Being a country filled with desert, the past sports played in the United Arab Emirates [UAE] are still practiced today, which include camel and horse racing. The UAE has come a long way since those days and with nationalities from all over the world, working and living in the UAE, more and more sports become popular amongst UAE residence.

Horse Riding
Horse racing is more popular than camel racing these days and individuals interested in learning can take lessons and find the necessary equipment easily accessible. Horse racing facilities can be found in the Equestrian Clubs found in the major cities of the UAE. Dubai also hosts the annual Dubai World Cup horse race, which is the richest horse race in the world.

Camel Racing
Camel racing takes place in the morning on the weekends of the winter season (October to March) and is a unique sports, which is an integral part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) heritage. The racing takes place at special tracks around the country and the atmosphere is electric, especially during public holidays when major races are held for considerable prize money.

Football
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in the world and is undoubtably the favourite sport in the United Arab Emirates. The are many stadiums in each of the seven emirates, and the largest one is the Zayed Sports City, which also is the biggest sports complex in the Middle East.

Cricket
With the UAE's major population coming from the Indian sub-continent, cricket is a very popular sport and the emirate of Sharjah is most well known for the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, which has annual matches played on its grounds for the cricket world cup.

Golf
The sport of Golf is becoming more and more popular amongst UAE residence as the UAE has over a dozen golf courses, and three of these courses are PGA championship golf courses. These golf courses are spread out throughout the UAE and are governed by the UAE Golf Association, and a number of them are found in major hotels. Dubai hosts the annual Dubai Desert Classic, which is a European Tour event held in March and features some of the world's best golfers competing for over US$1 Million.

Tennis
Similar to Golf, tennis' popularity in the UAE is continously increasing and you will find tennis courts in hotels and private clubs throughout the UAE. Dubai hosts the annual Dubai Tennis Championships, which is an ATP and WTA event, which attracts the top-seeded players how compete at the Dubai Aviation Club in February.

Rugby
With the growing european population in the UAE, rudgy fans can participate and watch matches throughout the year. In April, the Irish Village (Dubai) holds the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, while in November and December, the world-class Dubai Rugby Sevens is held.

Other Sports
You can find facilities for alot of sports including shooting and archery, rock climbing, powerboat racing, polo, bowling, and canoeing.