Dubai Run’s got a special scenic route this year

DUBAI: A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity awaits UAE’s enthusiastic running community on November 19th as the Expo 2020 Dubai Run takes them on a scenic route through the Expo site, past 192 awe-inspiring pavilions.

Registration is now open now through the PremierOnline website and will close on November 11th, or sooner if places sell out.

Supported by Expo 2020 Dubai and Dubai Sports Council, the Expo 2020 Dubai Run is open to residents and visitors of all ages and nationalities, including participants in strollers, and participants can choose from three distances – 3km, 5km, and 10km.

Participants in the three categories will be divided into different age groups, with four age groups available in the 3km run: 0-8 years, 9-12 years, 13-18 years and 19-plus; eight in the 5km: Under-13, 13-15, 16-18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59 and 60-plus; and six in the 10km: U-19, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-plus.

To get in top shape for the event on 19th November, participants can take part in four, free-of-cost ‘The World Family Run’, which is also open to participants of all ages and nationalities and offers a family-friendly 1.3km run through Ghaf Avenue.

The World Family Run, which is supported by Dubai Sports Council, takes place every Saturday from 9th to 30th October, and those interested can register through the PremierOnline website.

Dubai Sports Council, in association with AIS Athletics, has also organised a series of free-of-cost morning and evening training sessions throughout October, delivered by experienced middle and long-distance coaches. Open to participants of all ages and abilities, the Expo Running Club will also take place at the Expo Park from 3rd to 6th October, 10th to 13th October, 17th to 20th October, and 24th to 27th October.

Dubai Sports Council, along with its partners, has planned several other events including the 16th Dubai International Sports Conference (DISC), a Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiative, which will take place alongside the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards in the last week of December; the FIDE World Chess Championship 2021 that will see reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen battle challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, between 24th November and 16th December; and the Hamdan Bin Rashid Masters International Chess Championship will be held concurrently.

Dubai International Sports Conference, one of football’s main brainstorming platforms, has been bringing football’s top stakeholders together to Dubai since 2006 for extensive discussions on challenges facing the ever-evolving world of football while finding ways to develop and enrich the sport at the domestic, regional and international level.

Since its launch, the Conference has welcomed more than 400 international and national speakers and moderators, including some of the biggest names in football like FIFA President His Excellency Gianni Infantino, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentine magician Lionel Messi, and French legend Zinedine Zidane, and the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona.

The Council has also confirmed that the awards ceremony of the prestigious 11th Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award will take place on 9th January 2022.

The 11th edition of the Award will see Emirati and Arab heroes from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games being honoured at the glittering ceremony.

Dubai will also be hosting more than 30 international sports events during the Expo 2020 Dubai period, across the Emirate, including the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers in October and November, and cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup, which will feature 16 nations and take place between 17th October and 14th November.