Dubai, February 7 / WAM / The competitions of the seventh edition of the UAE Tactical Teams Challenge 'SWAT 2026' kicked off today at the Training City in Al Ruwayyah, Dubai, and will continue until next Wednesday, with the participation of teams from various countries around the world. They compete daily in 5 specialized tactical challenges for special police units.

His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, and His Excellency Abdullah Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, witnessed the launch of the challenge, which is considered the largest of its kind globally in the field of special units and tactical teams, attended by a number of senior officers and leaders of participating teams from six continents.

His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Al Marri, accompanied by His Excellency Abdullah Al Basti, inspected the competition arena and reviewed the accompanying events, which included the 'Your Security is Our Happiness' exhibition showcasing Dubai Police’s community initiatives, as well as a visit to the media center overseeing live broadcast and daily coverage of the event, and the health services provided to participants.

His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri welcomed the teams participating in the seventh edition, wishing them success in the competitions, achieving the best results, exchanging experiences, and gaining more tactical skills. He noted the great success of the sixth edition, during which the Dubai Police General Command set a Guinness World Record with the participation of 46 countries, the largest number of countries in a specialized tactical teams competition worldwide.

In the first day’s competitions, Team Kazakhstan (C) secured first place in the 'Assault Challenge,' the first event of the UAE Tactical Teams Challenge 'SWAT 2026,' after accumulating 109 points. Team Kazakhstan (D) came second with 108 points, while Team 'Malachite' from the Russian Federation placed third with 107 points.

His Excellency Major General Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, Assistant Commander-in-Chief for Operations Affairs at Dubai Police, crowned the three winning teams – Kazakhstan (C), Kazakhstan (D), and 'Malachite' – in the presence of Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company 'du,' and a number of representatives of strategic partners and sponsors, along with senior Dubai Police officers.

Major General Al Mazrouei praised the high technical level of the participating teams on the first day of competitions, stressing that the 'Assault Challenge' reflected a high degree of professionalism and readiness through shooting accuracy, the ability to overcome obstacles, moving dummies to the finish line, as well as harmony and coordination among team members.

Participating teams take on 5 main challenges: the Assault Challenge on the first day, the Hostage Rescue Challenge on the second day, the Officer Rescue Challenge on the third day, the Tower Challenge on the fourth day, and the challenge concludes with the Obstacle Challenge on the fifth day.

Brigadier General Obaid Mubarak Al Ketbi, head of the organizing committee for the UAE Tactical Teams Challenge, emphasized that the event aims to enhance the exchange of experiences among participating teams, learn about the latest global practices in rapid intervention units, and measure the level of efficiency and readiness in dealing with various challenges, noting that the challenge has become one of the most prominent specialized international competitions, with teams from Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

In a related context, Brigadier General Musabbah Al Ghafili, Director of the General Department of Security of Bodies, Establishments and Emergencies at Dubai Police, in the presence of Brigadier General Dr. Mohammed Al Janahi, Deputy Director of the General Department of Administrative Affairs and Deputy Head of the Challenge Committee, crowned the winning teams of the 'Mountain Bike' competition held yesterday. First place went to Team 'Malachite 4' from the Russian Federation, second place to Team 'Kaz SWAT D' from the Republic of Kazakhstan, and third place to the State Special Protection Agency team from Mongolia.

The competition is optional for teams wishing to participate and was organized before the official challenge began.

For her part, Her Excellency Ou Boqian, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, affirmed the readiness of Chinese specialized police teams to participate in the 'SWAT 2026' challenge and her confidence in their ability to compete, referring to the achievement of Chinese teams in the previous edition, winning the championship title.

This came during her visit to the Training City prior to the start of the challenge, where she reviewed the preparations of the six Chinese teams participating in the seventh edition. She explained that these teams were selected after a national qualification phase involving 48 elite tactical units, resulting in six qualified teams, including two female teams, a step reflecting the development of Chinese teams' performance and women's participation in this field.

In the same context, the organizing committee for the UAE Tactical Teams Challenge 'SWAT 2026' ensured the inclusion of Emirati women in the refereeing teams, following the successes they achieved in previous editions.

The refereeing team, comprising 35 referees, included two Emirati female referees: Lieutenant Maitha Mohammed Saif, an international referee in tactical shooting who has completed several specialized courses inside and outside the country, and First Sergeant Fatima Ali Al Bandari, who is participating for the second consecutive year in the refereeing team after her success in the previous edition and completing specialized courses and workshops on regulations, penalty systems, and safety and security procedures.