Dubai launches third CBD Youth Athletics competition

Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) is collaborating with Dubai Sports Council to organise the third edition of the CBD Youth Athletics competition.

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, this is Dubai’s biggest athletics tournament for young athletes from public and private schools.

The 2013-14 season will be launched in November, with the semi-finals and finals to be held in January/February next year. The venue of the tournament will be the Higher College of Technology – Men’s College, Academic City, Dubai.

Over 2,000 students from nearly 90 schools are expected to take part in the third edition, according to Murray Sims, General Manager, Personal Banking Group, CBD.

“We are thrilled to conduct the exciting CBD Youth Athletics Competition for the third year, in partnership with the Dubai Sports Council. The tournament has grown in size and scope since its beginning in 2011-12. This tournament has succeeded in establishing itself as the main athletics event for youth,” he added.

“This year, we are excited to announce the introduction of an innovative online registration technology, which is believed to be a first in the region. All students are registered online by the schools and the athletes’ chest numbers will carry barcodes which will be used for bona fide verification at the venue on the event day. We are confident that the innovation, the increased participation and the overall administration of the event would go a long way in enhancing the reputation of the tournament as the UAE’s largest and most important school championship for junior athletics,” he said.

Ali Omer, Director of Sports Development, Dubai Sports Council commented: “We are delighted to renew our collaboration with Commercial Bank of Dubai in organising the third edition of this tournament. This initiative greatly contributes to fulfilling our Strategic Plan for 2011-15. We are committed to collaborating with diverse organisations from the public and private sectors. Our goal is to help develop the talents of athletes in various sports so that they can succeed on the world stage.”

The event will showcase athletes competing for honours under three categories each for boys and girls: Under-11, Under-14 and Under-17 for boys, and Under-11, Under-14 and Under-16 for girls.

To compete, participants must be registered at a public or private school in Dubai. The participants should mandatorily obtain medical clearance prior to enrollment.

For track events, the running distances include 60m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m, besides relay races. The field events include long jump, high jump and shot put.

The preliminary qualifiers will be held on 8, 9, 22 and 23 November this year, the semi-finals will be held on January 18 2014 and the finals on February 22, 2014.

The technical committee comprises senior representatives from the UAE Athletics Federation. This committee will ensure that all races and events adhere to the regulations, while also overseeing the distribution of prizes and medals to all winners.

CBD will give out the prizes to the students in the form of CBD Debit Cards, in order to inculcate the savings habit in the students, and also introduce them to banking at an early age.

The mascot of the tournament is Maher, a Tmimah or desert cat. It was chosen due to its inspiring attributes of being fast, intelligent and agile - qualities which it shares with athletes. It can travel up to 10km in search of food, and even though it is an endangered species, it has shown its competitive spirit which allows it to survive and thrive.

More information about the tournament is available at www.cbdyouthathleticscompetition.com. The public is advised to regularly visit this website to stay informed of any news or developments. Enquiries can also be directed at the Dubai Sports Council.

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