The newly formed organising committee for the Kalba Sports Festival 2026 has held its first official meeting following its formation, according to Sharjah24, the official news service of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau. The session was chaired by Dr Saif Ahmed Al Zaabi, a member of the Sharjah Sports Council, and brought together the festival director and members tasked with shaping the next edition of the event (per Sharjah24).
Who is on the committee
The four members named to discuss the new festival timetable are festival director Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Darmaki, Abdullah Al Kindi, Ahmed Al Matroushi and Mohammed Abdulhadi Al Shawka (per Sharjah24 and MSN). Dr Al Zaabi chairs the wider committee on behalf of the Sharjah Sports Council, which oversees sporting activity across the emirate and has steered Kalba's growing portfolio of community sport events.
What was discussed
According to Sharjah24, the committee chairman expressed confidence in the members' ability to deliver on the Sharjah government's vision and the Sharjah Sports Council's aspirations for the festival. He highlighted the importance of a qualitative leap in the event, attracting a diverse audience from Kalba itself and drawing visitors and tourists to the city. Festival director Abdulrahman Ibrahim Al Darmaki emphasised teamwork, cooperation and commitment as foundations for the planning cycle ahead.
Kalba's expanding sports calendar
The 2026 edition builds on the Sharjah Sports Council's earlier decision to upgrade the Kalba Beach Games into a fuller sports festival, broadening the format beyond beach disciplines into a wider community celebration (per Sharjah24 reporting from February 2026). Kalba, an enclave of the Emirate of Sharjah on the Gulf of Oman, has been steadily positioned as a tourism and culture destination alongside events such as the Sharqiyah Kalba Maritime Festival, the Kalba Flower Exhibition at Beach Park, and Sharjah Heritage Days programming hosted in the city.
What comes next
The committee will continue meeting in the coming weeks to finalise the festival timetable, sporting disciplines, cultural programming, and tourism-focused activities. Sharjah24 has indicated that further details will be released through official Sharjah Sports Council channels as the schedule is confirmed. For now, the first meeting sets a formal starting line: a chair, a director, a four-member working group, and a public commitment to a bigger, more visitor-facing edition of the Kalba Sports Festival in 2026.
