Strong turnout in first stage of School Games

Thousands of boys and girls from public and private schools across Dubai took part in the first stage of the “Midea Dubai Schools Games,” competing in football, athletics, fencing and laser shooting in what organizers described as the largest school-sport tournament of its kind in the emirate.

The event is organized by the Dubai Sports Council in cooperation with ESM, the tournament’s operating partner.

Dubai Sports Council officials said the growing participation reflects plans to strengthen the school-sport ecosystem and expand pathways for talent identification and development.

Issa Sharif, Director of the Sports Events Department at the Dubai Sports Council, said the tournament continues to record steady growth and serves as an early foundation for selecting and developing promising athletes.

He added that these competitions are positioned as a platform to support the development of future Olympic champions.

“The tournament is a leading platform for producing future champions across different sports,” Sharif said.

“It also strengthens the Council’s efforts to empower youth and junior athletes by developing sport in the school sector, and it underscores the pivotal role schools play in advancing the country’s sports movement as the base of the sporting pyramid.

“This tournament gives our clubs the opportunity to select the best talents and include them in teams across different sports. We wish everyone success in their efforts and competitions, and without doubt taking part in this number of tournaments will contribute to discovering and developing many talented players across different sports.”

Football: The football tournament, hosted at Al Nasr Club, drew 2,556 students representing 225 teams. The final rounds featured 1,440 students from 38 schools, across age groups from Under-9 to Under-16 for both boys and girls.

GEMS Modern Academy and GEMS Wellington Academy claimed prominent results and collected top performance awards, amid competition from Lycée Français, Saint-Marc, the German International School, and GEMS Dubai American Academy.

Fencing and Laser Shooting: Fencing competitions were held at GEMS School of Research and Innovation, with 58 male and female fencers from 30 schools. Students from GEMS School of Research and Innovation stood out in the sabre (boys) category, while the Swiss International School delivered a notable showing and dominated the girls’ events.

Laser shooting events also concluded, with 48 students from 15 schools competing in the fast-paced discipline that combines running with accuracy in firing laser shots.

Athletics: A total of 1,146 male and female students competed in the athletics tournament, staged at the Dubai Police Officers Club track in Al Jaddaf. The competition featured 129 teams, with 600 athletes from 40 schools advancing to the finals.

Meanwhile, the competition is a key platform for identifying and nurturing young sporting talents and plays a vital role in shaping the future generation of athletes.

Last year’s Dubai Schools Games attracted record-breaking participation from thousands of students across Dubai.

Belhoul noted that the Games witnessed wide participation, bringing together more than 84,000 students from diverse nationalities and age groups representing 165 public and private schools across Dubai.