Dubai: The president of the UAE Athletics Federation (UAE AF) has reiterated his hope that the first-ever Olympic qualification will kick-start a culture of athletics in the UAE.
Some of the top athletes from Morocco, Ethiopia, Sudan and the UAE will comprise a select field of 14 runners in the 10,000m to coincide with the President’s Cup scheduled to be held at the Dubai Police Officers Club on Saturday.
The UAE’s Alia Saeed Mohammad and Betlhem Desalegn will be joined by an elite field of runners including Ethiopia’s world record holder Genzebe Dibaba along with countrywomen Senbere Teferi, Gotytom Gebreslase and Morocco’s Lalla Aziz Al Aouiselsouli, Bouchram Benthami and Amina Bettiche, among others.
The two athletes from the UAE, Alia Saeed and Desalegn, have already qualified for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games with Alia making the 10,000m grade and Desalegn in the 1,500 metres.
This is the first-time that Dibaba - sister of three-time Olympic champion Tirunesh - is running in a 10,000m race. The 25-year-old was the 2012 World Indoor Champion in the 1500m, and is also the reigning 2014 World Indoor Champion and World Record Holder in the 3000m. Among other laurels for the Ethipian is her being named the ‘2014 Laureus Sportswoman of the Year’ alongside Novak Djokovic - and she was also the IAAF World Athlete of the Year last year.
As per the qualification system and entry standard set up by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), women runners need a time of 32.15 minutes to qualify for the event in Rio de Janeiro.
“Perhaps people in the UAE do not realise the impact our athletes from the UAE can have at the international stage. Both our runners, Alia Saeed and Betlhem are at a very high level at the moment. We need to cash in on this aspect and that is the reason why we have some of the best world champions participating in the Rio Olympic qualification,” Ahmad Al Kamali, President, UAE AF, told Gulf News.
“We want people to come and attend the athletics meet on Saturday evening as part of our task is to educate people. Not only will the spectators get to see the legends in action, they will also realise how these top athletes train and conduct themselves in a competition,” he added.
Setting the initial pace for the race will be Desalegn in an attempt to see her colleague and friend Alia Saeed set a new UAE national record that currently stands at 31.51.86 minutes. “It is important to have the right sort of atmosphere at such events, and I hope people turn up in numbers and make this a huge success,” Al Kamali said.
Held under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President, UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC), the Olympic Qualification will see a 7pm start at the Dubai Police Officers Club.
