The Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club announced on October 16 that the first round of the UAE Motosurf Championship 2026 will draw 50 competitors from nine countries to the Breakwater in the capital over the weekend of October 24 and 25. Participants will represent the United Arab Emirates, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Russia, Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria, Kuwait and Slovakia, according to the club’s statement released through the Emirates News Agency. The competition highlights the expanding global footprint of motosurf, a high-skill discipline that tests competitors’ abilities in speed, balance, control and precise maneuvering on motorized surfboards.
Registration and technical equipment inspections will take place on Saturday, October 24, followed by a mandatory technical briefing for all riders, the announcement detailed. Official practice sessions begin at 10 a.m. that day, with starting drills to follow before qualifying heats run from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. to set the grid for Sunday’s races. Sunday’s program will determine final standings across all categories in what serves as the season’s inaugural event.
Six classes will feature in the championship, spanning juniors, women, challengers, rookies, veterans and masters, the club reported. This range of divisions accommodates athletes across age groups and experience levels, enabling both newcomers and established competitors to take part under unified rules. A similar championship in 2024 drew 90 participants from 11 countries, according to records from the Abu Dhabi Media Office, indicating steady growth in the event’s draw.
Czech athletes have long dominated motosurf world rankings, with multiple riders from the country holding top-10 positions in both men’s and women’s categories, a pattern documented in earlier coverage by Day of Dubai. The Union Internationale Motonautique has overseen the sport since incorporating it in 2019, with its 2026 rulebook outlining classes that include elite, stock, masters, juniors and electric variants. Events in the UAE, including a 2024 world championship round in Fujairah that attracted entrants from 20 nations, have helped elevate the discipline’s profile regionally, The Gulf Observer reported at the time.
The Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club organises the championship as part of efforts to position the emirate as a hub for marine sports, building on prior successful hosting of international motosurf competitions. Local Emirati riders have begun making inroads in the sport, with several competing in past editions and one securing a notable placing in the women’s field during an inaugural event. Preparation for this opener aligns with the broader UIM calendar, where selected participants may advance toward subsequent world championship stages.
