Minister of Sports honours winners of inaugural edition of UAE University Games

• His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi: ‘The University Games embody the UAE’s vision of empowering youth and establishing university sports as a platform for creating champions, contributing to achieving the goals of the Year of Community 2025’. 
• His Excellency Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum: ‘We are working to establish a sustainable university sports system in partnership with universities, federations and global sports companies that adopt the latest technologies in talent discovery and development’. 
• The American University in Dubai bestowed with ‘Grand Champion award’ with three titles.
• Final ceremony held at Emirates Palace Hotel attended by top dignitaries.

United Arab Emirates (May 05, 2025): The 2025 UAE University Games officially concluded with a gala awards ceremony honouring winning teams and individuals at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, late on Sunday.

Considered one of the most prominent national initiatives to back the youth sports sector and talent in the country, the inaugural event was organised by the Ministry of Sports and the UAE School and University Sports Federation and support from Solutions+ and MBME Group.

His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports, honoured the top universities and students in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, His Excellency Ghanem Mubarak Al Hajiri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports and His Excellency Sheikh Suhail Bin Butti Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at the Ministry of Sports and Secretary-General to the UAE Sports Federation for School and University Sports Federation.

Also gracing the occasion was Dr. Bakhit Al Kathiri, Chief Investment Officer at Mubadala Investment Company, His Excellency Obaid Salem Al Shamsi, Second Vice President of the UAE Football Association, His Excellency Abdullah Juma Al Darmaki, President of the UAE Volleyball Association, Dr. Hasan Mohammed Al Hashemi, Ms. Hajar Rashid Mohammed, Hilal Mohammed Hilal from the Ministry of Higher Education, Basma Ahmed Abu Al Nasr, Acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company (ADEC) along with a number of prominent figures from the educational and sports institutions and partners.

The American University in Dubai and University of Sharjah had hogged the limelight at the end of the inaugural edition of the UAE University Games that concluded recently at the Al Jazeera Club, Abu Dhabi.

The American University in Dubai had bagged three titles, while the University of Sharjah had nearly matched them with two titles. The American University in Dubai had won the men’s and women’s basketball titles along with the women’s volleyball crown to walk away with the ‘Grand Champion Shield’.

The University of Sharjah triumphed in the men’s football and men’s volleyball to come in second overall, while the University of Rochester was placed third overall.

His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi expressed his pride in the success of the first edition of the University Games. He emphasized that the Games represent a strategic step in the development of sports in the UAE and reflects the country’s commitment to empowering youth and promoting an active lifestyle, in line with the goals of the National Sports Strategy 2031.

“This tournament, which saw the participation of more than 1,800 male and female students representing 28 universities from across the UAE, succeeded in consolidating the position of university sports as an integrated platform for honing skills and promoting the values of sportsmanship, discipline and social responsibility. We view this tournament not simply as a sporting competition, but rather as an embodiment of a national vision that believes in the importance of sports in shaping the future and building a healthy and cohesive society, contributing to achieving our national sports goals and the objectives of the Year of Community 2025,” Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi noted.

“The University Games are a complementary extension of the School Games. We, at the Ministry of Sports are working within an integrated and well-thought-out framework, in cooperation with various strategic partners, to spread a sports culture and consolidate the importance of practicing sports at all educational levels. We are also working to build a promising national sports base of athletic talent capable of providing national teams with more champions capable of competing regionally, globally and at the Olympic level,” he stressed.

His Excellency Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum emphasized that the first edition of the University Games represented an important foundational milestone in the efforts aimed at building an integrated university sports system. He praised the cooperation of higher education institutions and sports federations in making this event such a huge success.

“We are working according to a clear vision that begins at the school level and continues at the university level, to ensure continued development and skill refinement, and enhance opportunities for transitioning from university competitions to professional sports events,” Sheikh Suhail mentioned.

“Achieving this ambitious vision requires a sporting environment based on global best practices. From this perspective, we have been keen to establish qualitative partnerships with the best international sports companies specializing in talent selection and development, using the latest analytical techniques for performance and physical activity. This aims to empower these national talents and provide them with the necessary tools for success. We can say that what has been achieved today is the result of institutional cooperation and national integration, of which we are proud. We will work to enhance this in future editions of this tournament, so that university sports can be a true supporter of the national teams and a source of inspiration for Emirati youth,” he added.

Organized by the Ministry of Sports and the UAE School and University Sports Federation and ADEC with support from Solutions+ and MBME Group, the competition drew a total of 1822 students from 28 universities from across the UAE.