This week’s Al Adaid Desert Challenge, considered to be the region’s toughest off-road cycling and running competition, has pulled in a record number of entries, a top official confirmed yesterday.
Dr Jamal Al Khanji, Managing Director of the one-day event that offers a prize bag of QR 200,000, yesterday said registration has been stopped at 600 riders.
Out of that tally, 160 Qataris have also registered for the event to be held on February 28 on the sand dunes in the east of the country.
“Have we achieved our targets we set to accomplish when we started in 2016? Well, for the second year we are completely sold out. The event has gone big in a major way. This year’s entries are 600 and we had to stop at that number,” Dr Jamal said yesterday.
“We are encouraged to make it bigger in the coming years. We want to make this a mega event. That’s what we are planning and that's what we want. We have achieved a lot over the years,” he added.
“We have riders of 50 nationalities competing in this race. We have a similar number coming from overseas. Last year’s winner is an Olympian and he will be here again. We have a rider from Russia, from Iran. We have international presence. We have female riders also,” Dr Jamal said.
“We have more than 160 Qatari riders - that’s the biggest Qatari representation we’ve had since we launched this event. The Qatari numbers have increased every year. Had the registration been open, we would have had more riders. We have to ensure comfort and safety of the riders. Remember this is a desert race and we have to make sure everybody is safe so we had to stop at 600 entries,” he added.
“The whole purpose to launch this series was to encourage Qataris and others living here to participate in sports events, especially cycling. There’s a lot of emphasis on cycling. It’s a way of encouraging amateur athletes to participate in our events so we can identify future champions,” Dr Jamal said. “The most important aspect is to have a kids’ race. We will have one this Friday. It’s beautiful to see parents also involved along with their kids. People participating in sports is a wonderful sight. We are helping change lifestyles. We are assisting young people to take up sports as a way of life,” he added.
“The addition of an ‘MTB + Run’ format for this year’s edition of Al Adaid Challenge has further boosted interest among those who have registered with us,” he said.
“We are looking for a great event, a challenging course, with more dunes, which we believe our participants are going to enjoy. We would also like to invite spectators to follow the race in the desert,” Dr Jamal said.
Dr. Abdulaziz AI Kuwari, President of Qatar Cyclists Center, yesterday said: “Qatar Cyclists take joy and pride in improving the Al Adaid Challenge every year and in this 5th edition we are especially pleased to achieve another record entry 600 riders for the first time with a rising number of Qatari participants. Our strategy is to promote cycling and to organise events which motivate the community to get fit, train, and enjoy achieving challenging targets.”
Dr Mohammed Jaham Al Kuwari, President of Qatar Cycling and Triathlon Federation, yesterday said: “It has been amazing to witness the Al Adaid Desert Challenge develop from a small amateur race to its current form, hosting elite cyclists from all over the world. It has been one of the major achievements to create this race, the most important for the cycling community in Qatar. We thank Qatar Cyclists for organising and we wish a great 2020 race for all participants.”
Representing Qatar National Tourism Council, a partner and leading sponsor of the Challenge, Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing Officer, yesterday said: “Qatar has established itself as a major player in the sports tourism industry during the past decade and AI Adaid Desert Challenge plays a huge role in strengthening the country’s reputation as a main destination for adventure sport enthusiasts. We are proud to play our part in that success and to showcase some of Qatar’s most iconic cultural and tourism assets in the context of sport.”
Speaking about the event, Mrs Moza Al Muhannadi Director CSR, Sponsorship and Media at Ooredoo, yesterday said: “We’re delighted to be sponsoring the 2020 edition of the AI Adaid Desert Challenge, a challenging sporting event known for its tough conditions. Supporting events such as these, which encourage a healthy, active lifestyle, is a key part of our corporate social responsibility strategy. We look forward to an exciting race and some impressive performances from all the participants.”
Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com