From a gruelling ultra-marathon to a leisurely day at the cricket, there are world-class sporting events that cater for every taste this week in the UAE. Here is your deffinitive guide to sport in the region this week.

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1-12 December
GRPC 20th Anniversary championship
Venue: Ghantoot racing and polo club
Website: http://www.grpc.ae/

Monday 8 December
Pakistan V New Zealand cricket: First ODI
Venue: Dubai International Stadium
Start: 3pm
These two teams are deadlocked after 1-1 draws in both the Test series and the T20 matches, so there will be some extra spice for the best-of-five ODI series. ​
Website: http://www.dubaisportscity.ae/news-events/

Tuesday 9 December
Arabian Gulf league football
Al Fujairah V Al Shabab (Fujairah Stadium)
Al Dhafra V Bani Yas (Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium)
Ajman V Al Wasl (Rashid Bin Saeed Stadium)
Website: Arabian Gulf League

Wednesday 10 December
Arabian Gulf League football
​Al Ahli V Kalba (Rashid Stadium)
Al Jazira V Sharjah (Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium)
Al Ain V Al Wahda (Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium)
Al Nasr V Emirates (Al Maktoum Stadium)

10-13 Deccember
The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters golf
Venue: Emirates Golf Club 
The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is the season-ending Ladies European Tour (LET) and attracts some of the world’s top female golfers. Held at the picturesque Emirates Golf Club and boasting a total prize pool of 500,000 euros the tournament has become a permanent feature of the UAE golfing calendar.
Website: https://dubailadiesmasters.com/

Thursday 11 December
Middle East Golf Awards
Venue: Jumeriah Emirates Towers, Dubai
Sport360 in association with the region’s golf bodies and sports councils has decided to recognize the amazing achievements that have already been accomplished and to encourage continued success with the MEGAs, the Middle East Golf Awards. A black tie event, the MEGAs set a new standard of golf awards, and, as an annual event, will reflect the ultimate ambitions of everyone involved in golf here in the region.
Website: http://awards.sport360.com/mega/

11-13 December
International Premier Tennis League
Venue: Hamdan Sports Complex
The International Premier Tennis League is an inaugural tournament hosted in Manila, Delhi, Singapore and finally in Dubai. The sporting event aims to imitate the style and success of the Indian Premier League for cricket and create a new breed of Tennis tournaments. With the formation of four teams vying for the top spot, Team Manila, Singapore Lions, Indian Aces and the UAE Falcons, this is going to be a totally new experience as rules are set to “break the code” followed usually by tennis tournaments around the world. Expect some of the biggest names in tennis, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, and retired greats such as Andre Agassi, to make an appearance.
Website: http://www.iptlworld.com/

 

 

 

MEFIT health and fitness conference
Venue: Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Start: 9am
MEFIT is one of the leading B2B and consumer summit targeted at the fitness and health industry in the Middle East. The event gives those in the field of health and fitness a chance to meet with and share their ideas, products and services with like-minded individuals and health and fitness enthusiasts. Offering seminars, workshops, products and services and more, this event provides the public with an opportunity to look into the world and industry of health and fitness.
Website: http://www.mefitpro.com/mefit-summit-2014.html

 

Friday 12 December
Fit Awards
Venue: Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai.
Start: 7pm
The evening will commence with cocktail reception followed by a three course dinner and the awards ceremony. Following the awards ceremony the after-party will continue late into the night.The fitness industry in the UAE comprises more than 2,500 registered professionals across more than 160 venues. As the industry grows and as a way to validate the excellence of professionals in the region, Sport360, FitnessLink, and REPs UAE would like to recognise and reward those that have made this industry a success across all the diverse health & fitness segments.
Website: http://awards.sport360.com/fitawards/

Spinney’s 92 Cycling Challenge 2014
Venue: Nad Al Sheba Cycle Track
Start: 6am
The annual cycling event of the UAE is back for the fifth time to encourage cyclists around the UAE to come to Dubai. This is the largest event of its kind in the Middle East and consists of a number of races over a period of days. This event will challenge cyclists with various distance races. The forecast for each year’s event sees more and more local and international cyclists partaking in this challenge across iconic locations and tracks around Dubai. 
Website: http://www.cyclechallenge.ae/

Volvo Ocean Race – Village Opening
Venue: Destination Village, Corniche Breakwater
Start: 11am

The F1 of the sea is set to kick off in the UAE on December 12, with the racers expected to come into port a few days later, and is scheduled to stay for almost a month. With some of the best competition sailing in the world on the water, and fantastic entertainment on land, once again the city will be hosting an event you simply won’t want to miss out on. This year, the whole city can join at Destination Village on the Corniche Breakwater to welcome the teams to shore and participate in a plethora of diverse activities celebrating Emirati and sailing culture. All 40,000 square metres of Destination Village will burst to life on December 12 with BBC Worldwide’s famous Blue Planet in Concert. This live concert, conducted by multi-award-winning George Fenton, will moor the opening ceremonies on December 12 and 13 – and the high definition footage accompanying the 75-piece orchestra will be shown on a 10-metre floating screen.
Website: http://www.volvooceanraceabudhabi.com/

Urban-Ultra 24 hour Insommnia marathon
Venue: Al Qudra. Behind TREK and Zad’s Café
Start: 12 noon and finish 12 noon the following day
Fancy running for 24 hours straight? For the first time in the UAE and now holding an Urban-Ultra marathon. Within the same event starting at the same time, there is also holding a 6hr (Solo only) and 12hr run (Solo or team of 4) – not quite as daunting as the 24hr event but still a huge challenge. You will run the short 500 m flat circuit for as long as you can. (45% concrete/55% hard sand). There are rest stations, food, drinks and support stations so your friends and family can cheer you on or even run with you to keep you going.
Website: http://www.urbanultra.com/?page_id=34

 

UAE’s first ultra-marathon in Northern Emirates this weekend http://t.co/LaC13fBBK3 #UAE #Dubai

— جاسم الإماراتي (@JassemEmirati) February 26, 2014

 

Saturday 13 December
Pakistan V New Zealand cricket: Second ODI
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Start: 3pm
These two teams are deadlocked after 1-1 draws in both the Test series and the T20 matches, so there will be some extra spice for the best-of-five ODI series.
Website: http://www.dubaisportscity.ae/news-events/