme were running, cycling, volleyball, paddle, tug-of-war, fencing, jiu-jitsu, wheelchair basketball and obstacle course. The organizing committee also increased the prize fund for the teams, bringing the total amount awarded to the winners of the tournaments, in addition to the public prizes, to a new record of AED 4.5 million.