Challenge Family announces second race in Middle East with Challenge Dubai

By Wires November 6, 2014

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Challenge Family has extended its footprint in the Middle East with today’s announcement of the half distance Challenge Dubai, set to take place on 27 February 2015.

Challenge Dubai is the series second event event in the Middle East and will take place on Feb 27th 2015. Challenge Bahrain is on Dec 6th 2014

In a partnership between Challenge Family, Challenge Bahrain and the Dubai Sports Council, Challenge Dubai will be based in the famous Jumeirah Beach area and the course will be set against iconic landmarks such as the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa and the Burj AlArab. The swim is off Jumeirah Beach, in the waters of the Arabian Gulf opposite the famous World Islands. The bike will head out through the city to the sand dunes of the Nazwa Desert. The run will head along the white sandy coastline, past the Marina towards The Palms Jumeira before doubling back and finishing in the green oasis of the Jumeirah Beach Park.

Challenge Dubai has strong support from both His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain and the Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, both of whom are committed to promoting inclusive sports participation and an active and healthy lifestyle within their societies.

The director of sports events department at Dubai Sports Council Mr Nasser AlRahma said, “Dubai recently is witnessing a noticeable move towards increased education in triathlon participations because of the tremendous benefits people receive from participating in this sport.” Moreover, he mentioned “Dubai this year organized a number of desert type triathlon where by swimming is replaced with horse riding and large groups of individuals participated in this event, which was organized by Dubai Sports Council. In addition, Dubai also hosts a number of other sports event, and this is a good addition to the various attractive international sports events in Dubai.”

Dr Saqer Al Khalifa, general manager of Challenge Bahrain and supervising Challenge Dubai reaffirmed building up the historic athletics relations with Dubai. “It is widely known in this region how Bahrain and the Emirates always walk hand in hand in the same path in various fronts, including sports. This expansion is one addition to our societies in an attempt to have more regional options for the growing triathlon demand.”

Challenge Family CEO, Zibi Szlufcik, said the announcement of Challenge Dubai further cemented Challenge Family’s strong relationship with Bahrain while opening new opportunities and partnerships in Dubai.

“Challenge Dubai is an extremely exciting development in Middle East triathlon on the back of a sell-out Challenge Bahrain. It complements Challenge Bahrain perfectly and opens new opportunities to local athletes, helping us grow the sport in this emerging triathlon region. The passion and energy for triathlon together with the commitment to produce a world-class quality event is second to none. We are incredibly honoured to have such strong support from Their Royal Highnesses, both of whom have a very clear vision on how we can work together to grow triathlon and improve sports participation rates across all ages and demographics.”

Entries to Challenge Dubai will open a week from today, Thursday November 13, 2014 when full course details will also be revealed on www.challenge-dubai.com.

ABOUT CHALLENGE FAMILY
The Challenge Family series of triathlons now features 43 full and half distance races in 19 countries, including the world’s largest long distance triathlon – Challenge Roth in Germany. The birthplace of the Challenge Family, Challenge Roth now features over 5,500 athletes and 220,000 spectators and home to both world records held by Andreas Raelert (GER) and Chrissie Wellington (GBR). Since 2002, races throughout Europe, UK, Australasia, Asia, North America and South America have joined Roth. Together they provide athletes with a new experience of long distance racing with a strong focus on athlete and spectator experience, giving back to the community while respecting the legacy of sport and being committed to its continued growth. For further information on Challenge Family visit www.challenge-family.com.