Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 15 2016: The Fazaa World Open Boccia Competition - Dubai 2016, featuring  90 international players from 18 countries, will be held at Al Nasr Sports Club in Oud Metha between May 19 and 24.
Boccia is a highly specialised sport for people with cerebral palsy or similar neurological conditions that’s increasingly gaining in global popularity nowadays and played in more than 50 nations worldwide.
This tournament is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), organised and supervised by the Dubai Club for the Disabled with the support of strategic partners the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) and in collaboration with the Boccia International Sports Federation (BISFed), General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW), the DSC and the UAE Paralympic Committee.
“The Fazaa World open Boccia Competition - Dubai 2016 allows our players to pit their abilities against opponents of the highest international standard, thereby improving their skills and helping them to become champions both regionally and globally,” said Majid Abdullah Al Usaimi, the Executive Director at the Dubai Club for the Disabled and The Director of Fazza Championships for the Disabled, said at a press conference at the Dubai Club for the Disabled on Sunday.
“It also gives a chance to our players to fine-tune their preparations for the new season and affords us the opportunity to discover future stars with undoubted potential.”
Al Usaimi added: “Our gratitude and thanks go to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, for his generosity and vision and for continually supporting disabled athletes and disability sport, which represents the core values of the Fazza Championships.

“We’re also highly appreciative of the support we’ve received for the Fazza Championships for the Disabled from our strategic partners at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC).
He added: “These players get to compete against – and learn from – one another at this competition, which regularly attracts world-class players from around the globe.
“Competing at international level is also of great benefit to the UAE Boccia team, who gain experience by coming up against such high-caliber competition.”
Mohammed Abdullah Bin Dalmook, the Director of Corporate Support at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC), stated: “We’re proud to support this third edition of the Fazaa World open Boccia Competition - Dubai 2016, which originally came about through His Highness Sheikh Hamdan’s keenness to provide diversity in disability sport; attract the maximum number of participants and raise the level of all of the championships to the very highest international standards.
“We wish all of the participating teams the very best of luck and hope that the UAE squad can finish up on top of the podium here on home soil.”
The competing nations in this year’s event are as follows: Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, China, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Hong Kong, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, the UAE and the USA.