Doha: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, who won individual silver and helped the UAE win the team gold medal in the endurance ride competition at the Arab Games in Qatar has dedicated the team's success to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and to His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The UAE enjoyed a clean sweep of medals in the individual competition to go with their team gold.
Shaikh Hamdan thanked the Rulers for their continuous support to youth sport in general and to equestrian sports in particular.
"We dedicate this achievement to His Highness the President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the occasion of the 40th National Day and it is the least we can do to express our gratitude and thanks for his noble and continuous support," he said.
"We also dedicate it to His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President, Prime Minister [of the UAE] and Ruler of Dubai, for his unlimited support and encouragement for us and for his valuable directions that helped us to win the medals.
"We are thankful and do appreciate his attendance, which gave us reason to do our best for our country. And I believe that as long as His Highness Shaikh Mohammad continues to support us we will continue in achieving great victories for our country."
Regarding the ride, Shaikh Hamdan said: "It was a difficult ride and both Qatar and Bahrain were strong opponents and gave us tough competition, but we rode a tactical race and kept on leading on both the team and individual levels till we finished in first place to win both gold medals."
Good organisation
Shaikh Hamdan also thanked the organisers of the Arab Games: "I believe Qatar deserves our thanks for their good organisation to the Games in general and to the Endurance Ride in particular."
Meanwhile, Yousuf Al Sarkal, the First Vice-President of the UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC) and the Head of the UAE delegation to the Games, revealed that Shaikh Mohammad met with him before the Games and asked him about all the UAE athletes going to Qatar.
Al Sarkal added that His Highness ordered the NOC to provide all necessary facilities for the athletes to be to do their best in the Games.
"We thank Shaikh Mohammad for his continuous support to all the athletes and for his kind gesture to attend the endurance ride competition in which our horsemen, led by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, did not let us or their country down and as usual won the two gold medals, which made us feel proud," Al Sarkal told Gulf News yesterday at the Endurance Village.
Victories
"We expected Shaikh Hamdan and his colleagues to win the gold medals and they have always brought victories to the UAE in all the continental and international championships."
Regarding the UAE's harvest of medals in the Games, Al Sarkal said: "We are satisfied with the number of medals our athletes have won so far because, according to the preparations, I believe they have met our expectations. But we are still looking forward to winning more medals in the remaining days of the Games.
"Our athletes proved that, if they have the suitable preparations, they can compete with the best and achieve honourable results. This is good for planning for the future."
