Dubai: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has put the UAE as one of four stops for the popular Asian Games Fun Run Series to be held in February.
The 18th Asian Games will be held from August 18 to September 2 with the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta chosen to host the opening and closing ceremonies.
For the first time, the Asian Games are being co-hosted in two cities — the Indonesian capital and the South Sumatra provincial capital of Palembang. Games events will be held in and around the two cities, including sites in Jakarta’s neighbouring provinces of Banten and West Java.
The Asian Games Fun Run Series will get under way on February 4 in Dubai, from where it will head to Doha, and then on to Male in the Maldives on February 10, and finally to Beirut on February 25.
As in the past, the OCA fun runs are being staged in cooperation with the National Olympic Committees. The fun runs are meant to celebrate and publicise the upcoming Asian Games, while also promoting and encouraging a healthy lifestyle among children, youth and adults.
As in the past, runners will receive a T-shirt of the 18th Asian Games and medals will be presented to the winners of the various categories by Olympic officials and other sports dignitaries in the respective countries and regions.
The OCA is planning to organise 28 fun runs in all during the build-up to the 18th Asian Games, which will feature 10,000 athletes from 45 national Olympic committees affiliated to the OCA competing in 40 sports and 462 events.
February fun runs
February 4: Dubai
February 8: Doha
February 10: Male
February 25: Beirut
