South Korea is pushing to host the Zayed Charity Run, an international charitable sporting event from the UAE.
An Deok-gi, vice chairman of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's Public Relations and Media Committee, met with Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, secretary-general of the Jiu-Jitsu Asia Union (JJAU) in Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday on the sidelines of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games jiu-jitsu competition. The two discussed hosting the Zayed Charity Run in South Korea and follow-up cooperation, An's office announced Wednesday.
Both sides agreed on the goal of holding the event in South Korea and decided to meet again in Abu Dhabi before the end of this year to work out details including the timing, venue and operational arrangements, according to An's office. They also discussed expanding sports exchanges, including the possibility of hosting an international jiu-jitsu competition in South Korea.
The Zayed Charity Run was launched in Abu Dhabi in 2001 in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE's founding president. Proceeds go toward charitable activities including medical support. Beginning in 2005, the race was also held in New York under the name "UAE Healthy Kidney 10K," continuing there through 2019.
The event has since expanded to Egypt and Miami, and more recently has been held in China and Brazil as it continues to grow as an international fixture.
"I hope this event will serve as an opportunity to deepen sports exchanges between South Korea and the UAE, so that the century-long partnership pledged between our leaders can be felt in the everyday lives of our people," An said.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
