DUBAI – Cricket, a hugely popular sport among the country’s South Asian expatriates, will be a part of Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament 2019 when it returns for a seventh season in the Holy Month of Ramadan with 13 events on the schedule and Dh 6 million in prize money.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), and organised by DSC, the NAS Sports Tournament is the biggest event of its kind in terms of participation and prize money, and has been held every year in the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013 at Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

It is one of the most anticipated events on the country’s sporting calendar and more than 22,000 athletes – including amateurs and international legends like Zinedine Zidane and Falcao, and even Ambassadors and Consul Generals of different countries – have taken part in the tournament over the past six years.

The seventh season of the Tournament, being held under the slogan ‘Unlimited Capabilities’, will start on May 7 with a glittering opening ceremony at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex and curtains will come down on the Tournament on May 24.

The 13 events for this season are – Futsal, Volleyball, Padel, Fencing, Wheelchair Basketball, Futsal for People with Hearing Disabilities, NAS Night Challenge, the 5km and 10km Run, 75km Cycle Race, 3x3 Basketball, Jiu-Jitsu, Cricket and Snowboarding.

“The NAS Sports Tournament was launched seven years ago, under the guidance and patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as a pioneering community sports initiative and it has made a significant impact on our sports sector since, embracing every segment of our diverse community, which includes people from 200 different countries,” said Salah Amin, Chairman of the Tournament’s Executive Committee, at a press conference on Monday evening at NAS Sports Complex.

“Today, as we celebrate the Year of Tolerance, we are pleased to announce the expansion of the Tournament to include cricket and snowboarding, and we are looking forward to what should be a really special edition of the Tournament.

“The unique thing about this tournament is that it is not just for professional athletes, but for all members of the community, whatever their age, gender or ability, including People of Determination. So this is a pure community initiative, which aims to keep our residents physically active during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

“We also greatly value the fans who come here every night to support their teams and athletes, and we will be looking forward to their return to the stands once again next month, in even bigger numbers. Like every year, there will be lots of exciting prizes on offer for them, including luxury cars in the grand draws.”

Thanking HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed for his unlimited support, Hassan Al Mazrouei, Director of NAS Sports Tournament, said: “The NAS Sports Tournament has achieved record success in a very short span, thanks to HH Sheikh Hamdan’s guidance and generous support. It has become a major sporting event, providing individuals and teams with an opportunity to play sport and remain physically active during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

“Last year, we added three new events to the Tournament and this year, in keeping with our promise of involving greater segments of our society every year, we have added cricket and snowboarding to the roster.

“Cricket is a hugely popular sport in UAE, especially among the South Asian expatriates living here. You can find them playing cricket in every nook and corner of this country. They are playing in the day and night, on weekends and workdays, all through the year, even during the summer months. The passion for cricket among the South Asian expatriates is unbelievable and we are really happy to welcome this sport to the NAS Sports Tournament family, especially in this Year of Tolerance.

“Snowboarding, on the other hand, will be a unique experience for participants – an opportunity for them to experience the thrills of competition in a sport that is not such a common sight in this part of the world. So it’s a great opportunity.”

The sporting action will start on May 8 with Volleyball and Padel matches taking place at the NAS Sports Complex, with the NAS Volleyball final scheduled for May 14 and the NAS Padel finale for May 21.

The inaugural NAS Cricket Tournament - featuring 12 teams, divided into four groups, and being played under the 10-over-a-side T10 format - will take place at the Wombats Cricket Ground in DP World (Jebel Ali, Gate 7) from May 8 to 20, while the NAS 3x3 Basketball, popular when it made its debut last season, will be held from May 8-15 at a new venue: The Block in Dubai Design District.

The NAS Night Challenge will take place on a purpose-built obstacle course near NAS Sports Complex on May 9 and 16, while NAS Fencing will start at Shabab Al Ahli Club in Al Qusais on May 10 and the final will take place three nights later, on May 13, at NAS Sports Complex.

NAS Wheelchair Basketball will start at Dubai Club for People of Determination on May 9 and the preliminary matches of the NAS Futsal for People with Hearing Disabilities will take place at the same venue on May 11 and 14, but the final of both events will take place at NAS Sports Complex on May 21.

The NAS Snowboarding competition will take place at Ski Dubai on May 10. NAS Jiu-Jitsu is also a one-day event, scheduled to be held on the penultimate night of the championship, May 23, and the NAS Run is scheduled for May 11. NAS Cycling, meanwhile, will take place across two nights, May 17 and 18.

The NAS Futsal Championship, featuring eight teams and a number of top international stars, will start on May 15 and its final will bring the curtains down on the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament 2019 on May 24.

The draw for NAS Futsal and NAS Volleyball was conducted on Monday evening, under the supervision of Adil Yousif Albannay, Chairman of the Tournament’s Technical Committee. Dubai 2020, Fohood Zabeel and Surprise were drawn in Group A of the NAS Volleyball Championship, while Dubai 2021, Al Burkan and Bin Thani are in Group B. In the NAS Futsal Championship, Fohood Zabeel, Victory, Al Theyaba and Saudi Driving School will battle for semi-final spots from Group A, while last year’s runner-up Al Bahri have been drawn in Group B along with Dubai Police, Al Tasamah (Tolerance) and Al Taher.

Albannay also revealed that registration is still open for most of the other events and those interested can do so through the Tournament’s official website: www.nasst.ae. The last date of registration for NAS Wheelchair Basketball, NAS 3x3 Basketball, NAS Fencing and NAS Cricket is April 30, while registration for NAS Night Challenge and the 5km-10km Run will continue until May 6. Registration for NAS Snowboarding and NAS Cycling will close on May 8 and May 11 respectively, while the last date for registration in the NAS Jiu-Jitsu championship is May 20.