Open Sports Festival 2026 — the 6th edition of Cyprus’ largest corporate sports festival — takes place on Saturday, 24 October 2026, at the modern sports facilities of The Heritage Private School in Limassol. More than 2,500 professionals from 60+ companies across Cyprus and abroad are expected across 18 sports and game categories, in a full day of competition, music, street food, family fun and team spirit. Entry is free for spectators, friends, partners and children.
And this year, it’s not one day. It’s a whole week.
Quick Facts — Open Sports Festival 2026
| Main Event | Saturday, 24 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Venue | The Heritage Private School, Limassol, Cyprus |
| Edition | 6th annual Open Sports Festival |
| Expected Attendance | 2,500+ professionals from 60+ companies |
| Sports & Games | 18 competitions across 15 disciplines — football, volleyball, basketball 3on3, padel, table tennis, chess, rugby tag, tug of war, backgammon, EA Sports FC and more |
| Who Can Join | Any company, any size — from 1 employee to 200 |
| Spectators | Free entry for families, kids, friends and colleagues |
| Register | opensports.com.cy · +357 700 700 64 |
What Is the Open Sports Festival?
Open Sports is where the Cypriot corporate community meets on the field. It is the island’s official and biggest corporate sports festival — an annual, one-of-a-kind corporate event where employees form company teams and compete against each other in a professionally organised, multi-sport tournament. It was created for one simple reason: the best team building doesn’t happen in a meeting room. It happens on a pitch, on a court, at a table, with your colleagues shouting your name.
And around the games, there’s room to talk. Colleagues, clients, suppliers and industry peers all end up in the same place on the same day — which is exactly why the Festival works equally well as an employee engagement day and as a business networking platform. Two budgets, one event.
Since 2021, Open Sports has grown from a local company sports day into the island’s flagship corporate sports and wellness platform, welcoming teams from tech, fintech, forex, shipping, legal, audit, insurance, hospitality, retail, energy, gaming, marketing and media. It’s part sports tournament, part corporate festival, part family day out — and 100% the most talked-about work day of the year.
Open Sports Week 2026: Four Dates, Four Ways to Play
For the first time, Open Sports expands into a full festival week, four separate experiences, so every department, every personality and every fitness level in your company has something to sign up for.
Saturday, 17 October - Corporate Chess Tournament by Àlber Blanc
The week opens with brains before brawn. The Corporate Chess Tournament, presented by Title Sponsor Àlber Blanc, one of Limassol’s leading high-frequency algorithmic trading firms, brings together the sharpest strategic minds in Cyprus business at City of Dreams Mediterranean. Analysts, developers, quants, accountants, lawyers, C-level executives — this is the arena for the colleagues who’d rather calculate than sprint. Boards, clocks, silence, pressure. And a trophy that looks very good on a reception desk.
Tuesday, 20 October - Open Sports Networking Event
A dedicated evening for HR leaders, marketing managers, founders and team captains from every participating company. Drinks, conversation, and the kind of introductions that turn into partnerships. If your company is investing in people, employer branding or B2B relationships in Cyprus, this is the room to be in, before the competition begins.
Friday, 23 October - Corporate Bowling Night at MyMall Limassol
The most fun your team will have in shoes they didn’t choose. Corporate Bowling Night at MyMall Limassol is the festival’s warm-up party: lanes, laughter, friendly rivalry and zero athletic ability required. It’s the perfect entry point for departments that want in on the action without a full sports commitment and the perfect Friday night for teams, plus-ones and families.
Saturday, 24 October - Open Sports Festival 2026 (Main Event)
The big one. From morning to the Awards Ceremony, The Heritage Private School turns into a festival ground: 18 competitions running simultaneously, thousands of professionals in company colours, DJs, street food, ice-cold beer, dance performances, sponsor exhibitions and brand activations, a dedicated kids zone — and one very loud trophy presentation.
18 Sports & Game Categories — Something for Every Employee
Open Sports 2026 is built so that nobody in your company is left on the bench. Athletes, weekend players, gamers, strategists and complete beginners all have a category. The 2026 programme runs 18 competitions across 15 sports and game categories:
- ⚽ Football — 5 vs 5 men, the crown jewel of the day
- 🏐 Volleyball — 4 vs 4 mixed, one of the most popular corporate team sports in Cyprus
- 🏀 Basketball 3on3 — 3 vs 3, men’s and women’s competitions: fast, loud, spectator-friendly
- 🎾 Padel — 2 vs 2 mixed, Cyprus’ fastest-growing sport and a corporate favourite
- 🏓 Table Tennis — 1 vs 1, office champions, prove it
- ♟️ Chess — 1 vs 1 and 2 vs 2, the Corporate Chess Tournament by Àlber Blanc
- 🏉 Rugby Tag — 5 vs 5, new for 2026 in cooperation with the Cyprus Rugby Federation, no experience required
- 🪢 Tug of War — 7 vs 7 mixed, the single most competitive five minutes of your company’s year
- 🎲 Tavli / Backgammon — 1 vs 1, the most Cypriot category on the list
- 🎮 EA Sports FC 25 — 2 vs 2, esports for the gamers on your team
- 🎳 Bowling — 5 vs 5 mixed, Corporate Bowling Night at MyMall Limassol
- 🏃 Relay 4 x 100m — 4 vs 4, men’s and women’s races
- 💪 Cross Training Madness — 3 vs 3 mixed, for the crew that trains before work
- 🧗 Survivor — 4 vs 4 mixed, the obstacle course that decides bragging rights
- 🔴 Connect 4 — 5 vs 5 mixed, the giant-format office rivalry
No minimum team size. No qualification required. No experience necessary.
Taking part is entirely flexible. Enter one colleague in table tennis. Or five teams across five different sports. Or up to 200 colleagues spread across every category on the list. You decide the scale, we handle everything else.
Family Festival
Open Sports isn’t a tournament your employees attend and leave. It’s a day they bring people to.
- 👨👩👧👦 Kids Zone — interactive games, inflatables, activities and entertainment for children of all ages
- 🍔 Street Food Village — food trucks, coffee, ice-cold beer and Cypriot favourites all day
- 🎧 Live DJs & Dance Shows — festival energy from the first whistle to the last
- 📸 Sponsor Exhibitions & Brand Activations — stands, product sampling, interactive experiences, giveaways and photo moments
- 🤝 Open Networking All Day — colleagues, clients, suppliers and industry peers, in the most relaxed setting you’ll meet them in all year
- 🏅 Awards Ceremony — trophies, medals and certificates for the winning and participating organisations. Nobody’s company goes home empty-handed.
- 🎟️ Free entry for spectators — partners, parents, kids and friends are all welcome
It’s a corporate event, a sports festival and a family day out in one. That’s why HR teams describe it as the easiest internal “yes” they get all year.
Why HR Teams Register Their Company
If you’re responsible for employee engagement, wellness, culture or retention in Cyprus, Open Sports is the highest-impact single day on your annual calendar.
- Real team building — departments that never speak suddenly share a huddle
- Employee engagement & retention — a day people talk about for months, and post about for weeks
- Corporate wellness — an active, healthy, alcohol-optional company activity that supports wellbeing goals
- Onboarding & belonging — new joiners integrate faster in a team kit than in an induction deck
- Family-inclusive culture — you’re not taking employees away from their families, you’re inviting their families in
- Zero organisational burden — we handle referees, schedules, medical, venue, timings, results and awards. You handle the team list.
- CSR that’s genuinely felt — every edition supports «Ένα Όνειρο Μια Ευχή», ΠΑΣΥΚΑΦ and the Makarios Children’s Hospital
Why Marketing Teams Love It
- Brand visibility in front of 2,500+ professionals from 60+ of Cyprus’ most desirable employers
- Employer branding content — a full day of authentic photo and video assets for LinkedIn, Instagram and careers pages
- Media coverage across Cyprus business, lifestyle and sports media
- Sponsorship & activation opportunities — from branded zones to title sponsorships of individual sports
- Exhibition stands — put a brand or a product directly in the hands of 2,500+ professionals and their families, all in one day
- B2B networking with decision-makers from tech, fintech, shipping, legal, hospitality and beyond
If your recruitment marketing budget is fighting for attention in the Cyprus talent market, this is a day when your logo is worn, photographed, celebrated and shared, by your own people.
Our 2026 Partners
Open Sports Festival 2026 is proudly supported by companies that invest in people, community and sport in Cyprus:
| Tier | Partner |
|---|---|
| Chess Tournament Title Sponsor | Àlber Blanc |
| Platinum Sponsor | Stoiximan |
| Gold Sponsors | Freedom24 · Pepperstone · Murex · City of Dreams Mediterranean (Melco) |
| Silver Sponsor | Space 307 |
More partners, media partners and activation sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks.
Sponsorship and exhibition packages for 2026 are open now. If you’d like to put one of your brands or products in front of this audience — a stand, a sampling activation, a branded sport, or full festival-week visibility get in touch and we’ll arrange a short meeting to walk you through the options before allocations close.
Playing for More Than Trophies
Every year, the Open Sports Festival supports charitable organisations working with children and families in Cyprus, including «Ένα Όνειρο Μια Ευχή» (One Dream One Wish), ΠΑΣΥΚΑΦ and the Makarios Children’s Hospital. When your company competes, it contributes to something bigger than the scoreboard.
Who Takes Part?
Open Sports welcomes companies of every size and sector, international groups with 500+ staff in Limassol and Nicosia, and 10-person startups entering their first tournament. Past and present participants come from:
Technology & IT · Fintech & Forex · Banking & Financial Services · Shipping & Maritime · Legal & Audit · Insurance · Gaming & iGaming · Hospitality & Hotels · Retail · Energy · Real Estate · Marketing, Media & Advertising · Telecoms · Pharma & Healthcare · Education
Whether you’re in Limassol, Nicosia, Larnaca, Paphos or Famagusta, or your team is flying in from abroad — there’s a place for your company on the pitch. See what the last five editions looked like on our previous events pages, starting with Open Sports 2025.
Enter Your Company This October
Registration for Open Sports Festival 2026 is now open.
Places in the most popular categories (football, padel, volleyball and bowling) fill first every single year — and this year we’re expecting our biggest field yet.
Three steps and your company is in:
- Request the 2026 Information Pack — sports, formats, timings, packages and everything your team needs to decide
- Complete the registration form and send it back to us
- Pick your captain and start recruiting colleagues
👉 Register your team: opensports.com.cy
📞 Call us: +357 700 700 64
📅 Save the dates: 17 · 20 · 23 · 24 October 2026
📍 Main event: The Heritage Private School, Limassol
If HR or Marketing lead this on your side, please forward this on to them.
Open Sports Festival
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Open Sports Festival 2026?
The main festival day is Saturday, 24 October 2026. Festival week also includes the Corporate Chess Tournament by Àlber Blanc on Saturday 17 October, the Networking Event on Tuesday 20 October, and Corporate Bowling Night at MyMall Limassol on Friday 23 October.
Where does the Open Sports Festival take place?
The main event is held at the modern sports facilities of The Heritage Private School in Limassol, Cyprus. The Corporate Chess Tournament takes place at City of Dreams Mediterranean and Corporate Bowling Night at MyMall Limassol.
Who can participate?
Any company registered in Cyprus or abroad, of any size and from any sector. Employees of all fitness levels and ages are welcome — the categories are designed for beginners as well as experienced athletes.
Is there a minimum number of participants per company?
No. A company can register a single employee in a single sport, or hundreds of colleagues across multiple teams and categories.
How many sports are there in 2026?
18 competitions across 15 sports and game categories, including football, volleyball, basketball 3on3, padel, table tennis, chess, rugby tag, tug of war, backgammon, EA Sports FC and bowling.
Can employees bring their families and children?
Yes. Open Sports is a family-friendly event with free entry for spectators and a dedicated kids zone with interactive games and activities for children.
How much does it cost to participate?
Participation packages vary depending on the number of employees and sports categories. Contact the Open Sports team at +357 700 700 64 or via opensports.com.cy for the 2026 company pack.
Can our company sponsor the festival or exhibit a product?
Yes. Sponsorship, exhibition and brand activation packages for Open Sports 2026 are available across Platinum, Gold, Silver, sport-specific title sponsorships and media partnerships. If you want to showcase or sample a product to 2,500+ professionals and their families, we’ll arrange a short meeting to walk you through the exhibition options. Contact +357 700 700 64.
Is the Festival good for business networking, or only for team building?
Both. Employees from different companies compete side by side all day, which makes it one of the rare settings in Cyprus where you’ll meet colleagues, clients, suppliers and industry peers in the same afternoon. The dedicated Networking Event on Tuesday 20 October is built specifically for that.
Do only the winning companies get recognised?
No. At the Awards Ceremony, trophies, medals and certificates are presented to both winning and participating organisations — every company that takes part is recognised in front of the crowd.
Is the Open Sports Festival the biggest corporate sports event in Cyprus?
Yes. Open Sports is Cyprus’ largest and longest-running corporate sports festival, now in its 6th edition, expecting 2,500+ professionals from 60+ companies in 2026.
