Emirati Fencers Win Three Medals at Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament

DUBAI — Emirati fencers claimed three medals — gold, silver and bronze — as the fencing competition concluded at the 13th edition of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, held at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex under the tournament slogan “Limitless Capabilities”.

The Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament is held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and under the directives of Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council.

In the women’s epee competition, UAE national team fencer Zainab Al Husseini won the gold medal, defeating Sarah Besbes 15–11 in the final. UAE fencer Rawda Al Aleeli added a bronze medal after beating Lamar Al Nahla 15–11 in the third-place match.

In the men’s epee competition, Emirati fencer Mohammed Al Mazmi secured the silver medal after reaching the final, where he lost to Mohammad Rezaei Tadi 15–6, with Rezaei Tadi taking gold. The bronze medal went to Hassan Al Foudry, who defeated Alex Manrique 13–9.

Other Emirati fencers also finished among the leading positions: Saleh Al Balushi placed fifth, while Imran Al Balushi and Khalifa Al Zarouni were both among the tournament’s top eight.

The medal ceremony was conducted by Engineer Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi — President of the Asian and UAE Fencing Federations and a member of the Executive Committee of the International Fencing Federation — alongside Musa Al Balushi, Secretary-General of the UAE Fencing Federation, Hassan Al Mazrouei, Director of the tournament, and Adel Al Bannai, Chairman of the tournament’s technical committee.

Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi praised the organisational and technical outcomes of the event, describing the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament as “a major milestone and a highly important technical evaluation station” in the fencing calendar. He said the competition places athletes “in the heart of fast-paced, high-challenge matches,” offering direct exposure that develops performance and translates accumulated experience into results on the podium.

He added that the federation’s strategic focus is on expanding participation and improving the quality of physical and technical preparation, and said the tournament provides an opportunity to identify emerging talent to strengthen national teams, with an emphasis on sustaining achievements and reinforcing the standing of fencing locally and regionally.

Competition across the wider tournament programme continues. On Sunday, the International Federation of Padel tournament concludes with the crowning of winners. On Monday, 23 February, the Nad Al Sheba International Padel championship for national teams begins, featuring Arab and international teams, running until 27 February. It is followed by the International Federation of Padel junior category tournament from 28 February to 5 March.

Other events are also ongoing: the cycling race that started on Saturday concludes on Sunday, 22 February; badminton begins on Sunday and runs for two days, ending on Monday, 23 February; the obstacle challenge continues with the final scheduled for 24 February; jiu-jitsu takes place on 24 and 25 February; and the running race is set for 27 February.

Basketball 3×3 continues, with the final scheduled for 3 March. Wheelchair basketball is being staged at the Dubai Club for People of Determination, moving into decisive rounds with the semi-finals on 2 March, the third-place match on 3 March, and the final on 4 March in the main hall at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

Tug of war begins on 1 March and runs until 6 March. Volleyball starts on 26 February with participation from teams and players from major international clubs, with the semi-finals on 5 March, the third-place match on 6 March, and the final on 7 March.