The ninth Sharjah International Tour kicks off on January 26

The tour is organised with the participation of 168 cyclists representing 28 teams, from 21 countries, with a total distance of 503 kilometres and five stages. The international event will be accompanied by the organisation of a 138-kilometre tour for young national cyclists, 3 stages and a special race for the disabled.

This came in a press conference held on Thursday, at the historic Sharjah Fort, in the presence of His Excellency Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council (SSC), His Excellency Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, His Excellency Khalid Jassim Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Tourism and Commerce Development Authority, and representatives of agencies and institutions, ponsors, members of the Organising Committee and media representatives.

His Excellency Issa Hilal Al Hazami welcomed the attendees, and praised the generous patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, for the Tour since its inception, granting the event all the elements of success, as well as motivating all members of the organising committee to redouble their efforts.

His Excellency Issa Hilal Al Hazami also praised the interest and follow-up of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Chairman of the Executive Council, for all the preparations, development of the tour from year to year.

Al Hazami pointed out the importance of the event to promote the emirate and the UAE, and said that it serves as a large window through which the world overlooks the landmarks of Sharjah, which combine in their details authentic heritage and modern urban features, in addition to its beautiful mountains, valleys, coasts and hills, therefore the committee is keen to update the tour itineraries in each version so that the world can see the beauty of the Emirate of Sharjah and the diversity of its landmarks and facilities.

His Excellency Abdul Malik Jani, Chairman of the Organising Committee, gave a speech at the conference whereas he reviewed the preparation steps, and stressed the committee’s keenness on excellence, quality, and upgrading all means of organisation and hospitality from one version to another, in order to maintain the great reputation that the UAE enjoys in organising international tournaments and events.

Dr. Yasser Al Dokhi reviewed the details of the event in numbers, and said that the participating teams belong to 21 countries, namely Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, France, Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Rwanda, Mauritius, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, in addition to the United Arab Emirates, the host country.

It is noteworthy that during the press conference, a film was shown about the previous edition of the Tour, and speeches from representatives of sponsors of the Excellence Shirts, where they praised the efforts of SSC and the Organising Committee in organising the ninth edition of the Tour, and the role played by each in organising and sponsoring the event.