UAE Sports Federation for School and University Education Institutions develops talent discovery plans through school championships

H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, Chairman of the General Authority of Sports, and the Chairman of the UAE Sports Federation for School and University Education, held the second meeting with the Federation’s Board of Directors, to discuss various means to discover sports talents through school championships and enhance their contribution to the sports sector. This is in line with the ‘Principles of the 50’, which focuses on increasing human capital, drawing in new talents and ensuring the development of their skills, to foster national economic growth and excellence.

H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi said: “In line with the directives of our wise leadership and the UAE Centennial 2071 which aims to create a prosperous future and enable the future generation to enhance the global presence of the UAE in multiple fields, we strive to promote talent development as a key to the growth of all sectors in the country. We recognise that concerted efforts between government entities and various educational and sports institutions are quite significant, as it plays a vital role in identifying new means to develop sports talents both physically and mentally. This is in line with the principles of the General Authority of Sports aimed at fostering partnerships to promote the sports sector.

H.E added: “We strive to integrate sports as a lifestyle in the society, particularly in educational institutions and increase awareness regarding the significance of incorporating sports into daily life, which will further strengthen the UAE’s presence on the global sports map. The collaboration between the education and sports sectors institutions will increase student competitiveness and instill sports vision and principles in them, in order to develop a diverse and advanced sports environment. This will aid in the discovery of future champions and establish sports excellence as a defining aspect of the UAE.

H.E. Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at the General Authority of Sports and Secretary General of the UAE Sports Federation for School and University Education Institutions said: “The educational institutions significantly aid in the discovery and development of sports talents, as well as help incorporate sports as a way of life among students. This will in turn help us achieve the goals of the sports sector strategy 2032, which aims to attract more sports talents and further achieve more regional as well as international achievements.

H.E added: “The Federation is working in accordance with long-term plans that rely on global experiences, which were put into practice in nations that are progressing in the field of sports. In addition to analysing the prevalence of each sport, the potential to increase its presence, and developing appropriate strategies for each sport based on how it is played, school sports offer the chance to identify talents at an early age and aid in their development.

The meeting further discussed various methods of implementing the school games project that focuses on age groups between 9 and 17. These projects include competitions in eight different sports, which include taekwondo, badminton, and swimming, and five priority sports: judo, shooting, archery, fencing, and athletics. The federations of the eight sports will develop strategies to increase participation in these sports, create championship programs and propose them to institutions in the education sector for consideration of implementation.

The school games will be held during the first few months of the upcoming year. The school games will be divided into three levels, the first featuring competitions between schools, the second level which includes competitions held regionally from which the winners advance to the third level where competitions will be held nationally. In cooperation with various sports clubs and federations, the UAE Elite and High-Level Sports Committee will support the school championship winners and ensure their development.

The Federation's plans entail encouraging and assisting sports educators as well as establishing technical and physical benchmarks that aid in the early identification of talents. These will further help create a database that will improve and develop working mechanisms.

During the meeting, the new website of the Federation was showcased as well as a digital method for the education sector institutions to apply for championships, along with emphasising the significance of establishing championship standards. This will help in categorisation and verify the technical capability.

The General Authority of Sports merged the UAE Federation for School Sports and the UAE Federation for University Sports to form the UAE Sports Federation for School and University Education Institutions, in an effort to build a mechanism for discovering talents at a young age, devise long-term strategies and assure its continuity throughout the educational journey of students.