With a record time of 26:24 minutes, the Russian Kazan team wins the Burj Challenge within the “Dubai Games”

Today, Burj Khalifa witnessed the Tower Challenge competitions within the Dubai Games in its seventh edition, which is one of the most difficult endurance tests in competitive sports, as it pushes athletes to the limits of their physical and mental abilities to ascend the tallest building in the world, at a height of 160 floors.
The Tower Challenge witnessed the largest number of participants in the Cities Challenge, with 336 players participating in 56 teams who defied gravity in a unique vertical race, where participants competed to climb 160 floors with a total of 2,909 stairs and a height of 828 meters.
The challenge was designed as a special event to count 16 additional points as part of the “Cities Challenge” within the framework of the “Dubai Games” tournament, to reward the teams that are able to complete it according to the speed criterion with additional points that will take them to the main competitions with a higher score.
The Kazan team from Russia won first place after reaching the end of the challenge in a record time of 26:24 minutes, and the Oviedo team from Spain came second with a time of 26:53 minutes, while the Kutna Hora team from the Czech Republic took third place with a time of 27:49 minutes, and the Aarhus team from Denmark took fourth place by finishing in 28:54 minutes, while the Dubai team reached the top in 29:13 minutes, followed by the Lisbon team from Portugal. Fifth, finishing in 29:26 minutes, and the Montreal team from Canada, seventh, finishing the challenge in 29:36 minutes. Thus, these teams secured 16 points before entering the Cities Challenge competitions on Saturday, February 14, which enhances their chances of qualifying for the finals and winning the championship title.
The Tower Challenge was organized as part of the City Challenge competitions for the third year in a row. Teams of five players each competed in the challenge, while the players of each team were linked to each other, which established the concept of teamwork, team spirit, and coordination throughout the ascent journey.
The conditions of the competition require players to adhere to the same order until the end of the challenge, which turns the climb into a real test of endurance, mental presence, and shared responsibility. Unlike traditional races, success in the Tower Challenge does not depend on the speed of the individual, but rather on the team’s ability to complete the challenge as a harmonious unit, with the message that progress and success are only achieved through integrated efforts.
The “Cities Challenge” within the “Dubai Games” brings together the elite international city teams that are renewing their participation in the Dubai Games, including: Colorado from America and Montreal from Canada, the two cities that won first place in the 2025 championship, London from Britain, Moscow, Kazan and St. Petersburg from Russia, Paris from France, Florence from Italy, Oviedo and Barcelona from Spain, Houston and St. Louis from America, Ulm from Germany, and Lucerne from Switzerland, Edinburgh from Scotland, Oslo from Norway, Gdansk and Rybnik from Poland, Kutna Hora from the Czech Republic, Malmo from Sweden, Breda from the Netherlands, Tashkent from Uzbekistan, Riffa from Bahrain, in addition to Dubai, the city hosting this global tournament.
New cities will also join the competitions for the first time, such as: Kenitra from Morocco, Buenos Aires from Argentina, Amsterdam from the Netherlands, Stockholm and Gothenburg from Sweden, Utah from America, and Elblag and Katowice from Poland. This year, the competitions also welcome the participation of the Ras Al Khaimah team.
It is noteworthy that the seventh edition of the “Dubai Games” tournament, the most prominent collective sporting event in the Emirate of Dubai, will be held under the slogan “Together we face the challenge”, during the period from 12 to 15 February, in an official partnership with DP World “DP World”, a diamond partnership with the “DAMAC” group, Beyond Real Estate Development and the Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emirates), a golden partnership with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the “Unilabs” Middle East Company, the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, and a partnership with… Strategy with Dubai Sports Council.