Mohammed Bin Rashid attends Gov Games 2019

DUBAI: Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, attended yesterday in Kite Beach in Dubai, Gov Games, which takes place under the patronage and participation of Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The games are being held under the banner “One Team One Spirit,” with a total of 168 local, federal and international teams that will vie for the top prize of Dh1 million.

Sheikh Mohammed was briefed by Marwan Bin Issa, games director, about the various levels of the competition.

The first initiative of its kind in the world, the Gov Games aim to promote team spirit and collaboration among government employees. The competitions at the Games have been designed according to the highest global standards.

The winning men’s and women’s teams will be awarded the title of ‘Gov Games Champions’.

In response to the unprecedented success of the Gov Games, which is organised by the Executive Council of Dubai in partnership with Dubai Sports Council, Sheikh Hamdan has generously increased the total prize fund from Dhs2 million to Dhs3 million.

The additional prize pool will be split between the runners-up and third-place teams in the men’s and women’s competitions. The runner-up in each category will receive a prize of Dhs300,000, while third-place finishers will each receive Dhs200,000 per team. The respective men’s and women’s Gov Games champions will receive Dhs1 million each.

The second edition of the Gov Games, an initiative launched by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, kicked off at Kite Beach in Dubai on Wednesday, April 3 and runs until Saturday, April 6.

Expanded for its second installment, Gov Games 2019, held in partnership with Dubai Sports Council, will see 168 teams battle through a series of mental and physical challenges housed within 10 mind-defying obstacles made from more than 1,300 tonnes of steel. The 168 teams comprise 106 men’s teams and 62 women’s teams, with 15 international teams from nine countries joining the action.

The obstacles, carrying names such as Aquaphobia, The Human Ladder 2.0, Wipeout, The Trap, The Grinder, Power Drainer, The Weakest Link, Alzheimer, Breathless and Battleship, collectively feature more than four million litres of water and three kms of specialist orienteering ropes.

There are nine gruelling obstacles for the qualifying round and one major obstacle for the final round. Each obstacle is designed to test teams’ capacities in several areas including strategy, collaboration, adaptability, mental agility, stamina, balance, strength and endurance. Each obstacle is completely unique and will push each team to its limits.

With the giant obstacle course now complete following 36,000 hours of manpower to erect the mega obstacle structures, the all-male teams and all-female teams are finalising their plans to race each other and the clock over four days of exciting, ocean- front action in Dubai.

With 80 per cent of teams from 2018 returning to this year’s Gov Games, international participants from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, US, UK, Thailand and Armenia have helped expand the line-up of participants to 168 teams – up from 150 teams in 2018.

Ahead of the Gov Games, the event’s Organising Committee highlighted the gruelling obstacles and improved spectator elements across Gov Games’ 100,000 square metre competition site.

Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, asserted that the remarkable local, regional and international participation in Gov Games 2019 confirms the importance of the event as a truly global government initiative and a firm favourite on Dubai’s ever-evolving sports calendar.

WAM