Arab News Japan

Organizers of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, an annual rugby sevens and social event held at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, have confirmed that the 2021 edition of the tournament will take place from December 2 to December 4.

The competition was cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, however, it has been announced that the tournament is expected to involve more participants than ever before with the addition of a cricket tournament on the world class ovals of The Sevens Stadium.

“It’s with huge excitement that we have the opportunity to announce our 2021 date. We understand from teams and players across the world how excited they are to return to the desert this coming December,” Tournament Director, Thomas Burwell said in a press release.

“The addition of Cricket is very exciting as more sports men, women boys and girls will get the chance to take part in this iconic tournament. Cricket will bring its own flavour and show case the facilities of The Sevens Stadium,” Burwell said.

“We are also very happy to be returning to our traditional dates on the opening weekend of December and due to a reformatting of the schedule we will be welcoming an increased number of teams in Rugby & Netball this year. Entries for all three sports will open on March 1st,” Burwell added.

The event will feature over 350 teams across the three sports: Rugby, cricket and netball in 2021 with more than half of participating teams and players coming from outside the Gulf Region, highlighting the tournament’s position as a “global celebration of sport held in the desert of Dubai.”

Asia Rugby President Qais Abdulla Al Dhalai expressed his eagerness to see an increase in Asian participation in this event.

“We are pleased to see the planning for the return of the Emirates Dubai 7s and stand in solidarity with all stakeholders to make this an unforgettable event, that will be hosted by Emirates in conjunction with the United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation. We look forward to the participation from Asian Nations at this top-class global 7s event,” Al Dhalai said.