Heriot-Watt University, Dubai Campus yesterday hosted its first Highland Games in celebration of all things Scottish. The event, which was held at Etisalat Academy (near Mirdif), saw students from four different universities and teams taking part in a range of sports such as basketball, volleyball and football, as well as families, faculty members and students alike joining in with fun activities such as the three-legged race and the tug’o’war.
Attendees also enjoyed the best of Scottish entertainment from the Dubai Pipe Band and dancing from Highland Dance Dubai, as well as demonstrations from Pete Hart, a Scottish Highland Games professional athlete. They were also given the opportunity to sample some traditional Scottish cuisine including haggis and black pudding and a variety of delicious culinary treats from sponsors such as Walker’s shortbread and Tunnock’s biscuits.
The Principal of Heriot-Watt University, Professor Steve Chapman, who attended the event as part of a wider visit to the campus said: “We’ve been in Dubai for six years now and really want to give back to the community. Highland Games are a traditional Scottish event which incorporate a number of unusual sporting activities and is always an immensely sociable occasion for all the family. We hope that this will become an annual event in Dubai and something that the community, whatever their nationality, continue to look forward to and get involved with.”
Heriot-Watt’s Dubai Campus has experienced an exciting few months with enrolments up by 36% in September 2010 and a move to a new AED200m, 28,000 sqm (300,000 sq. ft) state-of-the-art campus planned for September 2011.
The new campus will be modern and eco-friendly and will extend the student population to accommodate a further 3,000 enrolments. The investment is being supported through its partnership with Eikon International Holding, which collaborates with select universities to advance graduate and undergraduate programmes.
The university also plans to expand its programmes, offering a wider range of subjects including: Architectural Engineering; Interior Design; Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Psychology for Business; Computer Systems; Water Resources.
