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The second edition of the Gov Games, an initiative conceived by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, will return to Dubai from 3rd-6th April 2019.
Comprising teams from various Dubai Government departments, other emirates and the UAE Federal Government, as well as a significant increase in international participants from major cities across different continents, the expanded Gov Games 2019 is a collaboration between the General Secretariat of the Executive Council Dubai and Dubai Sports Council.
The competition will once again be held under the theme of ‘One Team, One Spirit’ to highlight the teamwork needed to achieve excellence in the professional and sporting arenas. The theme also reflects the significant progress made by the Government of Dubai in recent years to encourage citizens and residents to pursue active lifestyles through a series of society-wide programmes, initiatives and incentives.
"The inaugural Gov Games was a tremendous success and served its purpose in testing the mental agility, fitness and teamwork of UAE Government employees, and their peers from around the world," said Marwan bin Essa, director of the Gov Games.
She added, "Despite this success and the overwhelmingly positive feedback - which stretched from all over the world – we believe there is ample scope to increase the Gov Games footprint and the legacy of this Dubai initiative to every corner of the globe under the directives and unlimited support of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum."
The first edition of the Gov Games was attended by 154 teams representing more than 96 international and local government departments from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah. The gender split saw 90 male teams and 64 women teams.
Competitors at the event will face similar challenges to those featured in the inaugural Gov Games in 2018, while a new set of testing obstacles will require greater harmony and focus from participating teams. Team members will have to work together and demonstrate key characteristics such as strength, stamina, memory, diving and climbing to compete efficiently and effectively.
Gov Games 2019 is once again open to the viewing public as the mental prowess and physical endurance of Government employees is tested in a grueling series of preliminary qualifiers and finals on an intense obstacle course.
In-line with the Gov Games vision to strengthen the collaborative skills and team spirit of Government staff by testing their mental and physical dexterity, Bin Essa added the 2019 edition will again feature separate competitions for all-female and all-male teams, with the ultimate champions from each gender claiming shares of AED1 million in prize money.
To enhance participating teams’ chances of overcoming the obstacles and progressing through the competition, the Gov Games director stressed the importance of identifying leaders who are capable of guiding and motivating their teams during the selection process. Selected teams should also include highly-responsible individuals with different levels of ability and who can work in a team.
"During the first edition of the Gov Games, some teams performed exceptionally well and above all expectations, including some of our all-women teams, who performed brilliantly - we expect the female competition to be even more intensely contested in 2019," added Bin Essa.
The first Gov Games was won by Sheikh Hamdan and his victorious F3 team following an adrenaline-filled comeback in a nail-biting final, where all but one obstacle was successfully completed. Sheikh Hamdan lead his F3 warriors back to the obstacle the day after the event determined to conquer it. The women’s competition was won by the US Consulate General in Dubai team. Both teams donated their shares of the AED1 million cash prize to charities in the UAE.
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