Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The inaugural UAE University Games, under the aegis of the Ministry of Sports, came to a flourishing finish this weekend, culminating in a lot of stories of hope and confidence for the youth of the country, which has been a frontrunner in promoting all codes of sport in the region.
The best of young local talent was seen spread across the emirates when the six finals across disciplines for boys and girls were held over the past week at the Al Jazira Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Notably, the girls from Higher College of Technology, Abu Dhabi, took the football title while the boys’ title went to University of Sharjah (UoS). In basketball, the UoS girls lost out but among the boys, it was American University of Dubai (AUD) who emerged triumphant.
The latter took the college title for a second crown in three weeks, having travelled to Greece and ended up winning an international tournament. “We have nine players who have played in big or professional leagues. Then there is an Emirati [Abdul Aziz Khalifa] who has been an MVP award winner in the Under-20 age category among the ranks; we have one similarly from Serbia,” said the AUD coach Issam Termanini in conversation with Aletihad minutes after leaving the court post the final buzzer.
Despite the squad depth, AUD youth were trailing their opponents from Sharjah in the first quarter, but their experienced coach quickly made amends with a strategic move. “We identified their main threat and closed him out first to shore up our defence, then we found ourselves scoring as we would have liked,” Termanini said.
The University of Sharjah joined AUD in taking two titles home but they also ended runners-up in three more events. The football final for the boys – the “main” title, according to the UoS official – went Sharjah’s way. Yet, it needed a dramatic end involving two brothers to ensure the University Games got the final flourish befitting the strong competition.
Mixed Bag for Sharjah
Having taken the lead before rivals American University of the Emirates found the equaliser, the tiring boys were deep into extra time and two minutes away from a penalty shoot-out. Then Rashid Nabil took the ball on the counter from the midfield in his half and ran down the left flank, drawing out three defenders and crossed to younger brother Ahmed who had enough time to control and slot in the winner.
“We actually reached the final in all of the games, in basketball, in volleyball, and today the main one, which is football,” said Prof Eid Kanan, the UoS Dean of Student Affairs. “Winning the competition is a target, but not the main one. As a university, we try to give the chance for all of the students – [more than 20,000, he adds] – in extra-curricular activities. In football, we had 32 students alone. We have specialised coaches; two in football in this case...
“Our aim is to get every chance to participate in the UAE sporting federations’ competitions. We have great sporting facilities which are open six days a week from 10am to 10pm. They work hard and we also look after them,” the dean said, adding on a lighter note that it would be a day off from university for the students who endured a two-hour journey back home after celebrations went long into the night.
Organised by Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company (ADEC), in cooperation with the Ministry of Sports and the UAE School and University Sports Federation, with support from other partners, the Games drew a total of 1,585 students from 28 universities from across the UAE.
