The Abu Dhabi Inter-University Sports League added four new sports to its lineup this semester. Squash, speed chess, badminton and bowling now join the list of sports offered to students at NYU Abu Dhabi.

The increasing variety of sports on offer will allow for a more diverse group of participants in the league, said Peter Dicce, director of athletics and commissioner of the ADISL.

The ADISL is the collaborative result of a group of Abu Dhabi universities dedicated to fostering more intense competition and cooperation between the schools. Founded in the spring of 2012, the league looks to accommodate over 250 male and female students from eight universities and an increasing variety of sports. For students at NYUAD, the ADISL is an arena in which one can take sport to a higher level while mixing with students from other universities.

Dicce sees the league as a way to bring students together. By structuring the games in one location, the students of the various universities can interact with one another through sport.

“One of my highlights from last year was seeing a student of the Masdar Institute attend Africa Night, which he was invited to by a NYUAD student he met at a soccer game,” said Dicce.

Sophomore Maitha Al Mansoori, who competed in the women’s football team, enjoyed the ADISL.

“It connects students together in a healthy competition,” said Al Mansoori. “I especially felt that connection during the sports league banquet at the end of the year where we all received our awards and got to meet the students outside the football field.”

The increasing regularity of the games also seems to have developed the quality of the local competition.

“The level of competition between students, especially in football, is very high since a lot of people are passionate about it,” said Al Mansoori. “But in the end, we all know that the league brings people with similar interests together and we embrace that.”

Because of the heightened quality of the competition and the greater variety of opportunities offered, the athletics department has not yet planned any international trips for competitive sports except the Wadi Bih Run in Oman, held in February of next year. Dicce said that trips will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Additionally, next year’s transition to Saadiyat will come with implications both for NYUAD athletics as well as for the ADISL.

“Given that we have been doing all these activities with only one facility [Sama Fitness Center], the range and quality of athletics across SIGs, physical education courses etc. will significantly improve with better facility access,” said Dicce. “Saadiyat will also affect the ADISL. Many games will be hosted on campus and there is the possibility of synergising sports with other inter-university events such as film screenings or public lectures.”