General Authority of Sports and UAE Sailing & Rowing Federation approve talent development plans

The General Authority of Sports has collaborated with the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation to approve talent development strategies to bolster and promote UAE's representation in the Olympics and other major international championships.  

This came as part of a meeting held between H.E Sheikh Suhail Bin Butti Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at the General Sports Authority and Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hamdan Bin Mohamed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation (UAESARF), along with Mohammed Al Obaidli, Secretary-General of the UAE Sailing and Rowing Federation  and member of the International Sailing Federation and Abdul Aziz Hosan, Director of the Authority's Competitive Sports Department, where he emphasized the significance of developing more talents in enhancing the global presence of UAE’s sports sector.

H.E Sheikh Suhail said: “The Authority supports the Federations’ efforts in devising strategies that promotes and supports new talents. These efforts are in line with the Sports Sector Strategy 2032, aiming at strengthening the presence of UAE’s sports sector in Olympics. To further support the UAE's position as an international hub for numerous sports, we are collaborating with the federation to boost the chances of hosting continental and international activities, championships, and meetings.”

His excellency added: “The victory we achieved in sailing and rowing reflects the Federation’s sincere efforts in promoting sports as well as UAE’s leading presence in numerous international sports forums. We also commend their efforts in bringing up female talents and encouraging them to win more international victories, thereby achieving Authority’s objective of increase the presence of Women in the sports sector. By collaborating with the Federation, we look forward to drawing a roadmap to achieve more successes in the Olympics, by organising several programmes specialized in empowering exceptionally talented athletes.”

From his side, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hamdan Bin Mohamed Al Nahyan expressed his gratitude towards the Authority for promoting the Federation’s efforts in developing the sport. He elaborated: “The Federation aims to collaborate with clubs to bring up a physically and mentally competent generation, following the directives of our wise leadership and the Authority’s aspirations to increase international victories. We are also blessed with the unique coastal geography of the UAE and its global reputation, which will encourage the chances of hosting continental and international sailing and rowing competitions.”

Furthermore, the meeting also covered ways to foster cooperation with public and private sector organizations, increase the appeal of the sports, cultivate and promote their presence in local communities, and draw in new talent. The discussion also focused on strengthening governance in the Federation by examining the best practices for fostering the development of administrative tasks and enhancing coordination.

The UAE has achieved remarkable results in sailing and rowing competitions this year. The national team won nine medals - eight gold and one silver, at the Gulf Sailing Championship, with Adel Khaled finishing third in the world championships for modern sailing and rowing in the LK7 Masters category, which is an unprecedented achievement on the Arabic and Asian levels. Furthermore, the UAE team has recently bagged four medals (two golds, one silver, one bronze) at Al Bareh International Regatta at Bahrain.

The General Authority of Sports considers prioritises strengthening the sports presence in the community to encourage all groups to practice sports. They intend to identify and nurture new talents which will advance the idea of community sport and raise the chance of succeeding at continental and global levels.