The Marine Goods Festival concludes its fifth session
Al Dhafra, 17th November, 2017 (WAM) – Yesterday evening, the Al Sila Marine Festival concluded the activities of its fifth session, which began on November 7 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region, on the seafront of Al Sila City in the Al Dhafra region in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, organized by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority and the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club, and in strategic partnership from the Emirates Council for Balanced Development.
The closing day witnessed the coronation of the first-place winners in the Al-Sudaa Fishing Championship for men and women, the running race, the padel tournament, football competitions, beach volleyball, and sand sculpture, in the presence of His Excellency Mohammed Khalifa Bakhit Al Kaabi, Secretary General of the Emirates Council for Balanced Development, Advisor Ahmed Al Ghurair Al Qubaisi from the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and Zayed Sari Al Mazrouei, Acting Director of the Heritage and Marine Festivals Department at the Authority.
The festival was held over two weeks, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays of each week, with the aim of providing the opportunity for the largest possible number of visitors to participate in its various activities, which provided an entertainment destination suitable for families during the weekend and witnessed a remarkable and continuous attendance in a distinguished social atmosphere.
Zayed Sari Al Mazrouei expressed his deep thanks and appreciation for the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region, and the great support that His Highness provides to various festivals and events aimed at preserving and enhancing the national heritage, and transmitting it to the younger generations in a way that enhances the values of loyalty and belonging and deepens the sense of national identity.
He thanked the partners, supporters, sponsors, participants in the event and the festival audience, explaining that the success of the festival was the result of the cooperation of all parties and their work in harmony in order to achieve its goals. He stressed that this year’s session was successful and that the large turnout of visitors and the interest that the event found from the community of Al-Sila City and the Al Dhafra region reflects the status enjoyed by the festival and enhances its role in preserving the maritime heritage of the UAE.
Yesterday, the festival organized a volunteer campaign to clean the waterfront in Commodity City, with the participation of a number of New York University – Abu Dhabi students and the festival audience. The campaign resulted in the collection of quantities of waste, most notably plastic, old fishing equipment, metal waste, glass, rubber, wood, and non-degradable materials, in a step aimed at preserving the marine environment and enhancing environmental awareness in society.
By organizing such initiatives, the Marine Goods Festival seeks to spread the culture of volunteerism and environmental responsibility, and to enhance awareness of the importance of beaches as places for entertainment, and it is the responsibility of all members of society to keep them clean and safe for all.
The fifth session of the festival witnessed the organization of 64 marine, sports, beach and heritage competitions, for which cash prizes worth more than 6.4 million dirhams were allocated, including the commodity race for 43-foot sailboats, which ran for a distance of 15 nautical miles with the participation of 80 boatmen and 960 sailors, as well as the Barakah Al-Bwanish sailing race for a distance of 5 nautical miles with the participation of 215 sailors aboard 43 banooshes, and the commodity race. Traditional rowing boats for a distance of 3 nautical miles, with the participation of 60 boats and more than 1,000 sailors, in addition to the Hadad Championship, the Shaari Fishing Championship, a running race, a bicycle race, and a swimming race, in addition to the participation of 247 children in popular games.
The festival’s activities also included organizing a group of accompanying competitions, such as dominoes and carrom for men and women, football and beach volleyball, and a cooking competition, as well as performances of folk arts and various heritage activities. The closing day witnessed a fireworks display.
The organization of the Marine Goods Festival in its fifth session came within the framework of enhancing the presence of traditional marine sports in society, highlighting the importance of coastal cities and Emirati islands, and supporting tourism and economic activity in the Al Dhafra region, in addition to highlighting the richness and diversity of Emirati heritage and informing the public of its importance.
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