Organisers of the Dubai Rugby Sevens have confirmed the tournament will return to its traditional place on the National Day weekend this year.
The competition was cancelled for the first time in its history because of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
However, it has been announced that a tournament that is expected to involve more teams than ever before, and include cricket for the first time, will take place from December 2-4.
“It’s with huge excitement that we have the opportunity to announce our 2021 date,” Thomas Burwell, the tournament director, said.
“We understand from teams and players across the world how excited they are to return to the desert this coming December.
“The addition of cricket is very exciting as more sports men, women, boys and girls will get the chance to take part in this iconic tournament. Cricket will bring its own flavour and showcase the facilities of The Sevens Stadium.
“We are also very happy to be returning to our traditional dates on the opening weekend of December, and due to a reformatting of the schedule we will be welcoming an increased number of teams in rugby and netball this year.”
The process for teams to enter the rugby, netball and cricket competitions will start on March 1.
The organisers anticipate “over 350 teams across the three sports in 2021,” with more that half coming from outside the Gulf “underlining the tournaments position as a truly global celebration of sport held in the desert of Dubai”.
Qais Al Dhalai, the president of Asia Rugby, hopes the field of teams will include a number from the continent.
“We are pleased to see the planning for the return of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens and stand in solidarity with all stakeholders to make this an unforgettable event,” he said.
“We look forward to the participation from Asian nations at this top-class global sevens event.
“As a new leader for the Asian region, I look forward to seeing an increased in Asian participation to this event.”
