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Fri, Dec 05, 2025 | Jumada al-Thani 15, 1447 | Fajr 05:28 | DXB 
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Emirates Dubai 7s, DFC join forces to highlight importance of sport and fitness
This year’s collaboration makes perfect sense with The Sevens Stadium opening up its world-class facilities to residents and visitors in Dubai who can explore new sports
This year, two of Dubai’s most established sporting movements — Emirates Dubai 7s and the Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) — have come together with the aim of inspiring people across the city to adopt healthier and more active lifestyles.
For the first time, The Sevens Stadium, which will once again host the Emirates Dubai 7s from November 28-30, has become an official DFC Community Fitness Hub, a venue where guests can attend and take part in sporting activities such as padel and Reset Fitness Classes.
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For many years, the Emirates Dubai 7s has been a key highlight of the Middle East’s sporting calendar, an unmissable three-day festival of brilliant entertainment both on and off the pitch.
That trend is set to continue at the end of this month with the biggest and best Emirates Dubai 7s to date, including live music performances from huge global stars such as DJs FISHER and EZ, along with Tinie Tempah, Sean Paul and Shaggy.
DFC, meanwhile, has encouraged huge numbers to commit to 30 minutes of daily activity over the course of 30 days since its launch in 2017, with 2.7 million participants joining last year’s event, marking a remarkable 244 per cent increase in participation since its inaugural edition.
An initiative of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai – DFC empowers individuals to discover what motivates them most, while uniting the city through a simple yet powerful message: 30 minutes of exercise daily for 30 days (30x30).
This year’s collaboration makes perfect sense with The Sevens Stadium opening up its world-class facilities to residents and visitors in Dubai who can explore new sports, improve their skills, meet like-minded individuals and build confidence.
Mathew Tait, Festival Director, said: “We’re incredibly proud that The Sevens Stadium has been recognised as an official Dubai Fitness Challenge Community Fitness Hub for the first time this year.
“This partnership brings together two of Dubai’s most iconic sporting events, both of which are driven by a shared passion to inspire the local community and provide more opportunities for people to develop a lifelong passion for sport.
“Throughout the year, The Sevens Stadium plays host to multiple sports including rugby, football, cricket, netball, padel and Australian rules football. With such diversity already thriving across our venue, it’s a natural step for the stadium to become part of the 30x30 initiative, particularly in a month which culminates with what promises to be the best Emirates Dubai 7s so far.”
Widely recognised as the Middle East’s largest sports and entertainment festival, the Emirates Dubai 7s’ reach extends far beyond the region. With competitors arriving from across the globe to take part in invitational rugby, netball, cricket, padel and the WODON3 fitness competition, the festival showcases truly international appeal.
Athletes from 56 nations will be represented at this year’s event, which is testament to its magnitude and worldwide draw.
The event also highlights the ongoing impact of DFC, with strong representation from UAE-based teams across all sports. In invitational rugby alone, 111 teams from the UAE are registered, alongside 66 teams in netball, 36 in padel, and 28 in cricket.
Emirates Dubai 7s is the largest sports and entertainment event in the Middle East, attracting over 80,000 attendees from 128 countries. Founded in 1999, the festival is the longest running sports event in the region and is a celebration of sports, music, and entertainment.
The 2025 edition of the Emirates Dubai 7s at The Sevens Stadium will welcome the biggest line-up of world-class international athletes, global artists, and award-winning hospitality experiences, in addition to amateur rugby, netball, cricket, and fitness teams.
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