Dubai: The President of the UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC) feels the country is on the right track for Olympic glory as the third edition of the UAE School Olympic Games was launched on Monday.
The event was formally announced by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, and Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE NOC President.
After presiding over a meeting of the UAE NOC Executive Board, Shaikh Ahmad voiced his pleasure at the success of the annual sports programme, which is aimed at helping the UAE realise its dream for Olympic excellence.
“These young athletes are the future of the UAE and it is our right and duty to ensure they get all the facilities and support to achieve their dreams for the future,” Shaikh Ahmad told media.
“The past two years have shown us what we have done right and where we need to improve. We have a vision that has been laid down by our leaders and, looking at these young athletes, I feel confident we are on the right track for Olympic glory.”
Last year’s second edition was held across five sporting disciplines — archery, athletics, fencing, swimming and shooting. This year will see the addition of three more Olympic sports in the shape of jiu-jitsu, judo and karate.
“Simply put, we have so much faith in the future of UAE sport, and much of this is due to this initiative of the UAE School Olympic Games,” Saeed Hareb, General Secretary of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), said.
“We have already started seeing the success of this initiative in just two years. We now need to ensure that these promising young athletes who have been identified get the best facilities so that they reach their potential.”
Mohammad Al Kamali, General Secretary of the UAE NOC, added: “There has been a lot of emphasis on the involvement of family and we are glad with the manner in which parents have offered their support to this initiative.”
Shaikh Nahyan and Shaikh Ahmad went on to give awards to the winners of the second edition. Dubai won overall honours, followed by Sharjah in second and Fujairah in third.
Special awards were presented to Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami, UAE Minister of Education, and Muneer Al Khaili from the Abu Dhabi Educational Zone for their contributions to the event.
