Participants take part in the Zayed Charity Run. File

The event will take place on Saturday in the New Administrative Capital, located 50 kilometres from the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

The run will have a total prize money of EGP10 million, awarded to 10,000 winners across various participating categories, including men, women, people with equal abilities, and those with special needs. Moreover, there are 100 Umrah trips for two people (couples) for the winners of a special draw, which will be held on the sidelines of the event.

During yesterday’s evening press conference in Cairo’s Al Nas Hospital, Al Kaabi thanked all partners who supported the event, including the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports, the UAE Embassy in Cairo, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), local Egyptian organisers, and the runners who will donate to the Misr El Kheir Foundation and Al Nas Hospital.

He also recalled the person the run was named after, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Founder, who promoted the values of kindness and generosity. His philanthropy reached many charitable and humanitarian institutions around the world, he added.

The press conference and hospital tour were attended by Mariam Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt, Ahmed Hilal Al Kaabi, Member of the Run’s Organising Committee, Hatem Al Mulla, Head of Al Nas Hospital, Dr. Mohamed Rafaai, Chairman of the Misr El Kheir Foundation, and Mohamed Haji Khouri, Director of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation. Representatives from the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the ERC, and the Egyptian Youth and Sports Ministry were also present.

Al Kaabi said that the event will be held under the patronage of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of Egypt, noting that it will showcase Egypt’s remarkable urban progress. It has received an overwhelming number of registrations over the past few days. He also hoped that it would set a new record for the number of participants and appreciated the hard work of partners and organisers from the UAE and Egypt.

He then pointed out that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is keen to support charitable programmes and projects and extend a helping hand to those in need around the world. The UAE’s ongoing acts of kindness towards the world reflect its commitment to the principles of humanity, harmony, and mutual respect, he added.

A documentary about the work of the Al Joud Charitable Foundation and Al Nas Hospital was shown at the conference. The hospital has been offering free medical care to all patients in various areas of expertise since 2019. It has a large team of skilled doctors and advanced equipment for diagnosis, surgery, and laboratory testing. It also plans to expand its capacity to 600 beds. The company that organised the event shared its details, including its route, starting point, access points, event tents, and full schedule. It will start tomorrow morning.

Dr Ashraf Sobhy, Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, also gave a speech via video conference at the press conference, thanking the UAE, its leadership, the marathon’s organisers, and those who collaborated. He said that the event’s preparations were going well, and he was sure that the event would be a great success.

The Zayed Charity Marathon announced various prize categories for its participants, including 3,900 men and the same number of women in the 10 km race, 880 men and the same number of women in the 5 km wheelchair race, 20 professional men and the same number of women in the 5 km wheelchair race, and 200 men and the same number of women with disabilities of short stature in the 5 km race.

The event’s 10 km run boasts impressive prize money for top contenders.

WAM