Dubai: All eyes will be on the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex for the Nad Al Sheba Padel Teams Championship with eight national teams in action for top honours.

Joining hosts the UAE will be teams from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain, Iran and Lebanon to decide on the best padel tennis team at the 13th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament - the largest of its kind held during the holy month of Ramadan.

The event is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence, and under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, under the slogan “Limitless Capabilities”.

The excitement of the group stages will continue as the padel tennis national teams tournament unfolds with Tuesday’s matches featuring a highly-anticipated Gulf derby between hosts the UAE and Bahrain.

Other exciting matches are also scheduled with Saudi Arabia facing Iran, Egypt taking on Lebanon and Morocco playing Kuwait.

The excitement will continue on Wednesday with the UAE playing Egypt, Iran facing Kuwait, Bahrain taking on Lebanon while Morocco will meet Saudi Arabia, setting the stage for some fiercely-contested encounters.

A battle of fractions

In the road cycling race, the men’s open category witnessed some fierce competition with Dutchman Koen Vermeult Voort ultimately winning the top spot narrowly in a time of 1:29:05.

Emirati champion Ahmed Al Mansouri finished second with the same time, while Russian Kirill Miller came in third, and also with an identical time, thus deciding the outcome in one of the most intense races of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament so far.

In the senior citizens and residents category, Algerian cyclists dominated at the top of the pack with Abdelkader Rahmani taking first place with a time of 1:29:08 to finish ahead of countryman Noureddine Houchine (1:29:10), while accomplished Emirati sportsman Nader Bin Hendi finished third with a time of 1:29:16.

Institutional dominance

In the team category, the team from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai secured first place with a time of 4:27:17, followed by the White Star team in second place (4:27:19), while the Abu Dhabi Cycling Club took third place with a time of 4:27:20.

Remarkable form of People of Determination

The People of Determination athletes achieved outstanding results in the road cycling category with Abdullah Salem Al Balushi taking top spot with a time of 28:26, followed by Dhiab Al Muhairi in second (28:26), while Ahmed Al Badawi came in third in a time of 28:31.

In the handcycling category, Hussein Murad Al Mazem claimed first place with a time of 32:33, followed by Omani Sami Al Salimi in second place (32:37), while Ahmed Mohammed Al Nuaimi came in third (32:40).

Russian athletes led the 400-meter steeplechase competition on the third day of the event, with Nikita Khaydukov topping the timesheets with a lap of 3:05, followed by countryman Sam Kokotlev (3:35), while Ruslan Pushkarev finished third with the same time.

Tuesday’s (February 24) results will be the crucial deciding factor in the competition, as all competitors will have completed the steeplechase in the fastest time.

Jiu-Jitsu begins

The Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament will continue with the start of Jiu-Jitsu competitions in the main hall of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex from today (Tuesday). Contests for the junior and youth categories will be up first with matches beginning at 9 pm. The senior category competitions will be held on Wednesday at the same venue.

The excitement will continue with the wheelchair basketball tournament also kicking off tonight (Tuesday) at the Dubai Club for People of Determination in Al Ghusais. The road running race will take place on February 27, and the 3x3 basketball tournament continues, with the final scheduled for March 3.

Fans are also eagerly anticipating the volleyball competition that is scheduled to start from February 26, while the tug-of-war competition will begin on March 1, making Nad Al Sheba a vibrant hub for community and professional sports during Ramadan.