Kalba Festival Organising Committee holds first meeting

May 20, 2026 / 3:23 PM

Sharjah 24: The organising committee for the Kalba Sports Festival 2026 held its first meeting following its formation, chaired by Dr Saif Ahmed Al Zaabi, member of the Sharjah Sports Council (SSC). The committee discussed several topics related to the transformation into a multi-event festival targeting the entire community of the emirate, while also contributing to highlighting Kalba as a sports and tourism destination within the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE. The committee requested that the heads of the subcommittees submit preliminary reports on their work plans for discussion at the next meeting. A four-member committee was also formed to develop a suitable timeline for the festival in its new format.

The meeting was held at SSC headquarters, attended by committee members: Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Darmaki, Festival Director; Ahmed Hassan Al Matroushi, Head of the Performance Management Unit; Bakheet Saeed Al Qurs, Head of the Coordination and Follow-up Office; Mohammed Abdulhadi Al Shawka, Head of the Sports Committee; Ahmed Ali Bin Haider, Head of the Finance Committee; Yaqoub Yousef Al Baloushi, Head of the Media Committee; Jassim Mohammed Al Shehhi, Head of the Support Services Committee; Abdullah Rashid Al Kindi, Head of the Events Committee; Abdullah Ali Al Baloushi, Head of the Public Relations Committee; Hamad Salem Al Bimani, Head of the Emergency Committee; and Rapporteur Mohammed Salah Munir.

Achieving Sharjah government vision

The meeting began with a welcoming address in which the committee chairman expressed his great confidence in the members and their ability to achieve the vision of the Sharjah government and the aspirations of the Sharjah Sports Council. He emphasised the importance of a significant qualitative leap for the event, attracting a diverse audience from Kalba and drawing visitors and tourists to the city. Regarding the formation of working teams within each committee, he stressed the importance of role and quality over position and title.

In a brief address following, Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Darmaki, Festival Director, emphasized teamwork, cooperation, and commitment.

It should be noted that the four-member committee that will discuss the new timetable for the festival includes Ibrahim Al-Darmaki, the festival director, Abdullah Al-Kindi, Ahmed Al-Matroushi, and Mohammed Abdulhadi Al-Shawka. They will have to discuss the appropriate option of holding it in November or December next year, continuously for 10 days, or distributing the events over several weeks on weekends, based on the quantity and quality of the festival’s activities and events.