Nike Middle East’s Latest Campaign Calls On Dubai’s Young Emerging Athletes To Rep Their City

Footballers, runners, contortionists and more show out for Nike’s new ‘We Play DXB’ campaign

If anyone knows how to tap into sub-cultures and the influential young people who fuel them, it’s Nike. We’ve watched them distil London’s unique street style into a genius 3-minute ad, champion the likes of controversial athlete and activist Colin Kapernick, and now following suit, their latest campaign in the Middle East is a perfect portrayal of the city’s present.

‘We Play DXB’ calls on some of Dubai’s up-and-coming athletes, ages 16 to 26, who excel in sports ranging from running to football to skateboarding, as a means of painting an accurate picture of the city’s diverse identity. It launched today, November 22, in anticipation of the December opening of Nike Dubai, the largest Nike store in the Middle East.

Nike

“[The campaign] reveals the athletic energy found throughout the city with first-hand stories told by everyday athletes representing different parts and cultures of the world but all have made Dubai their home,” Nike said in a statement. “No matter their place of play – in the streets of Karama, Warehouses in Al Quoz, upcoming neighbourhoods – to the tracks, courts and parks across Dubai: for these young athletes, home is where sport is.”

The team they put together for this campaign consists of 12 incredible young athletes: Farah Ahmed, a contortionist; Akira Kyle a talented basketball player and filmmaker; Mariam Alhamad, a Bahraini runner; Keetu Prem, an Indian runner; Nigerian football players Mira and Aisha Zailani; Mo Mansour, a Russian-Egyptian skateboarder; Mustafa Khalaf, a Syrian footballer; Emirati-American twin footballers Noor and Dana Patterson; Thaoban Adesiyan, a basketball star; and Widad Hassan, a runner from Sudan.

Nike

Nike

Visit nike.com/dubai for more.

Press play to watch Nike x Bazaar meet four unstoppable women.