Post date: Jul 28, 2012 11:25:16 AM
UAE-Olympics/Celebrations -- Dubai embraces joy of Olympics by holding celebrations
CCTV BEIJING - People embraced the joy of Olympic Games by taking part in a series of celebrations on Friday in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A large number of tourists and residents in Dubai gathered in the Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest shopping malls, watching the live broadcast of London Olympic Games opening ceremony until the early morning of Saturday.
"I'm just here for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. They have such a big screen here and yes, it's nice. I mean it's so easy to follow the Olympics. I love sports and they had parade here before and it's really like they making the nice atmosphere," said Eric, a tourist from Sweden.
A parade was also held in the shopping mall to imitate the parad of nations at the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games.
UAE has competed in seven consecutive Olympic Games since the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, the United States. The UAE has sent a delegation of 30 athletes for six events to the London Games, the largest ever in the history of its Olympic participation. The UAE athletes will compete in men's athletics, soccer, shooting, swimming and weightlifting.
UAE for the first time in history has qualified for the men's Olympic soccer finals. Although Uruguay came from behind to open their Olympic soccer campaign with a narrow victory over UAE on Thursday, local fans in Dubai still spoke highly of the impressive performance of the UAE team.
"The players did well actually. It was amazing. Our team was stronger, but we made some mistakes. It was the fate and it was a pity that we lost the game. I hope that we can win the next match," said Yousuf, a football fan living in Dubai.
"Football is my favorite sport. It is also very popular in Arab countries and all over the world. It is a great sports event. And I used to play football, but now I quit because of the age."
UAE got its first Olympic gold medal in shooting. Sheikh Juma Al Maktoum, silver medal winner in 16th Asian Games in south China's Guangzhou, is expected to win a medal for the country in shooting.
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