The second Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo will take place on Saturday 18 November 2023 featuring cyclists from across the MENA region preparing to race the 154km route.Participants will compete for a share of the AED2 million prize pool at the Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo, that is also open to amateur cyclists as well as experienced riders. Participants able to complete the 154km route at a minimum average speed of 28km per hour are invited to take part in the second edition.The 154km fully-supported race route for the Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo starts in Al Bahyah, turning onto the E16 road to Sweihan, turning to the E20 road to Nahil, then the E95 Street reaching Al Bidda area, before reaching the finish line at Al Ain Cycle Track.Abu Dhabi Sports Council are providing bus transport from the finish line back to Al Bahyah for participants and has once provided free access to training for all participants in the Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo. Designed by trainers from the UCI World Tour winning team, UAE Team Emirates, the 10-week training programme prepares participants of all levels for the challenges of the Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo.Kevin Poulton, Trainer at UAE Team Emirates, said: “Here at UAE Team Emirates, we always strive to bring out the best performance of our riders, creating training plans that enable them to fight for the win at the highest level. The same approach has been applied for the Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo Training Plan.“We created this training plan with the goal to provide the community with the right guide to get them physically ready for the Bike Abu Dhabi Gran Fondo.”

Abu Dhabi Sports Council and ADNOC have announced the star-studded lineup of international runners for the highly anticipated fifth ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon 2023. The event is scheduled for December 16, with an estimated 23,000 runners expected to take part in various distances, including the marathon (42.195 km), marathon relay, 10 km, 5 km, and 2.5 km races. All races will commence at different locations near the ADNOC headquarters on Corniche Road and finish at the ADNOC Campus, near Bainuna Public Park. Uganda’s Andrew Kwemoi, winner of the 2023 Milano Marathon - where he hit a personal best of 2:07:14 - will be joined by Kenya’s Kiptum Barnabas, who finished 1st in both the 2019 Hong Kong Marathon and the Buenos Aires Marathon in 2017. Barnabas’ compatriot, Leonard Barsoton, will also be competing in this year’s race, having set his own personal best of 2:09:06 in 2023. The women’s race will feature Ethopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba, the 10km Olympic Champion 2017 Chicago Marathon winner. Joining her in this strong elite female line-up, also from Ethiopia, is Hawi Feysa (2:23:38), and Maurine Chepkemoi from Kenya, the 2022 Enschede Marathon winner. Registration is free for People of Determination and Paralympics participants, underlining the organizers' continued commitment to inclusivity within the UAE. This event is open to the entire community, including families and children, with applicants able to register for the following distances: marathon, marathon relay (teams of 2), 10km, 5km and 2.5km. Suhail Al Arifi, Executive Director of the Events Sector at Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “We are thrilled to welcome a group of top international runners for the upcoming fifth edition of the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon next month. Their participation highlights the event's significance locally and globally. The presence of well-known runners in this year’s line-up reaffirms Abu Dhabi's and the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon's success in gaining international recognition in long-distance running. Al-Arifi added, “We're delighted to invite people from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds to join us in celebrating physical fitness. Regardless of your fitness level, there's a distance tailored just for you. We encourage everyone to be part of this enriching sports day on the streets of Abu Dhabi, the global capital of sports.” This year’s Marathon Village will again be located at ADNOC headquarters and it will be accessible from December 12th up until race day on December 16th, from 3pm to 10pm. The village will provide an immersive experience for visitors, with entertainment and serving e - a wide array of dining options. The ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon race village is free to enter and open to all.  All runners will receive an exclusive Nike technical race T Shirt, made from sustainable materials. Participants can also customise their shirts by adding their respective names online or during the village operating hours. Participants who register for the race after November 30th can collect their race packs from the Marathon Village between the 12th and 15th December. The race pack will not be available for collection after this period. Running teams will also have a designated area in Bianuna Park, where they can warm up, set up a teaLP tent, enjoy refreshments, and take advantage of promotions from partners and sponsors.

Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) will host the 2023 Spartan World Championship in Al Wathba desert, 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi City, from 8-10 December 2023, which will see the introduction of two additional competitive events to the annual tournament. For its third consecutive year held in the emirate, the championship will feature an all-new 3km obstacle course, as well as and a first-of-its-kind night race among its roster of competitions, which is anticipated to attract athletes from around the world in their bid to become a Spartan World Champion.Taking place on 8 December, the Spartan Night Sprint will officially inaugurate the 2023 Spartan World Championship weekend and will feature a fully illuminated 5km Spartan Sprint desert course. Comprising two heats, commencing at 5.30pm and 5.45pm respectively, registration for the race is open to anyone wishing to compete, with participants required to wear headlamps. Following the night race, live music performances, the official Parade of Nations, and an athlete panel discussion will feature on the event’s main stage.The 3km obstacle event to be held on 9-10 December 2023, will feature three race variants, the Elite 3K, the Elite 3K Team Relay, and the Open 3K Team Relay, competing across male and female categories. Athletes will first compete in a qualifying round, featuring a 1km course loop with 10 obstacles, for a place in the semi-final, where participants will repeat the 1km course loop. The top 15 competitors of each race type in both categories will then advance to the final, which will feature three rounds of the 1km course, totalling 3km and 30 obstacles. Hundreds of athletes are expected to participate in the event, with the top three winners in male and female categories to receive a share of the AED312,000+ prize fund.The new 3K and night race courses promise athletic displays of physical prowess, stamina, and resilience. To register for 2023 Spartan World Championship events, visit race.spartan.com/en/race/championships/world.

Dubai: Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) won four accolades at the Sports Industry Awards 2023, which was held at the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai and attended by several sports leaders, decision-makers, sponsors and partners of sporting events in the Middle East and the UAE.The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 2022 won the Gold Award for Best Sponsorship Collaboration of the Year at the event.The Triathlon World Championships Final held in November 2022 won the Gold Award for Best Sports Event of the Year, while the UAE Tour 2022 took the Gold Award for Best Fan Engagement at a Professional Sports Event. The ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon, in only its fourth year, won the Bronze Award for Best Sports Event of the Year.The Sports Industry Awards, established in the Middle East in 2012, is the official celebration of the leaders, decision-makers, organisations, facilities, and campaigns that have contributed to the development of sport in the region.The year 2023 coincides with the completion of the Sports Industry contract in recognising the achievements of the sports industry in the Middle East and rewarding those who have distinguished themselves across a range of diverse sports sectors, in various international tournaments hosted by the region in general and the UAE in particular.The 17th edition of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, organised by ADSC and hosted by Yas Links on Yas Island for the first time since its inception in 2006, was part of the four Rolex rounds of the global series for the DP World Tour 2022.The event drew 132 top players from around the world for a prize fund worth AED29.38 million and 8,000 points for the race to Dubai 2022. The winner received AED4.4 million.The World Triathlon Championship Final Abu Dhabi 2022, sponsored by Daman and also organised by ADSC in cooperation with the International Triathlon Federation on Yas Island, drew 80 international federations.The event, which ran across three days, attracted a large participation of fans and participation at all levels, local, regional and international as an event staged for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa.The UAE Tour, also organised by ADSC, featured the participation of 20 professional teams from around the world.The fourth ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon 2022, another event organised by ADSC and sponsored by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), featured the participation of more than 20,000 male and female runners, competing across the marathon, the relay marathon and race distances covering 10km, 5km and 2.5km.