UAE bags medals in World Para-Powerlifting 2022 Asia Oceania Open Championships

The powerlifting national team of the UAE has achieved significant victories in the World Para-Powerlifting 2022 Asia Oceania Open Championships, which was held at Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The team secured 10 gold, four silver, and three bronze medals at individual levels, and took home a total of 18 medals in the Junior and Adult categories. A total of 231 athletes from 19 countries participated in the tournament.

Upon their return, the national teams were welcomed by H.E. Mohammed Fadel Al Hameli, Chairman of the UAE National Paralympics Committee, Abdul Aziz Hosan, Director of the Competitive Sports Department at the General Authority of Sports, and Theban Salem Al Muhairi, Secretary General of the UAE Paralympic Committee, as well as other leaders of the UAE Paralympics committee.

H.E. Sheikh Suhail Bin Butti Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at General Sports Authority, said: “The achievements of the people of determination represent their sincere dedication and tenacity in enhancing the UAE's presence, both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, the Authority is committed to continuously empowering and encouraging these athletes, which goes in line with the directives of our wise leadership. Through our collaboration with the Paralympic Committee, we look forward to delivering them with all the support they require to participate in various international forums, especially the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, as this championship was one of qualifying tournaments for the upcoming event.”

“Our champions delivered an impressive performance and proved that Emirati athletes are capable of achieving leading positions in special sports, even with highly qualified athletes competing in the championship. We also appreciate the support of the technical and managerial staffs who helped achieve these accomplishments, and hope that this has helped raise our athletes’ confidence in themselves and their ability to carry on in their path of success,” he added.

Mohammed Fadel Al Hameli expressed his pride in the members of the national team, who brought honor to their country by ranking high in all categories of the game. He emphasized the wise leadership’s role in achieving this success, as his support served as a guiding force for the people of determination in achieving excellence in such an intense competition with participants from all around the world. Through their accomplishments, he asserted, the people of determination had paid back the nation's support.

Al Hameli stated: “We made sure to be well-prepared and adhere to a set of strategies to provide our athletes with sufficient trainings to ensure they achieve promising results for a better future.” He also praised the club administrations for their assistance in helping the players achieve such remarkable accomplishments and went on to point out the importance of this championship as it is one of the qualifying championships for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Additionally, Dhiban Salem Al Muhairi praised the support shown by the technical and managerial teams and expressed his delight in the victory that was achieved in such a fierce and competitive championship. He stated: “Given that it spans two continents, the tournament underscores how important the success in South Korea is to us.”

Mohammed Khamis Khalaf took home two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals from the competition, while Zayed Al Ansari bagged four gold medals. Ahmed Khamis Alblooshi was awarded one gold and bronze medal each, and Aisha Al-Mutaiwee, bagged three gold medals. Ahmed Khamis, Abdullah Al-Naqbi, and Adel Hassan won the championship title and secured gold medals, while Khalid Al Hammadi earned two silver medals.

Muhammad Khamis, captain of the national team, expressed his overwhelming happiness in their achievements, which represented a new beginning for him after he went away due to injury. He expressed his pride in the accomplishments of his teammates, especially for the Junior category who won gold in their first championship. The captain encouraged them to maintain the momentum and continue practicing for such events, especially with the upcoming world championship which will be hosted by the UAE at the end of this year.

Young athlete Aisha Al-Mutaiwee expressed her happiness in winning three gold medals, and dedicated them to our honorable leaders, especially the Mother of the Nation, H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), who continues to provide unwavering support to all women of the UAE, especially Emirati women of determination. Aisha further stated that her father’s support motivated her significantly and vowed to deliver better performances in the upcoming years, in order to raise the Emirati flag in major international and regional forums to come.