ABU DHABI CONFIRMED AS HOST CITY FOR GAMES OF THE FUTURE 2025
ASPIRE appointed as UAE Delivery Authority for the Games of the Future: Abu Dhabi 2025
ABU DHABI, UAE, May 29, 2025 /CNW/ -- Phygital International, the global governing body for the Games of the Future (GOTF), has officially announced Abu Dhabi as the Host City for the Games of the Future 2025, taking place from 18-23 December.
Bringing together cutting-edge innovation and elite competition, the Games of the Future will transform Abu Dhabi into the epicenter of phygital sport and feature a dynamic fusion of physical athleticism and immersive digital gaming. The multi-sport event includes a variety of ground-breaking phygital disciplines, including Phygital Football and Phygital Shooter, as well as tech sports and esports.
Each phygital discipline sees athletes first compete in a digital version of their sport, followed by competing in the same sport in real-life. Final results are determined by combining performance across both stages - blending the physical and virtual into one seamless competitive experience.
ASPIRE, the driving force behind grand challenges and global competitions for Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), is appointed as the UAE Delivery Authority. In this role, ASPIRE will lead the delivery of the event's innovation agenda, ensure alignment across multiple stakeholders, and coordinate funding frameworks with government partners and sponsors.
Ethara, the region's leading live event management organization, will serve as the Event Delivery Partner, leading end-to-end execution including venue operations, logistics, and fan experience. In addition, Ethara will drive event promotion and play a key commercial role by securing sponsorships and partnerships to support the event's success. The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) has been confirmed as the official venue, providing a world-class stage for the full spectrum of phygital sporting competitions and fan experiences.
"We're thrilled that Abu Dhabi will welcome thousands of phygital athletes, clubs, and fans for the Games of the Future 2025," said Nis Hatt, CEO of Phygital International."With its bold vision for sport and technology, the UAE is the ideal stage for this groundbreaking event. Since the inaugural Games, phygital sports have grown into a global movement, and this year's edition promises to be our most exciting yet."
Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE said: "As the UAE Delivery Authority, ASPIRE is proud to help shape the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 - a global platform where sport, technology, and imagination converge. From AI-powered mobility to immersive digital experiences, Abu Dhabi is where innovation meets impact. We look forward to welcoming the world to ADNEC this December for an event that will inspire the future of sport and technology."
In addition to elite competitions, the event will feature virtual reality immersive fan engagement zones, cultural activations, and technology showcases. The inaugural edition of the Games of the Future, saw over 2,000 athletes from more than 100 countries take part, broadcast to global audience and attracting over 300,000 spectators and fans.
The Games of the Future: Abu Dhabi, 2025 marks a powerful next chapter for the phygital movement, bringing the Games to a new audience in the Middle East, where ambition, experimentation, and bold applications of technology thrive. With Abu Dhabi's unique blend of innovation and cultural dynamism, the stage is set for a one-of-a-kind global experience.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Felix, Serena go into Team USA HoF along with an icon who paved the way for women: Anita DeFrantz
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — In some ways, one of the longest-serving members of the International Olympic Committee, Anita DeFrantz, paved the way for the new president of the IOC, Kirsty Coventry, to get to where she is today. That why Coventry, the first female leader of the IOC, pulled a big surprise Saturday. She traveled to Colorado Springs to watch DeFrantz, a trailblazing Olympic rower in 1976 and IOC member since 1986, get inducted into the Team USA Hall of Fame. 'She opened up so many doors, for me and for so many others,' said Coventry, who took over as president last month, in an interview with The Associated Press before the ceremony. 'I'm extremely grateful for that. I know that I've got to make sure I do that for other women.' The 72-year-old DeFrantz is part of a class that includes eight individual women — among them 11-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix, four-time Olympic champion Serena Williams, three-time Olympic champion Kerri Walsh Jennings and 2012 all-around gymnastics champion Gabby Douglas. Also inducted Saturday were Bode Miller, Mike Krzyzewski, Phil Knight, Steve Cash, Susan Hagel, Flo Hyman and Marla Runyan, along with the 2010 four-man bobsled team and the 2004 women's wheelchair basketball team. Coventry showed up for DeFrantz, who played an important role in moving votes toward the five-time Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe in the seven-person race to succeed Thomas Bach earlier this year. This was one of Coventry's first big — albeit low-key — trips in the new role, and DeFrantz was shocked to see the new president standing there as she got out of her car to head into the ceremony at the Broadmoor. DeFrantz described herself as a little lonely when she went to her first IOC meeting in 1986. 'I walked in and I thought, 'This is odd,'' she said. 'It was this cavernous room' and she was one of only five female committee members there. One of her main goals in becoming a shaper of world sports policy: 'We had to help people open their minds a little.' While, in some ways, the Olympics has been ahead of its time in the effort to bring women into big-time sports — 22 women participated in the 1900 Olympics while, for instance, it took until 1981 for the NCAA to sanction women's basketball — it has also shined a global spotlight on some inequities that have existed for decades. Women's rowing didn't debut at the Games until the 1976 Olympics where DeFrantz and her teammates won bronze. Only last year did the Olympics achieve gender parity, with women making up half of the approximately 10,500 athletes, according to the IOC. DeFrantz, a vice president of the 1984 LA organizing committee, helped spark that progress. She served as chair of the IOC's women in sport commission for 20 years. She became a member of the IOC executive board in 1992 and was elected as the IOC's first female vice president in 1997. A generation later, Felix began her own fight to highlight the way women were treated when they became pregnant. She forced a seismic change in contract terms that, for decades, had given little leeway to female track stars who put careers on hold to have babies. Felix is now a member of the IOC, as well — following in the footsteps of both DeFrantz and Coventry as Olympic athletes who now have seats at the decision-making table. 'I feel really blessed to come after Anita and I've told her this many times, she has paved the way,' Felix said. 'She's a game-changer. Just what she's seen and contributed to is incredible. For someone like me, it's just wanting to carry on her legacy.' DeFrantz's honor comes at yet another tenuous time for women in sports, punctuated by headline-grabbing debates about eligibility and gender testing in track, boxing, swimming and other sports that will likely bring leaders like Coventry and DeFrantz into the mix. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Coventry said it's important to 'protect the female category,' and has signaled that the IOC will take a more active role in setting guidelines for participation. But for the 41-year-old president, this was a night for celebrating a mentor who made her role in today's debates possible. 'It's all about letting people have opportunities,' DeFrantz said. 'You can't make an Olympian. But you can open the door to possibilities.' ___ AP sports:
Global News
3 days ago
- Global News
Olympic figure skating champion David Pelletier joins Dallas Stars coaching staff
Former figure skating star David Pelletier is getting his first shot at being an NHL assistant coach. The Dallas Stars announced Friday that Pelletier is joining new head coach Glen Gulutzan's staff. The 50-year-old from Sayabec, Que., had been a skating coach with the Edmonton Oilers for the last 11 years. Pelletier joined the Oilers after a decorated figure skating career that included a gold medal in pairs with partner Jamie Salé at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. In what became one of the biggest stories of those Games, Pelletier and Salé finished behind Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But when a French judge admitted she'd been pressured by her federation to favour the Russians, it ignited a controversy. Story continues below advertisement Pelletier and Salé were later elevated to the top of the podium alongside Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze. View image in full screen Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier wave to the crowd after receiving their gold medals for the pairs ice dance at the XIX Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2002. The gold medal was also awarded to the Canadian pair following a controversy in the judging of the competition. (CP PHOTO/Tom Hanson). TH BMA Pelletier and Salé also won a world title and three Canadian championships over their career and shared the Lou Marsh Trophy (now Northern Star Award) as top Canadian athlete in 2001. Pelletier joins Alain Nasreddine (assistant coach), Neil Graham (assistant coach), Jeff Reese (goaltending coach), Patrick Dolan (head video coach) and Chris Demczuk (assistant video coach) on Gulutzan's staff. Gulutzan, who spent the past seven seasons as an assistant with Edmonton, was named head coach of the Stars on July 1. He replaced Peter DeBoer, who was fired after the Stars lost to Edmonton in the Western Conference final for the second straight year.
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Edmonton Journal
Olympic figure skating champion David Pelletier joins Dallas Stars as assistant coach
Article content DALLAS — Former figure skating star David Pelletier is getting his first shot at being an NHL assistant coach. Article content The Dallas Stars announced Friday that Pelletier is joining new head coach Glen Gulutzan's staff. Article content Article content The 50-year-old from Sayabec, Que., had been a skating coach with the Edmonton Oilers for the last 11 years. Article content Pelletier joined the Oilers after a decorated figure skating career that included a gold medal in pairs with partner Jamie Sale at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Article content Article content In what became one of the biggest stories of those Games, Pelletier and Sale finished behind Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. But when a French judge admitted she'd been pressured by her federation to favour the Russians, it ignited a controversy. Pelletier and Sale were later elevated to the top of the podium alongside Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze. Article content Article content Pelletier joins Alain Nasreddine (assistant coach), Neil Graham (assistant coach), Jeff Reese (goaltending coach), Patrick Dolan (head video coach) and Chris Demczuk (assistant video coach) on Gulutzan's staff. Article content
