Dubai: The President of the UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC) has urged the members of the national team to aim for excellence at this week’s 2017 Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The UAE Futsal team landed in Turkmenistan on Wednesday to prepare for their preliminary Group B match against the Maldives on Saturday.
The event will feature a total of 21 sports, including five Olympic disciplines (cycling, equestrian, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling) and another five Olympic sports contested only in non-Olympic formats (basketball, athletics, football, swimming and tennis). Above all these there will be another 11 non-Olympic sports.
“The goal is to raise the UAE’s flag and represent the nation honourably,” Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President, UAE NOC said in his message to the UAE delegation leaving for the former Soviet Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan.
“We need not tell our athletes to do their level best so as to maintain the prestigious standing and good reputation of the UAE, as a model for excellence worldwide. Determination is an inherent characteristic of Emiratis, thanks to the principles, values and foundations that have been instilled in them enabling them to overcome challenges. This reflects their full awareness of their responsibility towards their homeland to achieve excellence,” he added.
The Fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games will be held in Ashgabat from September 17-27 with the UAE participating in seven sports with 56 athletes. More than 5,000 athletes from 63 countries — including 19 nations from the Oceania region — are participating in the 11-day Games. The UAE will take part in jiu-jitsu, athletics, cycling, chess, bowling, billiards and snooker.
