Burj Challenge sets tone for Dubai Games with 56 teams from cities around world

Dubai [UAE], February 12: Global cities participating in Dubai Games 2026, the world-leading team challenge event, today had the chance to earn bonus points before taking on the challenge presented by the Battle of the Cities in the main competitions.
A total of 56 global cities today stepped up to the Burj Challenge, one of the most demanding team endurance tests in competitive sport, with participating athletes put through an exacting test of their physical and mental limits as they raced up the Burj Khalifa.
The race featured the largest ever global participation of cities, with 336 competitors battling the clock and gravity to ascend 160 floors of the world's tallest building: climbing the equivalent of 2,909 steps over a height of 828 metres. The speed race saw teams competing to earn 16 bonus points to advance their standing ahead of the main competitions.
Seven teams secured 16 bonus points ahead of the Battle of the Cities on Saturday, 14 February, boosting their chances of qualifying to compete for the tournament title. Team Kazan (Russia) finished in first place in a record time of 26m 24s, Team Oviedo (Spain), finished second in 26m 53s, while Team Kutna Hora (Czech Republic) finished third in 27m 49s. Team Aarhus (Denmark) finished fourth in 28m 54s, Team Dubai came fifth in 29m 13s, Team Lisbon (Portugal) came sixth in 29m 26s, and Team Montreal (Canada) came seventh after finishing the challenge in 29m 36s.
The Burj Challenge was held for the third consecutive year as part of the Battle of the Cities Challenge. To complete the Burj Challenge, members of each team comprising of five athletes are tethered together in a true test of endurance, mental toughness, and coordination. Unlike traditional races, success in the Burj Challenge is not determined by individual speed, but by a team's ability to complete the climb as one cohesive unit; underscoring the Dubai Games principle that progress is only achieved together.
The Burj Challenge has become a regular feature of the Battle of the Cities, which, in the seventh edition of Dubai Games, witnessed the return of the 2025 Battle of the Cities victors including Colorado (USA) and Montreal (Canada) alongside London (UK). Other cities who took on the challenge were Moscow, Kazan, Saint Petersburg and Sochi (Russia); Paris (France); Florence (Italy); Oviedo and Barcelona (Spain); Houston and St. Louis (USA); Ulm (Germany); Lucerne (Switzerland); Edinburgh (Scotland); Oslo (Norway); Gdańsk and Rybnik (Poland); Kutna Hora (Czech Republic); Malmo (Sweden); Breda (Netherlands); Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Riffa (Bahrain); and Dubai (UAE), as the host city.
The seventh edition of Dubai Games also features a host of cities among the new entrants. First-time participants include Kenitra (Morocco), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm and Gothenburg (Sweden), Utah (USA), Elbląg and Katowice (Poland), and Ras Al Khaimah, among others.
Dubai Games 2026 is being held from 12-15 February with DP World serving as Official Partner; with DAMAC, Emirates Petroleum Company (Emarat), and Beyond Developments featuring in Diamond Partnerships; Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, and Unilabs Middle East as Golden Partners; and the Dubai Sports Council supporting the event as Strategic Partner.
Source: Emirates News Agency