DUBAI, The year 2022 was distinguished as the year of sport in the UAE and the entire world, as it witnessed the full return of the public and fans to enjoy watching sports competitions at the stadiums and pitches.
In Dubai, 2022 was marked as the year of attracting more local and international events and championships, which have attained remarkable development in terms of names of participants, various sports and huge numbers of fans.
The photos of the participation of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, in the Dubai Fitness Challenge at Sheikh Zayed Road in the heart of Dubai, accompanied by more than 193,000 participants, has presented an excellent model on the status of Dubai and its continuous development to attain several unprecedented records regarding the increase of the level of awareness with the importance of sport and the numbers of participants.
A report, prepared by Dubai Sports Council through an international house of expertise, has unveiled that the contribution of sport to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Dubai has attained an annual increase of more than AED9 billion with a contribution rate of 2.3% of Dubai’s GDP.
The sports sector provides 105 job opportunities as a result of the development of sports tourism.
The year 2022 has witnessed a significant increase in the number of various annual sports events, comprised of more than 103 international events and championships, top of which are: the World Padel Championship; Dubai World Golf Championship; the World Tennis League; two tours of the world beach volleyball championship; the 11th Emirates Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup; Dubai Super Cup; AC Milan of Italy and Lyon of France.
The year of 2022 witnessed an increase in the number of registered companies specialised in the field of organising sports events and training camps, i.e. increase to 700 companies.
The number of various sports academies has increased to 400 academies, while the number of gym centres and specialised physical fitness centres increased to 400 each. The number of clubs in Dubai raised to 100 clubs.
Increase of International Training Camps
The year 2022 witnessed a significant increase in the number of training camps held in Dubai throughout the year by clubs, national teams and Olympic and sports champions.
In this regard, the Emirate hosted more than 120 international training camps held at Hamdan Sports Complex, Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex and the stadiums and pitches of many Dubai clubs and resorts, which are all well-equipped as per top international standards.
Sports Championships and Tourism
During 2022, Dubai witnessed an increase in the number of athletes and fans who arrived in Dubai from all over the world. In this respect, various championships and events were held with the participation of more than 31,000 athletes, and in the presence of 713,000 spectators and fans of multi-nationalities, most of them arrived from overseas. One hundred sixty-five local events were held with the participation of 1.77 million persons from 200 nationalities and in the presence of 220,000 fans, representing an important addition to the sports tourism sector.
The Emirate of Dubai witnessed the organisation of 12 sports conferences and exhibitions, top of which are the 17th Dubai International Sports Conference and the Globe Soccer Award, which were held in the presence of top world football stars.
Fifty-eight women’s events were organised, with a percentage of more than one event per week. Respective bodies organised 31 e-sports competitions, considering that e-sport is witnessing remarkable development and distinguished participation of world athletes and corporates from overseas.
Sports Events at Dubai’s Landmarks
Dubai Sports Council was keen to organise 62 various sports events and rounds of international championships for professional and amateur athletes during 2022 at the eminent tourist landmarks of Dubai, among which are: Al Marmoom Reserve, Jumeirah and Hatta.
Continuous Development for the Work’s Rules and Regulations
During 2022, Dubai Sports Council continued its efforts to develop relevant rules and regulations. In this regard, the 2nd version of “Hamdan Bin Mohammed Order of Merit for Sports Education Schools” has been launched, while an update was made for the 9th version of the Sports Excellence Model 2020/2023 to honour clubs and football companies which attain excellence and achievements.
Dubai Sports Council has also continued its qualifying programmes for technical and administrative staff working in Dubai. The Annual Forum for Dubai Clubs’ Coaches was organised with the participation of over 100 coaches from the different football categories.
Source: Emirates News Agency