Abu Dhabi: A total of 180 public school pupils from across the emirate of Abu Dhabi were today (May 18) honoured in the capital for their sporting prowess by senior education officials.
The pupils were given trophies, known as the ‘Excellence Shield’, for their achievements in Abu Dhabi Education Council’s sporting events, held under the ‘Champions of Tomorrow’ banner. The sporting events, which included athletics, football, swimming, gymnastics, fencing, judo, handball, basketball and volleyball, were conducted by the education sector regulator for more than 84,200 pupils.
“These efforts were meant to discover talent among individuals who can join our national teams, and represent the UAE in international sporting events. The campaign successfully reached more than 50 per cent of public school students in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region,” said Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, director-general at the Adec.
“In future editions of the Champions of Tomorrow, we plan to include private schools in a bid to find other promising athletes,” she added.
A total of 24 schools were also recognised for their athletes, as were 72 schoolteachers and a number of school principals.
As reported by Gulf News in February, this year’s inaugural event began at the school level, before promising athletes competed with peers from each of the three regions: Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region. Eventually, finalists vied with one another for the trophies awarded today.
As per Adec regulations for the competitions, 70 per cent of each participating team had to comprise Emirati pupils and pupils born to Emirati mothers.
In addition to the school competitions, a marathon in February saw the participation of 3,000 pupils, while beach activities were also organised. In addition, Sports Day events held across schools in February allowed 140,000 children to compete in races, football and handball matches, chess and jiu jitsu, among others.
The initiative was organised in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and officials said earlier that the aim was also to promote a healthier lifestyle among schoolchildren.
