Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, attended the hybrid digital (phygital) competitions at Games of the Future 2025, taking place at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi until December 23. The championship is organized by ASPIRE, the innovation arm of the Advanced Technology Research Council, with support from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Games of the Future 2025 feature a range of phygital sports, or hybrid sporting activities, where competitors merge mental and digital skills, such as rapid planning and decision-making in virtual environments, with advanced physical fitness and stamina to perform real, synchronized movements. The competitions integrate virtual reality technologies and electronic gaming with actual athletic performance. The event includes competitions in phygital football, basketball, fighting, shooting, drone racing, and robot battles. More than 850 athletes from over 60 countries are competing across 11 categories of phygital and electronic games with a total prize pool of approximately US$5 million. During the visit, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was accompanied by Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court; and Faisal Abdulaziz Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, and Secretary-General of the Advanced Technology Research Council.
