More than 1,000 corporate warriors who normally spend their days hunched over desks and battling each other for market share are due to face off over the next couple of days in decidedly sweatier fashion. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are co-hosting the first Arabian Corporate Games after the UAE beat other GCC nations for the right to host the event. The UAE event, which opened on Wednesday and ends tomorrow, is being organised by the Higher Colleges of Technology.
The Corporate Games, a creation of a company called Sport For Life, were first held in San Francisco in 1998 and various editions are now held annually around the world, in cities including London, Athens, Johannesburg and Moscow. It is also designed as a networking opportunity for business people. A photo on the event's home page, for instance, shows a man happily taking a call on his mobile phone in the middle of a tennis match.
"We have a range of activities and competitions over 12 different sports using eight major sporting venues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi," Gemma Godfrey, a marketing executive with the games who is co-ordinating the ones here, said. "It is designed to be as inclusive as possible with specific veterans' events for the over-40s. The most popular sports have been cricket and soccer. There will be 17 cricket teams competing at the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium and I'm sure it will be very competitive."
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