The Government of Dubai & of The UAE sponsors several clubs and associations of various sports to help them bring out latent talent.
Being a country filled with desert, the past sports played in the United Arab Emirates [UAE] are still practiced today, which include camel and horse racing. The UAE has come a long way since those days and with nationalities from all over the world, working and living in the UAE, more and more sports become popular amongst UAE residence.
1) Football:
Football or soccer is one of the most popular sports played in the UAE. The United Arab Emirates Football Association was first established in 1971 and since then has dedicated its time and effort to promoting the game.
2) Cricket:
As most of the population in UAE is from India Subcontinent, it makes cricket as one of the most favorite and most popular sports in the United Arab Emirates. The Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in Sharjah has a record to host most one-day internationals.
3) Horse Racing:
Horse racing is another popular in UAE. Probably it is the most popular sport that is played by natives of UAE. It is more popular than camel racing because of easy viability of necessary equipment.
4) Tennis:
The popularity of Tennis in UAE is increasing day by day. There are a lot of private clubs and hotels hosting their own tennis courts. The annual Dubai Tennis Championships is hosted in Dubai and is a WTA and ATP event in which top tennis players compete every year.
5) Motor Sports:
AE is also famous for motorsports. The 1st motorsports race in the United Arab Emirates was the 1981 Dubai Grand Prix held at a purpose-built circuit in Deira Corniche. It featured a sports car, touring car and celebrity races, as well as Formula One demonstrations.
6) Camel Racing:
Camel racing is considered a traditional sport in UAE. It is one of the most popular sports in Arab countries, in UAE it is enjoyed by the inhabitant of the Persian Gulf states for many years.
7) Golf:
Golf is one of the most popular sports in the United Arab Emirate. UAE has many golf courses and three of them are PGA championship golf courses. Dubai Desert Classic event takes place in Dubai and is marked by the world’s best golf players. The golf is experiencing an up-flow in popularity in the UAE a large number of families are coming to watch the games.
8) Basketball:
UAE is the first Asian country that hosted the 2014 Under-17 Basketball World Championship. Basketball is also played a lot but mainly so by the western population in the UAE.
9) Rugby:
Rugby is also a popular sport in the UAE. Rugby fans can play and enjoy rugby matches held throughout the year across the country. Dubai hosts Six Nations Rugby Tournament in April and Dubai Rugby Sevens in November and December.
10) Falconry:
Falconry is one of the most popular traditional sports in UAE. Many of UAE’s rulers were enthusiasts in falconry as the nation imports falcons from all across the globe.
