Communicate events "Hafeet Sports Challenge" With the eye

Al Ain, 5 March / WAM / The “Hafeet Sports Challenge 2026” continues its activities amid wide participation from various segments of society, within 43 sports tournaments held in multiple locations in various regions of Al Ain, in one of the most prominent community sports initiatives aimed at promoting the culture of sports as a way of life.

Yesterday, the events witnessed the organization of a 2.5-kilometre walking race starting from the Plaza Square in front of the VIP entrance at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, all the way to the end point, amid wide community participation that exceeded 900 participants, including women, men, children, people of determination, and senior citizens, in a scene that embodied the spirit of community interaction that characterizes the event.

The race featured a remarkable participation of a three-year-old child who was one of the youngest participants, along with Dr. Abdullah Abbas (95 years old), a former educator and founder of the Zayed Library at the UAE University, to present an inspiring model that embodies the message of the challenge that sports is a way of life available to all ages.

The event witnessed official participation from His Excellency Salem Rashid bin Hudayram Al Ketbi, Chairman of the Supreme Organizing Committee of the Hafeet Sports Challenge, along with Rashid Abdullah, CEO of Al Ain Investment Club and Director of the Challenge, as they were keen to be present among the participants and follow up on the launch of the event to confirm the leadership’s support for community sports programs and to promote the culture of physical activity in the Al Ain community.

The event also recorded the presence of a number of imams of mosques affiliated with the General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat, who participated in the march after Tarawih prayers, in an image that reflects the societal and humanitarian dimension of the challenge.

Salem Rashid bin Hudayram Al Ketbi confirmed that the “Hafeet Sports Challenge” has witnessed continuous expansion since its launch, both in terms of the number of tournaments and the size of community participation, noting that the current version includes 43 sports games held in multiple locations in the city of Al Ain.

He said that this expansion reflects the increasing demand from various segments of society to participate in sporting events, stressing that the city of Al Ain has become vibrant with sporting life with the spread of challenge events throughout the city, pointing out that holding a large number of tournaments in one day reflects the great organizational efforts made by the organizing committees.

He explained that the main goal of the challenge is to promote a culture of physical activity and community health, with future aspirations to develop the event and attract regional and international participation.

For his part, Rashid Abdullah explained that the walking event, which was held in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, embodied the community nature of the event, as individuals from different age groups participated in it, noting that the most prominent message that the event reflected was that age is just a number, pointing to the participation of young children and the elderly, some of whom were over ninety years old, in addition to the presence of families and a number of government and private agencies whose employees participated in the event.

For their part, a number of participants praised the atmosphere that accompanied the race, stressing that the event has a community character that brings families together in a positive sporting atmosphere during the holy month of Ramadan.

Participant Haitham Bani Salamah explained that his son Ibrahim, 3 years old, was one of the youngest participants in the race, noting that the event was held amid distinguished organization and a beautiful Ramadan atmosphere.

Dr. Abdullah Abbas, 95 years old, also expressed his happiness at participating, stressing that such initiatives strengthen ties between community members and encourage the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.

For its part, the Supreme Organizing Committee announced the transfer of the final matches of the Institutional and Residential Football Championships to Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium this evening, in view of the increasing public demand and the strength of the competition witnessed by the tournament.

The final of the residential neighborhoods will bring together the Umm Ghafa team with Al-Maryal at 9:30 pm, while in the institutional final, the Arab Federation of Collectives team will meet with Al-Hayer Sports Club at 10:30 pm.

In the context of enhancing the media presence and digital spread of the event, the organizing committee launched a creative initiative targeting photographers and content makers through the “Photo Challenge” and “Content Challenge” competitions, and allocated four prizes for it, totaling 10,000 dirhams, with entries to continue until March 7.

In terms of sports competitions, yesterday’s events witnessed the crowning of a number of champions in various tournaments, as Khalifa Mubarak Al Yahyai was crowned first place in the athletics hexathlon for people of determination, Sultan Salem Al Shamsi came second, and Rashid Matar Al Dhaheri came third.

In the shooting – Saktoun rifle for juniors, Hashem Ibrahim Hashem Ahmed Abdullah won first place with a score of 199.4 points.

Ali Mubarak Omar Salem Omar also won first place in the bow and arrow competition with 277 points, while Salwa Salem Al Hadhrami won first place in the women’s 9 mm pistol competition with a score of 197 points.

In group games, the Lahore Darbar team reached the final of the Al Ain Ramadan Cricket Cup after defeating TNS Al Ain by 32 points, while the Al Bateen team was crowned champion of the Kora Tennis Championship after defeating Al Jahili Fort by three games to one.

The Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Academy also won the women’s basketball championship title after winning the final match over the E United team with a score of 69 to 50.

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