DUBAI: With Arabian Warrior’s maiden season set to launch across the Gulf region this month in Dubai, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Saif Al-Sharqi, the brand’s spokesman, has revealed the impact that the new events will have on obstacle course racing in the Middle East in an interview with Arab News.

What will the launch of Arabian Warrior mean for OCR across the region?

Arabian Warrior is a homegrown brand which has been created with the aim of establishing a global obstacle course racing brand portfolio centered in the Middle East.

We firmly believe the launch of Arabian Warrior is a significant day for the huge OCR community across the region and the long-term future of the sport as we make a commitment to hosting eight events during the 2024-25 season, with races taking place in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, starting in Dubai on Oct. 26.

In recent years, we have witnessed the significant growth of OCR in the region, with events attended by thousands of competitors, made up of all ages and fitness levels, and we see so much room for evolution within the sport.

OCR is a fast-growing sport which aligns with the modern-day focus on health and fitness, and while the current community is extensive, we expect to see a substantial increase in numbers attending our events throughout the inaugural season and beyond here in the GCC.

What can participants and audiences expect from Arabian Warrior?

We will be hosting events during our maiden season across the UAE (Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al-Khaimah), Saudi Arabia (Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh) and Qatar (Doha), with the potential for more to be added to the calendar.

Each event will feature 5k, 10k, 15k, 20k, 50k and kids (1.6k) race options, meaning regardless of age or ability, you will be able to compete. As a fully inclusive brand, that is hugely important to us because when it comes to fitness, there should be no barriers to entry.

Participants can choose to simply come along and complete their preferred challenge in the Open Heats or take part in the more competitive Age Group Heats, where each runner is timed.

Additionally, we look forward to welcoming some of the world’s best OCR athletes to our events as they battle it out in the Elite category, with significant prize funds on offer.

Away from the race action itself, each of our events will feature a Fan Village where competitors and spectators can enjoy some fantastic entertainment while sampling F&B from a vast array of outlets. It is the perfect way to spend a weekend.

What was the thinking behind hosting events in the UAE, KSA and Qatar?

As a Middle East-born brand, we want to ensure we are giving as many people as possible across the region the opportunity to take part in our events. With races scheduled for three separate cities in both the UAE and KSA, where we know the appetite for OCR is huge, those locations are well covered. The sport is also extremely popular in Qatar, which is why we wanted to stage an event in Doha during our first season. We believe it will be a big success with a significant attendance.

Looking beyond this season, there are multiple locations where we could potentially host events, and we are consistently working behind the scenes on ways to improve our product offering.

Given the fact you will be hosting at least three events in KSA during the first season, is it fair to assume you see the Kingdom as an important market?

Yes, most definitely. The importance of sport to Saudi Arabia is crystal clear. Over the course of the last few years, we have seen the Kingdom host some of the world’s biggest events across a wide range of sports, and that particular theme looks set to continue for the foreseeable future, including the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in December.

From an OCR perspective, KSA is a pivotal destination for many reasons. Most importantly, there is huge demand for the sport, with thousands of competitors attending previous OCR events. In addition, the infrastructure required for hosting large-scale sporting events is in place, while there is also huge support from the relevant authorities who want to ensure the country’s reputation as a global sporting hub continues to grow.

We are very much looking forward to hosting events in KSA throughout the first Arabian Warrior season and beyond.

The MENA region’s sporting calendar attracts many more competitions with each passing year — are you confident Arabian Warrior can compete with some of the more established events you will be going up against?

We believe the vast number of elite-level sporting events taking place across the region is something which should be celebrated and, as far as we are concerned, there is a place for everybody.

After all, we have come a very long way in a short period of time, and it would be foolish to view other events as rivals given the fact each offering is completely unique.

As a new brand, it is important for us to focus on ourselves and achieving both our short and long-term goals, which will only be possible through sheer hard work and the whole team pulling in the same direction.

We have total confidence in our product, and we believe Arabian Warrior events will quickly become highlights of the GCC sporting calendar.

Finally, what would you say to anybody who is thinking about taking part in their first OCR event?

Do not think about it, just do it. The OCR community is hugely welcoming and supportive. There is a reason why people who attend an event for the first time keep coming back, and there is a reason why the sport is growing in popularity at such a rapid rate.

OCR is a fantastic way of meeting new people while achieving something positive and improving your own well-being, whether that is from a physical or mental perspective. There really are no downsides.