https://arab.news/4cmh7
- The event will take place in October at Ski Dubai, Mall of the Emirates
Dubai is set to host the region’s first official snow volleyball tournament in October at Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates, the official website of the Emirates Media Office has announced.
Certified by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball, the four-day tournament is being organized by the Esperia Volleyball Academy in cooperation with the Dubai Sports Council and Ski Dubai.
The competition, the first of its kind in the Middle East, is part of a program of events overseen by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, to strengthen Dubai’s position as an international sporting destination.
In an effort to familiarize potential participants with snow volleyball, a sport played by two teams on a snow court divided by a net, Ski Dubai will open its doors for the public to register for training sessions at its snow volleyball courts on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 and 3. Expert coaches from the Esperia Volleyball Academy will be on hand during the training sessions to provide participants with tips to master the game.
To promote snow sports in Dubai and the UAE, Ski Dubai has hosted a number of events recently, including the world’s first indoor edition of Red Bull Jump & Freeze on July 9 of this year. The competition saw more than 20 teams in custom-made costumes and vehicles slide down the slope of Ski Dubai, hit the kicker and jump into a pool of freezing water before a panel of judges, who selected the winners.
Last year in August, as Dubai gradually reopened its sports sector in the aftermath of the pandemic, Ski Dubai organized the DXB Snow Week and a skiing and snowboarding competition called the “Return to Safe Sport.” Organized in collaboration with Dubai Sports Council, it was one of the first snow sports competitions in the world to be held with social distancing measures in place.
The competition, which was open to all competent racers, freestyle skiers and snowboarders, was divided into four snow sports categories including the alpine speed disciplines of slalom skiing and giant slalom and two freestyle disciplines, slopestyle and big air.
The DXB Snow Week also featured the Snow Run event, which saw participants from 46 different countries running 3 km on the icy slopes, in sub-zero temperatures.
Ski Dubai is scheduled to hold more than 10 events this year, including national and international tournaments like the UAE Alpine Ski Championship, UAE National Ski and Snowboard Freestyle Championship and the 12th edition of Ice Warrior Challenge.