20/01/2021 1 Minute Read

Israel, United Arab Emirates to meet for first time in sports history at youth baseball event

It will be the first time in history that the two nations meet in sports.

U-12 youth baseball teams from the United Arab Emirates and Israel will face each other in friendly series to be played in both Dubai and Israel. The occasion will mark first time in history that the two nations meet in sports.

The initiative has been named the Field of Peace Tournament and aims at involving other countries from the Gulf in the near future.

Field of Peace tourney to bring Israeli and UAE youth together through baseballhttps://t.co/UVPNTlVIpD pic.twitter.com/AuD3XJGBhu
— Israel Baseball (@ILBaseball) January 19, 2021

The first series will take place from 21 to 25 March at the Dubai Little League Park, next to Al Quoz Pond Park. The return matches in Israel are scheduled for the fall of 2021 in Tel Aviv.

Dubai Little League President Roger Duthie and the President of the Israel Association of Baseball (IAB) Jordy Alter released a joint statement.

"We are excited to enter a new era of cooperation between our organizations and countries. We strive together to develop the game of baseball in Israel and Dubai as a basis for peace and cooperation between our countries. We see this as a major step forward in both areas and are excited to jointly hold the first team sports tournament between our countries. We hope these games lead to further regional cooperation."