Seeking some fear-inducing thrill activities this weekend? Then you don’t want to miss out on competing in the UAE’s first bungee jumping competition in Dubai on Friday especially as registration closes today (Thursday) at 20:00.
Organised by Gravity Zone, the UAE’s only permanent bungee site, and supported by the Dubai Sports Council, the competition will see individuals and teams of three pit against each other in the one-day event testing their skills from a 50m high crane.
Open for anyone aged between 14 and 50-year-olds, the competition, which will have three categories – male, female and teams (mixed), will be held at Powerplay Sports on Sheikh Zayed Road from 14:00.
The competition will be held on a three-stage knock out basis, with competitors registering the top scores advancing to the next round. The top two males, females and teams in each category will receive prizes and trophies.
“The idea was to create an event where we could offer people the experience of bungee jumping in a fun group environment and also add a competitive element to it as well,” said Ramez Shawki, managing director of Gravity Zone, which was established in 2012.
“Dubai has become a hub for extreme sports and adding bungee jumping to Dubai’s sports calendar is only natural to the development of alternative sports.”
If you dare to enter, you will have to impress a panel of judges, who will be assessing your jump quality as well as awarding the individuals and teams scores across a number of criteria, including leap and freefall style, bravery and pre and post-jump challenges.
There are no strict entry requirements to take part in the competition. While an absence of a fear of heights is helpful, competitors are not required to have previous jump experience as all technical and safety aspects of the bungee will be explained prior to the start of the competition by the Gravity Zone team.
The only documents you have to sign are the health and safety forms prior to competing. While the competition is meant as a fun and social event open for any adrenaline junkies to enter, it will hopefully be the start of bungee jumping being a competitive sport.
“The aim of holding this competition is also to highlight bungee jumping as a potential competitive sport, a first for the Middle East region,” said Shawki.
Besides the competition, plenty of on-site entertainment will be available for what will be an adventurous day out whether you are competing or not, with the emphasies on promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The ‘health village’ will offer a taste of the products and services from various health and fitness companies, which includes a climbing wall for children by Adventure HQ, on-site fitness assessments by OP Integrated Lifestyle Center and paleo-inspired food by The Cycle Bistro.
Shawki said: “These are different things that makes the event a lot more interesting for the spectators so that they can have something else to do at the venue while the competition is taking place.”
While it will be an enjoyable day out, you will also be able to make donations to the official charity partner – Breast Cancer Arabia. The charity aims to raise awareness about breast cancer and its treatment, and was chosen by Gravity Zone having worked together in the past.
To enter the competition, you must visit the Gravity Zone website at www.gravityzone.co before 20:00 today. Individual entries cost Dh360 while a team of three will cost entrants Dh1,000.
Members of the public will get free admission to the on-site entertainment – ‘health village’, which opens from 14:00.
WHAT: Bungee jumping competition (registration closes 20:00 today, Thursday)
WHEN: Friday, May 9 from 14:00
WHERE: Powerplay Sports, Sheikh Zayed Road
COST: Dh360 for individual entries while teams of three costs Dh1,000
Sport360° VERDICT: It’s the first bungee jump competition in the UAE, perfect for the adrenaline junkies. With on-site entertainment, it’s also a perfect day out for families.
CONTACT: Register at www.gravityzone.co
