His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, attended key stages of the race during the Dubai Jet Suit Championship, the first event of its kind anywhere in the world, which was held at Dubai Harbourtoday.

Organised by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and Gravity Industries, the pioneer in promoting the sport of air racing, the event was held in cooperation with the Skydive Dubai Club and XDubai.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan met with champion Emirati air racer Ahmed Al Shehhiand Richard Browning, Founder and CEO of Gravity Industries, before the start of the competition, and praised all the participants participating in the novel competition for having made history.

The stirring contest saw the British trio of Issa Calvon, Paul Jones and Freddie Hay making a sweep of the top three spots. The winners were crowned by His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council;and Nasser Jamal, representative of Imtiaz Real EstateDevelopment Company, one of the sponsors of the tournament, in the presence of NasserAman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of DSC.

Issa Calvon won the title following the daredevil manoeuvres of the eight contestants that amazed the thousands of fans who had gathered alongside visitors to the Dubai International Yacht Show, besides millions of viewers on international television networks following the awesome spectacle of competitors zooming through the air using specially designed suitspropelled by jet engines aligned on the hands and backs of the contestants.

The contestants representedvarious countries, including the UAE’s young gun Ahmed Al Shehhi, who had undergone several weeks of specialised training in Great Britain to meet stringent eligibilitycriteria set for those participating in the competition.

HE Harebcongratulated the winner, noting that the innovative championship had further enhanced Dubai’s position on the global sportingscene whilecreating history.He also congratulated Al Shehhi, who etched his name in the record booksas the first Emirati and Arab sportsperson to achieve the unique feat of participatingin the contestthat demands physical strength, supreme aerial agility, and tremendous adeptness with cutting-edge technology.

HE Hareb also congratulated all the other participants who had staked claim to be pioneers of a sport requiring courage and skill of a high order alongside the real-time synchronisationof human capabilities and technological innovations.

The eight participants were divided into two groups for the preliminary rounds. Each contestant had to manoeuvrethrough 12 traffic points placed along a 700-metre long race course. The best two from each group made it to the semi-finals. The champion was declared following a breathtaking final matchup.

Sponsoring the event were several Dubai-based, nationalandinternational companies, including Imtiaz Real Estate Development, Mai Dubai and Pocari Sweat.