Saeed bin Maktoum crowns winners of International Padel Championship at Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament

Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman of the UAE Padel Federation, crowned the winners of the International Padel Federation (FIP) Championship for the gold category, held as part of the 12th edition of the **Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament**. Launched and sponsored by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, this tournament is held annually at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex during the holy month of Ramadan. Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, it is conducted under the slogan **‘Limitless Capabilities’** and has become the largest sports tournament of its kind. Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum awarded the winners in the presence of **Ali Sajwani**, Managing Director and General Manager of Operations at Damac Properties, the Diamond Partner of the tournament, and **Hassan Al Mazrouei**, the tournament manager. The **Swedish duo** of Simon Vazquez and Adam Axelsen claimed first place in the men’s competition, defeating the French-Spanish duo of Maxime Joris and Guillem Figorla Santiago with a score of **7-5, 6-4**. Meanwhile, the **Spanish duo** of Barbara Las Heras and Esther Carnicero Matin triumphed in the women’s competition, overcoming fellow Spaniards Laura Lujan Rodriguez and Marta Arellano Navarro, **7-6, 6-3**. The **Nad Al Sheba Padel Championship for nations** has commenced, featuring players from the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Australia, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia. The group stages will continue until **Wednesday**, with Bahrain scheduled to meet Iran today, and Kuwait competing against the Netherlands, while Australia takes on Saudi Arabia. In the last round-robin matches, the UAE will play Bahrain, Saudi Arabia will face Kuwait, and the Netherlands will meet Australia. The **semi-finals** are set for **Thursday**, and the **final** will take place on **Friday (March 7)**. The **Nad Al Sheba Open Doubles Padel Championship** will commence on **Saturday, March 8**, featuring the best 32 doubles, continuing until **March 12**. Following this, the **FIP Juniors Championship** will run from **March 13 to 16**, and a special competition for the local community will occur from **March 16 to 20**. ### Exciting Jiu-Jitsu Championship Meanwhile, **Jiu-Jitsu Championship** competitions will begin tomorrow at the main hall of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex. The competition will be organized in five categories: – **Open Men’s (18 years and above)**: Blue and Purple belts in the -62kg, -72kg, -85kg, -100kg; Brown and Black belts in the same categories. – **Masters (30 years and above)**: Blue and Purple belts in the -62kg, -72kg, -85kg, -100kg; Brown and Black belts in the same categories. – **Women’s competition**: Blue and Purple belts in the -55kg, -62kg, -72kg, -85kg; Brown and Black belts in the same categories; juniors (16 to 17 years) for Blue and Purple belts in the -52kg, -62kg, -73kg, -85kg. The competitions will follow a **round-robin league cum knockout** system, as approved by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation. All junior competitions are set for tomorrow (**March 5**), while senior men’s and women’s competitions will occur on **March 6**. March 6 will also see the **Obstacle Challenge Championship** commence, continuing until **March 10**, while the **running race** will be held on **March 8**. Registration requests for various competitions such as running, cycling, shooting with running (Laser Run), badminton, tug-of-war, and obstacle course championships are ongoing through the tournament’s electronic system on the official website. The **running race** is on **March 8**, followed by badminton championships on **March 8 and 9**. The **wheelchair basketball championship** will run from **March 9 to 19**, while the **shooting and running championship (Laser Run)** takes place on **March 10 and 11**. The tug-of-war championship starts on **March 11**, leading up to **March 18**, and the cycling race is slated for **March 15 and 16**. The volleyball championship will span from **March 12 to 20**.