• Fohood Zabeel and The Emperor open with wins in volleyball
• DEWA and Mai Dubai assured of spots in Wheelchair semi-finals
• Tug-Of-War competition gets under way from Sunday at NAS Sports Complex

DUBAI: Cyclists from Algeria and Great Britain powered their way to convincing wins in the Open Men's and Senior Men's categories respectively at the cycling races held as part of the 11th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament being held at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

Hamza Yacine of Algeria finished at the top of the Open Men's category with a time of one hour, 31.43.176 minutes, leaving Essaid Abdelloucache of Morocco in second place (1:31.43.443), while Mohammed Ahmed Al Mutaiwei of the UAE came up with a dazzling ride taking third place with a time of 1:31.43.493.

Talal Sodir Shir Mohamed of Iran (1:31.43.626) and local cyclist Saif Mayoof Al Kaabi (1:31.43.951) took the fourth and fifth spots to ensure a close and exciting ride outside the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

The Senior Men's category was a well-rehearsed race with Great Britain's John Shaun Carey making a sudden break towards the end to win in a time of 1 hour, 32.14.362 minutes to finish marginally clear of chasing Belgian cyclist Bart Van Den Dries in a time of 1:32.15.184, while Nouredine Haouchine of Algeria (1:32.15.293) was placed third.

Abdel Khader Rahmani (1:32.16.331) and Simon Cox (1:32.17.222) occupied the next two spots and walk away with part of the cash awards kept aside for this race.

Category C of the People of Determinaton race also witnessed a close finish with Abdulla Saleh Al Blooshi keeping the best for the end to finish with a time of 24.55.688 minutes and win the top position.

In second place was Ahmed Mohamed Saif Al Bedwawi in a time of 24:58.762 minutes, while Salim Juma Salem Al Jneibi was placed third in a time of 29:43.647 minutes.

Sami Salim Said Al Sulaimi hogged the limelight while winning the People of Determination Class H, leaving Ayed Ali Ayed and Saeed Rashed Al Dhaheri in second and third, respectively, while the T&B category for People of Determination was clinched by Abdul Rehman Al Bastaki ahead of Ahmed Saeed Al Naqbi.

Launched and supported by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, the 11th Ramadan Sports Tournament will conclude with the final of the volleyball competition on March 31.

Held under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman Dubai Sports Council, the largest sports tournament of its kind during the holy month of Ramadan at the NAS Sports Complex, is conducted under the slogan “Limitless Capabilities.”

Organised under the auspices of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), this year's sports fiesta has nine different sports disciplines, including Volleyball, Padel, Jiu-Jitsu, Fencing, Wheelchair Basketball, Road Race, Cycling, Tug-of-War and an Obstacle Challenge Race.

Volleyball regales audience

The volleyball tournament got off to a rousing start with Fohood Zabeel and The Emperor winning in contrasting styles on the opening night.

While Fohood Zabeel powered their way to a smooth 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-20) win over Zabeel (1), The Emperor had to overcome some tense moments before winning 3-1 (25-16, 25-27, 25-23, 25-19) against Alameed in the Group A matches played late on Friday.

Paul Puchegger and Filippo Lanza were the standout players for Fohood Zabeel with high scores of 11 and 10 points, respectively. Alessandro Tondi was outstanding in defence with five blocks, while Jaccobo Masseri had three points on serves only.

For Zabeel (1), it was the trio of Hetman Nazar, Gabriel Scheffer and Damian Denys doing well, but found Fohood Zabeel too hot to handle. Nazar had 12 points, while Scheffer and Denys contributed seven and five points respectively.

Action will continue at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex Hall on Sunday with Alameed taking on Fohood Zabeel, while The Emperor will want to continue its winning form while being pitted against Zabeel.

DEWA, Mai Dubai nearly through

Meanwhile, the probables for the semi-finals of the Wheelchair Basketball were nearly in place with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) powering their way to another win in their Group A match against Dubai Municipality 25-16.

The team of the Dubai Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship got the better of Dubai Police General Headquarters 28-25, and ensure they maintained their winning streak in this competition.

The Dubai Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship team now top Group A with 6 points following three successive wins to ensure they are nearly into the knockout stages of the competition.

Dubai Municipality is in second place with 4 points from one win and two losses, Dubai Police General Headquarters is in third with 3 points from a win and a loss, while DEWA is fourth leaving the Roads and Transport Authority in fifth.

In Group B, Mai Dubai also forced their way to the top of the standings with a third successive win, this time beating Al Bustan Center and Residence 26-22. The Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services also came up with a handy 26-5 win against the Community Development Authority team.

Mai Dubai is at the top with 5 points from two wins and a loss, followed by the Ambulance Services with 4 points from two wins, and the Al Bustan Center in third place with 3 points. Dubai Courts is in fourth place and the Community Development Authority is at the bottom with 3 points from as many defeats.

Action at the Dubai Club for People of Determination will continue on Sunday with the Dubai Police General Headquarters meeting DEWA, followed by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority team playing against the Dubai Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship.

All set for Tug-Of-War

Sunday will also witness the hosting of the Tug-Of-War competition at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

A total of 660 players representing 44 teams will be seen competing in three categories at this competition that is being held for the first time in the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament.

There will be 24 teams participating in the Community category, another 12 teams in the Government Departments and Institutions category, while there will be eight teams in the Junior category.

In the Government Departments and Institutions category, a few of the top teams have confirmed including the General Command of Civil Defence, the Ministry of Defence, the General Command of the Emiri Guard in the Government of Sharjah, the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the Land Forces, the Abu Dhabi National Guard, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police General Headquarters, Emirates Foundation for Corporate Education and Dubai Customs.

Beiung held for the first time-ever, the Tug-Of-War is a model of teamwork, one-team spirit along with the excitement it adds as a competitive sport. What is noteworthy is the involvement and engagement of the audience, thus making it a popular sport for spectators.

The Tug-Of-War tournament will be held in two stages: the first will be a group event where each group consisting of four teams will pull in a league system to decide the positions before the knockouts are held.