UOWD impress in BITS sports fest

Women’s teams representing the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) won four medals at the recently concluded 11th BITS Pilani University Sports Festival.

Published: Mon 16 Dec 2013, 10:35 AM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 6:52 PM

The UOWD women’s basketball and throwball teams were crowned champions in the finals, while the women’s volleyball team and 400 metre racer Sara Sophariwala took the runners-up medals in their respective competitions.

The inter-university sports festival saw more than 1,200 students representing 21 universities and colleges from across the UAE take part in a range of sporting competitions. UOWD participated in 12 events, including men’s football and cricket, men’s and women’s basketball, throwball, volleyball and table tennis, as well as men’s and women’s athletics.

The UOWD women’s basketball team won the championship in an exciting final, beating the Canadian University of Dubai by a comfortable 17-10 margin. The women’s throwball team came back from one set down to win in the finals against hosts Bits Pilani, with a 2-1 set victory.

The women’s volleyball team was unlucky to finish in second place, only losing out in the finals to Bits Pillani by a 1-2 margin, while Sara Sophariwala took to the track to win the runner’s up medal in the 400 metres race.

Harshana Badlani, captain of the women’s basketball team said, “Our win was due to incredible team effort. We organised extra practices without a coach and this extra effort and teamwork paid off.”

Franky Barreto, Manager of UOWD Student Services, said, “All our teams put up sterling performances, demonstrating once again that UOWD is a force to be reckoned with in the sporting arena. We are looking forward to better results in the forthcoming Mahe inter-university sports festival.”