Sheikha Hind Women's Sports Tournament to take Centre-stage

• 12th edition of annual competition exclusively for women to be held from October 16-30
• Registration opens from September 3 as women from a cross-section of society to compete in eight different sports disciplines
• 3x3 basketball will be latest addition to sports festival this time

DUBAI: The Organizing Committee of the 'Sheikha Hind Women's Sports Tournament' has approved the competition schedule for the 12th edition of this annual sports festival for women in the UAE.

Arguably the largest tournament of its kind organized by the Dubai Sports Council under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the tournament aims to attract female sports talents while raising awareness of the importance of women practicing various sports.

The 12th edition of the Sheikha Hind Women's Sports Tournament will kick-off on October 16 and continue till October 30, 2024. This year's tournament has lined up eight different sports, including bowling, running, padel, badminton, cycling, shooting and hurdles, along with a 3x3 basketball contest that is the latest addition this year.

The organizing committee announced that registration for teams and players will commence on September 3 and continues till October 4. Registration is to be done through the tournament's website (https://shwt.dubaisc.ae/), where each participating institution will need to create its own account and upload all documents needed to carry out the registration process.

The Organizing Committee has also provided players with the opportunity of training during the build-up to the competitions in shooting, padel and obstacle courses. Players will be able to train at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center for shooting, and they can train in padel at the Just Padel Club in Port Rashid, while also utilizing the BIA Warrior Club in Al Quoz for obstacle racing.

Schedule

The Organizing Committee has decided that the 12th edition of this annual tournament will get under way with the bowling competition at the Dubai International Bowling Centre in Al Mamzar, on Wednesday (October 16).

This will be followed by the running race at Expo City Dubai on Thursday (October 17), after which the padel tournament will be worked out at the Just Padel Club from October 18 to 20. Next will be the badminton tournament at Al Nasr Sports Club from October 21 to 24, followed by the cycling race at Expo City Dubai on Friday (October 25).

The shooting championship will be held at Fazza Shooting Range on Saturday (October 26), while the obstacle course will be organised at the Gravity Gym on Sunday (October 27). The annual event will conclude with the inaugural 3x3 basketball championship at Al Nasr Sports Club from October 28 to 30.

Invitation

The organizing committee is keen to have as many contestants as possible for this annual event while inviting all women from government, semi-government and private sector institutions to compete with female citizens and residents to complete the registration process and start preparing for the exclusive annual sports festival.

Development

The Sheikha Hind Women's Sports Tournament is witnessing remarkable development year after year, as it witnesses a significant and noticeable increase in the number of participants at each edition. The event has continued to attract public attention for the specialized programmes and initiatives that it offers to female employees while creating the desired positive impact on this category of society.

This event is among the most important sports competitions organized by the Dubai Sports Council that is dedicated solely to women. This is in keeping with the Council's vision of "making sports a way of life for a happy life".

The organization of this event goes a long way in supporting the women's sports movement in Dubai while attracting female sports talents to assume leadership responsibilities through sport and spread the culture and awareness on the importance of sports for women.

The goal is also to showcase sports as a basic factor in maintaining good health and strengthening ties and developing relations between female employees in various government and semi-government institutions along with the private sector.

One of the most important features of the course is that it contributes to raising awareness among female employees about the importance of sports and physical activity for women's health despite their work and family preoccupations and the need to make it a way of life.

The festival is also an opportunity to enhance the athletic abilities of girls and increase the interest of government departments and institutions in women's sports, especially because such an event brings togather female employees under one roof while enhancing the cohesion of a happy and united Emirati society.

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The Sheikha Hind Women's Sports Tournament has been showing a steady increase in the number of participants from different nationalities each year.