General Authority of Sports presents execution mechanism for Transformation of Sports Federations Project to six sports federations included in first phase

The General Authority of Sports (GAS) presented the framework for executing the Transformation of Sports Federations project and its timeline during a meeting with the technical and administrative staff from six sports federations including Archery, Shooting, Judo, Fencing, Athletics and Cycling. The move marks the initiation of the first phase of the project, which seeks to help the federation to implement programs and initiatives that contribute to developing sports productively and effectively in the UAE.  This will also provide Emirati athletes with the opportunity to participate better in both continental and global competitions. 

The meeting was held under the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum, the Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at GAS, who highlighted that the project will eventually focus on every sports federation in the UAE with an aim to professionalise them, upskill the athletes and activate performance agreements signed with priority sports federations. It will also support driving the growth of sports institutions and empower them to contribute further to the national economy, which is one of the three key directions of the strategy.

His Excellency Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum said: “The Authority is relentlessly working to deliver the necessary support to all sports federations through conducting meetings with them at regular intervals. The key goal behind these efforts is to initiate partnerships and national joint efforts to improve the governance of all federations and develop their performance to ensure that the strategies, programs and objectives of sports federations adhere to reinforcing the fundamentals of sports institutional administration and governance. This goal is attained through organising events, workshops and lectures that benefit the sports federations in securing remarkable achievements and contributing to raising the UAE’s national flag in various regional and international sports arenas. This will also boost the global reputation and status of the Emirati sports sector in accordance with the visions and directives of our wise leadership.”

“The Transformation of Sports Federations project seeks to revive and enhance the operational and technical capabilities of sports federations to drive the sports development process in the UAE. The move, which is in accordance with the directives of the National Sports Strategy 2031, provides strategic, administrative and financial support to the six federations during the first phase of the project which mainly focuses on developing the federations and making them financially independent with great potential.  This can be attained by thoroughly evaluating the insights linked to the maturity level of each federation through a transparent and comprehensive strategy. The key objective is to make sure that the strategies of the federations align with the objectives of the transformative project and the performance indicators of the National Sports Strategy 2031,” H.E. added.   

The Transformation of Sports Federations project includes various key outcomes such as developing effective leadership and governance within every sports federation, outlining the key roles by instilling a sense of professionalism across the operations of the federations, creating strategic plans and performance indicators, developing a productive system integrated with administrative expertise and technical knowledge, relying on transparent and effective funding sources for the development of the federations in order to enable them to generate revenue from the private sector and make them financially independent. This will also help in making the sports sector a significant contributor towards the non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is one of the goals of the National Sports Strategy 2031.

During the first phase of the Sports Federations Transformation project, which lasts until the end of the year, the maturity and readiness of the federation will be determined by assessing the strategies, objectives and initiatives, and key performance indicators that align with strategic priorities. In addition, the federation’s operational model, organisational structure, policies, procedures and regulations will be evaluated along with the systems and infrastructure existing in the major areas, like administrative communication means, media, available technologies, and budget management systems. In order to seamlessly conduct these evaluation procedures, the Authority has adopted various criterions which are defined by clarity, comprehensiveness, and ease of implementation.

Furthermore, GAS will designate a support team to the federations to offer the necessary assistance for daily activities and maintain constant communication with them. The Authority will organise specialised workshops for each federation to provide direction on project implementation, have weekly meetings for follow-up, support, and ongoing communication with the six federations, and track the advancement made by each federation. Furthermore, the support team hold the first assessment of the federations' adherence to the specified criteria and following that a committee will be formed by GAS, the National Olympic Committee, and the Elite Sports Committee (ESC), which will review the initial assessment for further approval. Through a detailed development plan, the committee will identify the important areas for improvement and the maturity level of the federations.

The National Sports Strategy 2031 was kicked off in June 2023 and several projects under its first phase was launched recently, including the Transformation of Sports Federations project. Currently, GAS in cooperation with the National Olympic Committee and ESC, is monitoring all initiatives, programs, and plans connected to the strategy to increase the level of sports competition in the UAE, assuring a series of sporting accomplishments that raise the UAE's flag on the international stage at major international sporting events.