Al Majaz Waterfront, Sharjah's premier tourist and leisure destination, has unveiled the details of Sharjah's first ever 'Throwdown' challenge, which will take place on Friday, April 15, at Al Majaz Waterfront. Hosting 55 male and female competitors from 13 countries, the activity forms part of the popular location’s efforts to promote healthy lifestyles among the emirate's residents and visitors.Details of the Sharjah Throwdown 2016 were revealed during a press conference held on Monday at ElManza Restaurant in Al Majaz Waterfront, in the presence of Mohammed Fadhel Al Mazroui, Manager of Al Majaz Waterfront, Head of “Sharjah Throwdown 2016” Organising Committee; Sarmad Al Zadjali, CEO of 82 Events and Deputy-Head of “Sharjah Throwdown 2016” Organising Committee, and Khalid Al Matrooshi, Director of the Organisation Communication Department at Sharjah Sports Council. Also attending the conference were the event's sponsors, represented by Haisam Tarabay, Managing Director of Tabco Emirates (Elevation Burger Franchisee) and Eng. Mohammed Al Hassoun, Executive at Global Engineering Consultants. A number of media representatives also participated at the event.During the conference live demonstrations were performed by a number of the world's top CrossFit athletes, who presented a set of exercises and workouts designed to explain the concept of CrossFit to the audience.
At his speech during the conference, Mohammed Fadhel Al Mazroui said that Al Majaz Waterfront’s vision and mission is to organise a variety of arts and entertainment events throughout the year, providing visitors with a unique environment where they can enjoy sports, art, music, theatre and much more with their families and friends.Commenting on Sharjah Throwdown 2016, Al Mazroui said; "CrossFit may be a new sport compared to others, but it has rapidly established itself as a popular fitness activity that enjoys huge public interest, especially by young men and women in the UAE. CrossFit has become a healthy lifestyle exercise adopted by an increasing number of community members in Sharjah and the UAE who are looking for a fun and rewarding way to work-out."He added; "In line with Al Majaz Waterfront's policy of contributing to promoting a healthy lifestyle in Sharjah and encouraging people to stay active, we are honoured to officially announce the organising and hosting of the first ever Sharjah Throwdown challenge, which will take place on Friday with the participation of over 55 male and female competitors from a number of countries and cultures."
Al Mazroui revealed that the Higher Organising Committee of Sharjah Throwdown 2016 has allocated cash prizes totalling AED 70, 000, with the winners of the men’s and women’s events receiving AED 10,000 each. The first place runners up will receive AED 5,000 each and the third place male and female finalists will be awarded AED 3,000 each. Competitors coming fourth to tenth place in the men’s and women’s categories will each receive AED 1,000. In the GCC Men category, the winner will receive AED 6,000, the first place runner up AED 3,000 and the third place finalist AED 1,500, with all winning GCC competitors also being given flight tickets by Air Arabia.Speaking about the reasons behind selecting Al Majaz Waterfront as a venue to host Sharjah Throwdown 2016, Al Mazroui said; "The emirate of Sharjah is home to many sports and tourist locations, but Al Majaz Waterfront is the perfect venue to host this sporting event because it enjoys a distinct geographical location in the heart of the city and features a wealth of open spaces that facilitate such major activities and their attendant audiences. We are committed to promoting sports and fitness among all members of society and there is no better place to put this vision into practice than Al Majaz Waterfront, which is considered one of the emirate's most favourable tourist sites and one that attracts high numbers of both residents and visitors throughout the year."
Sarmad Al Zadjali, said; "CrossFit began to become popular in the United States in the late 1990s as a fitness programme that is promoted as both a physical exercise philosophy and also a competitive fitness sport. CrossFit workouts incorporate elements from Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, gymnastics, jogging, stamina and other exercises. CrossFit is meant to prepare and equip a new generation of strong athletes who can tolerate any physical challenges through its high intensity, with its overarching goal being for athletes to build strong bodies in an atmosphere of cooperation. CrossFit has established itself as a popular fitness activity and an important form of community sports that creates interaction between its practitioners as it helps them achieve a high level of overall fitness."He added; "Regarding the first ever Sharjah Throwdown, we have seen many participants coming from outside the country to take part in the tournament out of a desire to make new friendships with athletes of different nationalities in an atmosphere of fair and honourable competition.”Al Zadjali said; "More than 55 competitors will participate in the Sharjah Throwdown 2016 in its three categories. In addition to the UAE's top stars, we have attendees from the United States, Turkey, New Zealand, Philippines United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Qatar and Kuwait, Al Zadjali, who is also the Deputy Head of the Organising Committee of the CrossFit Challenge (Sharjah Throwdown 2016) said the programme is full of challenges and likely to throw up a number of surprises He said that a highly sophisticated system will be used to determine the results of the competition, which will be broadcast live via the Sharjah TV channel.
Khalid Al Matrooshi said; "The organising of the Sharjah CrossFit Challenge will contribute to establishing the emirate of Sharjah as a leading sports destination. At the Sharjah Sports Council we are delighted to add CrossFit to Sharjah's sports agenda and its extensive programme of events. The Council is always keen to make the best use of state-of-the-art facilities and tourist destinations in organising world-class events and enhancing the sports experience for both athletes and the audience. We look forward to welcoming an elite group of CrossFit athletes from all over the world to compete in the challenge in the ‘Smiling Emirate.’" Mr Haisam Tarabay, Managing Director of Tabco Emirates, (Elevation Burger Franchisee), said; “As a company already dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles and nutrition, Elevation Burger is delighted to be a main sponsor of Sharjah Throwdown 2016 and to have the opportunity to demonstrate our solid commitment to the community in which we operate. We aim to inspire change in our society by encouraging people to focus on making nutritious choices and to engage in various sports activities.”
Engineer Mohammed Al Hassoun said; "Global Engineering Consultants is proud to sponsor this event as it is considers itself to be an important part of the community and is keen to give something back. It is part of our programme to support sports and youth activities and events in the region. We encourage CrossFit precisely because it instils good values in our young people, such as strong will, patience, commitment and determination. We wish all the participants the best of luck in their endeavours to win the challenge."Al Majaz Waterfront boasts a variety of entertainment and tourist facilities, children's play areas, and special spaces for sports activities, making it one of the most important tourist and leisure destinations favoured by families in the emirate of Sharjah and the UAE. The premium facility organises a variety of art and entertaining activities, including film screenings, theatrical performances and firework displays during national occasions and festivities throughout the year. The waterfront is also home to Maraya Art Park -an outdoor platform for regional and international art projects.