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  • The inaugural Jubilee Games were held in 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya as part of the commemoration of Mawlana Hazar Imam's Golden Jubilee. Akber Dewji (Hakim Sons)
    The Ismaili | 21 March 2015 | UAE

    Jubilee Games to be held in Dubai in 2016

    The inaugural Jubilee Games were held in 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya as part of the commemoration of Mawlana Hazar Imam's Golden Jubilee. Akber Dewji (Hakim Sons)
  • The Jubilee Games encourage and support Ismaili athletes in achieving excellence in competitive sport. GJG2008
    The Ismaili | 21 March 2015 | UAE

    Jubilee Games to be held in Dubai in 2016

    The Jubilee Games encourage and support Ismaili athletes in achieving excellence in competitive sport. GJG2008
Related Information
Golden Jubilee Games held in Nairobi, Kenya in June 2008

21 March 2015 — Ismaili Councils worldwide announced on Navroz day that the second cycle of the Jubilee Games will be held in July 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Games seek to encourage and support Ismaili athletes in achieving excellence in competitive sport, and to enhance the Jamat’s awareness and appreciation for physical fitness and health.

Next year, Ismaili Muslims from around the world will gather to renew a tradition of excellence in international sport.

National Ismaili Councils worldwide announced on Navroz day that the second cycle of the Jubilee Games will be held in July 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Games seek to encourage and support Ismaili athletes in achieving excellence in competitive sport, and to enhance the Jamat’s awareness and appreciation for physical fitness and health.

Established as a Golden Jubilee International Programme, the inaugural Games were held in June 2008 in Nairobi, Kenya as an international Jamati celebration of sport and fitness. The Games brought together 1 200 Ismaili athletes from over 20 countries, and showcased the global Jamat’s athletic achievement while highlighting its diverse cultural, social, and linguistic traditions. The announcement noted that it was Mawlana Hazar Imam’s expressed wish that “international sporting festivals should become a regular feature in the Jamat’s calendar.”

“We want to build on the 2008 Games,” says Aitmadi Mahmoud Eboo, Chairman of the Ismaili Leaders' International Forum. “The level of talent and competition on display in 2008 was impressive,” he says, “and there will be opportunities for our accomplished athletes and coaches to share their expertise, not only during the Jubilee Games but in all our sporting endeavours.”

Anjum Asodia of Nairobi recalls the Golden Jubilee Games with fondness. “They were a totally different experience — a pioneering event,” she says. “All those who took part have now set the benchmark for the future Games.”

A manager for Team Kenya in 2008, she adds that “the Games confirmed to me that when one Ismaili meets another — no matter which part of the world they are from — there is an instant bonding, which is priceless.”

The Dubai Games are expected to draw Ismaili athletes, coaches, trainers and spectators from across the globe. “The Jamat of the United Arab Emirates looks forward to hosting the Jubilee Games,” says Huzur Mukhi Amiruddin Thanawalla, President of the Ismaili Council for the UAE.

“We welcome our brother and sister athletes and spectators from around the world to come to Dubai in 2016, and share in a memorable event.”

TheIsmaili.org will continue to provide updates on the Jubilee Games as information becomes available.