NYU Abu Dhabi’s Super Smash Bros. tournament finals were held on March 14. The first tournament of its kind, here at NYUAD, both novice and experienced players flocked to Al Diwan from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for an intense evening of indulging in Nintendo’s best-selling crossover fighting video game. Mohamed Albreiki, Class of 2022, Jack Bulk, Class of 2020 and Shunya Watanabe, Class of 2019 came out on top, emerging from the rabble as the ultimate Smash Champions. Albreiki was also, incidentally, the organizer of the tournament. Despite any cries of foul play, those in attendance could not doubt Albreiki’s skills on the controller. During one round he defeated competitor, Akash Jaini, Class of 2020, within one minute and 12 seconds.

On the event as a whole, Albreiki commented, “I really wanted to do this tournament because I wanted to see how excited people would be about such an event. Usually it’s really hard for someone random to start up a huge gaming event but with the turnout that I received at the end, I feel like it was all worth it. Seeing all these people gathered around and cheering for our competitors honestly made me so happy!”

Global Youth Leadership Summit Cultural Night The Global Youth Leadership Summit Cultural Night was held in conjunction with the 2019 Special Olympics currently taking place in Abu Dhabi. Participants, athletes and organizers from all parts of the world gathered in the East Forum on the evening of March 15 for a night of cultural exploration. Participants put their best foot forward, putting on performances and dances to the merriment of the crowd. Athletes from Taipei performed, featuring traditional Taiwanese costumes as the crowd cheered them on to a traditional Taiwanese folk song. The participants from Indonesia gave a crowd-pleasing performance as they danced to the rhythmic beat of drums, pulling in members of the crowd, making for a thoroughly interactive and entertaining performance. All in all, the air was filled with the conviviality of athletes and participants coming together to celebrate the achievements of People of Determination as they shared their local cultures with one another. The Abu Dhabi 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games will continue until March 21.