A pause and a roaring return to sporting action in Dubai

Outdoor sport and games were a casualty of COVID-19 in 2020. Competitions in the UAE came to a standstill, allowing professional sportspersons to take a break. An end to outdoor activities impacted people's fitness, but the Dubai Sports Council rose to the challenge.

Saeed Mohammed Hareb, Secretary General of the Council, said: "It [COVID-19] may have stopped everything, but our thinking didn't stop. The government encouraged us to find solutions. One solution was to create more activities for the community in a virtual system [online]. Most people became active again — in the house or the community. We launched "Be Fit, Be Safe" initiative, which has worked very well. Everyone was happy with it, and we were able to keep the community busy with that.

The sports council ensured the activities didn't compromise safety. "We developed various programmes through virtual systems [online]: some of them can be done in the house, some on a bike, some other general ones for the family. Everyone was satisfied," Hareb added.

"We hosted a virtual marathon. More than 700 people took part, with participants running in their homes in UAE and other countries like Jordan, India, Belarus, Ukraine, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Two of the winners were from outside UAE. We also organised a cycling event with six stages with participants cycling in their homes," Khalid Al Awar, the Council's director of sports events department, elaborated.

When the pandemic spread worldwide, the UAE Tour cycling — the only UCI Tour in the Middle East — was underway. "We finished five stages, and there were two more to go when the coronavirus started spreading. Our visionary leadership took the decision to cancel the last two stages. Because for them, the safety and health of the spectators and participants were more important than holding the event," Al Awar said.

The Dubai World Cup, a prestigious event and one of the biggest horse races in the world, was cancelled. The intercontinental cup beach soccer, Emirates rugby sevens and DP World golf too were scrapped. All these events were cancelled as part of precautionary measures to safeguard public health. Action returned to Dubai’s sporting scene in September, soon after the national disinfection programme. What followed was a series of international events, including the two-month-long Indian Premier League cricket.

Hareb said that the UAE took immense pride in hosting the IPL 2020. It wasn't easy as 60 games involving eight teams were hosted in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

"Let's look at the [IPL] cricket tournament in UAE. They chose the UAE to host [IPL] cricket when COVID cases were increasing in India. The IPL was held in the UAE for three months [including the quarantine and training] under full safety protocols. In the end, everyone said, 'Thank you, UAE'," Hareb explained. That was a significant feat considering the logistics. "More than 800 players and technical teams came to the UAE to play matches in three cities: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah for two months. It was a massive exercise to move them for matches. Their safety was a priority for us. It was a huge success, and we received some huge compliments from India and the region," Al Awar said.

More international events followed as safety protocols were put in place and sports persons felt secure to participate in the competitions in Dubai.

"We had a lot of activities. We didn't lock down completely. When you look back a bit, we can see that several sporting events were held safely even during the pandemic [in 2020]. The European Tour [golf], two tournaments went very well. Other events too were organised well with strict safety protocol," Hareb said.

One of them was the major Dubai International Sports Conference, and many sports stars were here [in Dubai]. FIFA President Giannini Infantino and Portuguese football star [Cristiano] Ronaldo was here; Iker Casillas [former Spanish football captain], [Gerard] Pique [Spanish footballer], all these people came. They wouldn't have come if they didn't feel safe," Hareb added.

When sportspersons realised that the UAE is safe, they came in droves. Some arrived for a holiday, some to work on their fitness, and many teams came to train.

"The UAE is safe. This is the message we sent to the world: This was clear as the hotels were nearly full during New Year's Eve. People believe the UAE is safe. The top players trusted it, and that's why they attended the conferences [Dubai International Sports Conference] and the Dubai Global Soccer Awards at Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa]," the Secretary General said.

There were more high profile events. The European Tour [golf], ATP and WTA tour [tennis] events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the UAE Tour cycling, the Formula One Grand Prix 2020 in Abu Dhabi, the 2021 World Cup horse racing are some of them. But one essential ingredient was missing: spectators. That was more due to the strict COVID-19 safety protocol. “Because for our leaders the safety and well-being of people is a top priority,” Hareb explained.

"Spectators, we need them.. Some events were organised with a limited number of spectators as per the safety protocols and guidelines,” he added.

What about local sports? What about the training and the competitions? The Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Tournament returned for its eighth season during Ramadan with strict COVID-19 precautionary measures. And it was a success.

Hareb said most sports activities in the UAE have resumed, except for under-18 and under-16 events. "All tournaments are going well: football, basketball, volleyball, handball. And we are busy with many activities. We just finished the Ironman.

"We have almost the same number of tournaments as in normal times. The majority of events has resumed in the UAE. We would like spectators to come and support the events, but we have to respect the rules and regulations. That's very important." Hareb said.

Hareb said sportspeople consider Dubai a safe training destination. Al Awar shed more light on it saying: More than 50 Olympic and non-Olympic teams from different countries trained in Dubai during the pandemic, some of them for the Tokyo Games. They found Dubai the safest place to train. The pandemic has slowed in parts of the world, while a second wave is lashing several countries. Dubai and the UAE haven't let the guard down, but that hasn't stopped people from living their lives. Vaccinations and strict observance of safety protocols have helped.

Sportspersons recognise that. That's why they keep coming to Dubai and the UAE.