Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), the Abu Dhabi Grand Kingfish Championship 2024 will be held from 19-21 April 2024. The event will be organised by ADSC and the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club (ADMSC), with the shared goal of promoting the preservation of traditional sports that represent the UAE’s maritime heritage.
Registration is open until Monday 15 April 2024. Participants must do so through the official website of ADSC (adsc.ae) and the process is open to all nationalities, citizens and residents alike from inside and outside the UAE.
The event, the largest of its kind in the region, was launched at Mohammed Khalaf Majlis in the Karama area of Abu Dhabi, in the presence of His Excellency Suhail Al Arifi, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at ADSC, Majid Ateeq Al Muhairi, Director of the Marine Sports Department at ADMSC, Ayoob Al Khaja, representative of Delma Marine, Mohammed Darwish Al Marar, representative of Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), and several media representatives and influencers.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Kingfish Championship is one of the most important marine sporting events in the emirate that preserves the popular pastime of kingfishing among Emirati people and encourages the broader community to participate.
The organising committee has allocated a total AED1 million prize fund for the tournament and will award prizes from first to 60th placeThe aim is to attract as many participants as possible, with the winner determined by the weight of the kingfish caught during the tournament. First place will receive AED200,000 in prize money.
It is expected that a large number of specialists, including fishing enthusiasts and amateurs, will compete, as expectations indicate hundreds of participants over the course of its three days.
His Excellency Suhail Al Arifi, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at ADSC, thanked His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of ADSC, for his support and continuous directives supporting traditional sports that would strengthen the Emirati identity among the youth. He also conveyed the greetings of His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani, General-Secretary of ADSC, to all those attending the conference, further emphasising that the Abu Dhabi Grand Kingfish Championship will be one of the most important, prominent and largest events in the world of traditional sports related to marine fishing.
Majid Ateeq Al Muhairi, Director of the Marine Sports Department at ADMSC, praised the support of ADSC, headed by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which contributed to great gains for both marine and heritage sports in Abu Dhabi.
Participants must pay a registration fee of AED200 and take note of the briefing to be held on 16 April 2024 at 7pm in the Muhammad Khalaf Majlis in the Al Karama area. They will be given an outer poster for their boat from 16-18 April, and the boats will gather on the morning of the tournament on 19 April on the beach opposite Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club to receive their inner sticker. The preparation boat raises the yellow flag at exactly 11am for the gathering, and then the green flag to mark the start of the three-day competition.
