Gov Games return in April: Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan

By Rajive Singh

DUBAI 20 December 2018: The second edition of the Gov Games, an initiative conceived by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, will return to Dubai from 3-6 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.

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.

Open to Public

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 gruelling series of preliminary qualifiers and finals on an intense obstacle course.

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 AED 1 million cash prize to charities in the UAE.

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.

Team Building

“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.

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 Dh 1 million in prize money.

Identifying Leaders

To enhance participating teams’ chances of overcoming the obstacles and progressing through the competition, Bin Essa 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.