Anyone who thinks of Ramadan as a drowsy, slow-paced month with little by way of adrenaline-pumping games, fast and furious team sports and daredevil outdoors activities, obviously hasn’t heard about the Armed Forces Officers Club Open Sports Festival.
Now in its 15th year, this annual event has become one of the great summer traditions of Abu Dhabi. It was launched back in 1997 (ancient history by the capital’s standards) and has steadily grown year by year since then, attracting participants and spectators from right across the country to take part in its wide range of sporting pursuits.
The tournament will see more than 3,000 athletes compete in activities as diverse as ice hockey, football and chess, and will feature both separate and mixed sports for men and women. In a particularly modern twist, there will even be a Fifa 2011 PlayStation tournament for those who want to show off their dexterity (and possibly couch potato prowess).
Previous years have seen some exciting clashes between top competitors from the Gulf and even further afield. Spectators who have attended the past few tournaments have had the privilege of watching top judo fighters from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Yemen and Somalia, and boxing champions from Fujairah, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi itself. The Australian University in Kuwait’s female football team and Al Jazira Ladies Volleyball team have also been in fine form at AFOC’s recent Open Sports festivals.
And while many athletes compete just for the chance to win a prestigious title, the generous prizes awarded each year also prove quite an incentive to take part. So if glory isn’t enough to get your competitive juices flowing, perhaps the generous prizes are. The total prize money awarded last year was a staggering Dhs9 million, and this year the as-yet unconfirmed figure is rumoured to be just as high.
But spectators won’t be missing out on the giveaways either – random prize draws will see some lucky winners receive a vast array of prizes ranging from LCD TVs to top-of-the-range mobile phones. Better still, there will even be three Toyota cars up for grabs. Throughout the festivities, spectators will be handed free raffle tickets, and there is no fee or restrictions as to who can enter.
Last year’s games proved to be quite a showcase for the talents of sportsmen and women from the Emirates, proving particularly strong in the volleyball, boxing and shooting contests. The UAE’s shooters did particularly well, dominating the 20-metre pistol events held at AFOC’s Caracal Shooting Club, and will hopefully be repeating their impressive performance again this time round.
There are also high hopes for the women’s UAE national team, who are expected to compete against the national teams of the USA, Canada, Australia and Jordan.
The games begin daily after Kyam Prayer, which at the beginning of Ramadan will be around 9.30pm, and towards the end of Ramadan (due to the changing time of sunset) the games will begin before 9.30pm and close around midnight.
The Open Sports Festival runs from August 2-21. Armed Forces Officers Club, Al Maqtaa (02 441 5900)
View our comprehensive Ramadan guide here
Highlights of the tournament
Men’s football
Men’s football runs daily from August 3-21 and is one of the most popular events of the tournament. It will be held in AFOC’s covered court. This year a Japanese team will be competing for the first time.
Ice hockey
Check out the ice hockey matches at Zayed Sports City, the only sport to be held outside AFOC. They’re taking place from August 5-10, and are set to be chillingly fast and furious.
Closing Ceremony
Join the celebratory atmosphere at the closing of the games on August 21, and be in with the chance to win some very desirable prizes.
