With traditional sports still waiting for a green light to resume normal service following the precautionary measures put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dubai Sports Council continues to bring a diverse mix of virtual events for sports enthusiasts in Dubai and beyond. With the month of May drawing towards a close, there are still seven sports events on the calendar, and enthusiasts and fans will be able to choose from two virtual running events on Friday — the Skechers Virtual Run and the second episode of the Ramadan Mubarak Challenge — alongside a number of eSports contests. The Skechers Virtual Run, organized by Super Sports Academy in collaboration with Dubai Sports Council, is open to participants of all age and abilities, and they can choose from five different distances — 1km, 2.5km, 5km, 10km, Unlimited km. They can choose to run at any time of the day as the event takes place across the day, and participants can make use of indoor and outdoor space in and around their home and community, with the real challenge being to design and create a fun course. Registration is free, through https://www.premieronline.com/super-sports, and open until 11.59 p.m. of May 21. Participants can upload videos of their run to their Instagram page and tag #SkechersVirtualRun with their run data, photos and videos at to win vouchers. The Ramadan Mubarak Challenge, which had its first race on May 15, is a virtual running event in which all the members of the house can participate, with four different categories to choose from — 10km for Male and Female, 5km for Male and Female, 2.5km for Kids aged 12-16, and a race for Kids Under 12. Anyone can take part in the race, and they can use their home fitness equipment like a treadmill or even run outdoors if it is permitted and safe. The Ramadan Mubarak Challenge from 9am on Friday morning and continue until 9am of the following day. Away from the virtual running, Jam Sports Academy have organized an online basketball tournament in partnership with Dubai Sports Council, The Dubai Sports Council Online Basketball Tournament, which is taking place from May 27-31, will see 64 players of 17 nationalities — UAE, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Comoros, Holland, Denmark, Canada, England, Portugal, India and Pakistan — battle out for the top two places on their PlayStation 4. There are three other eSports events on the list as well. The Battle of Gamers, which started on May 14, will reach its finale on May 21, while the Gamefinder Call of Duty - Modern Warfare, a 4 Vs 4 contest with international rules and standards, will finish on Friday after three exciting days of competition. The Omen Gaming Challenge, which started on May 7, will reach its finale on May 30. The month-long ‘Step Around the World', meanwhile, will come to a close on May 31. The event has been organized to support the frontline workers trying to protect the community from COVID-19. The aim of the event is to achieve 50 million steps, which is to cover the earth's circumference of 40,075km, and dedicate it to these frontline workers. Participants can simply walk and submit the number of steps in an online form. Dubai Sports Council has been encouraging sports event organizers in the Emirate to embrace the world of virtual sports and esports, and come up with innovative solutions to keep members of the community engaged in physical activity at home in the current circumstances. Taking the lead in keeping the community physically active at home, Dubai Sports Council has organized a number of unique events, including the world's first ‘Marathon at Home', which was a huge success with participants from around the globe, as well as a Virtual Tour Challenge for cycling enthusiasts. The Council also launched the "Be Fit, Be Safe" campaign, which has received widespread support with top football stars like Barcelona's Croatian ace Ivan Rakitic, Ream Madrid's French striker Karim Benzema, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, rising Portuguese star Joao Felix, and Frenchman Nicolas Anelka backing the campaign alongside many other star players. The DSC has also linked up with some of the leading brands from UAE's fitness industry to offer free daily virtual fitness classes, led by certified fitness trainers. — SG
