Gulf schools were at the forefront of proceedings as the World School Games 2024 returned to Dubai at the end of January.
The event, which saw schools from across the globe showcase their talents in athletics, swimming, and football in the U11, U13, and U15 age groups, is a regular feature on the Dubai sports calendar and the local schools taking part did not disappoint.
The special guest for the opening ceremony was Commonwealth Games gold medallist Eilish McColgan, who addressed athletes, coaches and spectators before competition got underway and shared her career story.
Athletes across the three age groups showcased their prowess as things got underway shortly afterwards, with the track and field taking centre stage at Dubai Sports City.
With a big crowd packed into the grandstand there was much anticipation as the starting gun sounded on the first events of the day. With the sun shining and a calm breeze in the air it was perfect conditions for the students to perform to their very best.
Throughout the day the medals began to stack up and a variety of World School Games records were smashed thanks to the excellent performances on show across the board. With team points on offer in addition to the individual accolades, every single second and centimetre counts on athletics day.
Across the three age groups there was lots to celebrate with Safa Community School overall athletics winners in the U11 competition, Repton Al Barsha coming out on top in the U13 age group and DIA Emirates Hills clinching the top prize at U15.
On Day 2 attention turned to the pool and the swimming competition hosted at Dubai’s Hamdan Sports Complex, with students aiming to deliver strong performances in a bid to accumulate competition points for their respective schools.
In similar fashion to the previous day’s athletics competition, there were World School Games records falling throughout the day as the hard work and training put in by the young athletes began to bear fruit on the world stage.
JESS Jumeirah were the U11 swimming winners with Safa Community School taking top spot in the U13 event.
With everything to play for heading into the last day, everyone’s mind was focussed on the football pitch where the World School Games could be won and lost. As kick off approached nothing was decided in the competition standings – with a strong showing in the boys and girls tournaments worth it’s weight in gold in the overall team event.
In the end there were trophies for DIA Emirates Hills (U11 boys), JESS Jumeirah (U11 girls), Repton Al Barsha (U13 boys) and Safa Community School (U13 girls & U15 boys).
Following the completion of the football competition, the awards ceremonies were held at Emirates Sports Hotel where the overall results were confirmed and the champions were unveiled.
A big well done to everyone who took part in the World School Games 2024!
Check out the WSG Dubai Show and roll of honour lists below:
U11 ROLL OF HONOUR:
| School | Overall Points |
| JESS Jumeirah | 280 |
| JESS Ranches | 260 |
| Safa Community School | 240 |
| DIA Emirates Hills | 210 |
| Repton Al Barsha | 200 |
| St Catherine’s British School | 150 |
| DIA Barsha | 110 |
| Muna British Academy | 80 |
| Brookes Moscow | 60 |
| German International School | 60 |
U13 ROLL OF HONOUR:
| School | Overall Points |
| Safa Community School | 280 |
| Repton Al Barsha | 260 |
| DIA Emirates Hills | 255 |
| Campion | 185 |
| ACS Cobham | 170 |
| St Catherine’s British School (Red) | 140 |
| South View School | 110 |
| GEMS World Academy | 90 |
| German International School | 90 |
| St Catherine’s British School (Blue) | 70 |
U15 ROLL OF HONOUR:
| School | Overall Points |
| Safa Community School | 200 |
| ACS Cobham | 180 |
| DIA Emirates Hills | 180 |
| St Catherine’s British School | 180 |
| GEMS WSO | 160 |
| International School Kazan | 70 |
| Brookes Moscow | 60 |
| St George International School | 50 |
Photo Galleries
To view the full photo galleries from the event, please click here.