Athletics in the Emirates…a qualitative leap in achievements regionally and continentally

Abu Dhabi, October 11 / WAM / The distinguished results of male and female athletics players in Arab and continental competitions during the recent period embodied an ambitious vision for the Federation’s Board of Directors, by launching an integrated system, in order to build a solid base of talent in the junior category, and empower male and female athletes with the competitive capabilities qualified to achieve distinguished competitive results in foreign championships.

The vision of the Athletics Federation is based on achieving positive communication with the clubs, and cooperating with them in programs that support the success of this plan, through training programmes, following up on male and female players, and continuous and effective coordination, to reach practical results, targeting the age groups, while providing an ideal and stimulating environment for the participation of male and female players of the various national teams in foreign camps in cooperation with the Arab and continental federations, and to participate in joint tournaments during the stages. Preparations.

The annual season tournaments contribute to developing capabilities, as the new season witnesses the organization of 14 tournaments, in addition to the efforts made to host continental and international tournaments.
The athletics team is preparing for important participations during the coming period, in both the Asian Youth Games “Bahrain 2025” during the period from 22 to 31 next October, and the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh 2025, which will be held from 7 to 21 next November.

The team succeeded in achieving outstanding results in the Arab Championship for juniors and girls under 18 years of age, which was held in Tunisia recently, as it won 6 colored medals, 3 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze, in addition to breaking records and achieving new personal records.

Among the list of accomplished male and female players during the past period are Salem Al-Muqbali, Muhammad Ahmed Al-Musabi, Maryam Karim, Salma Haitham Al-Marri, Al-Yazia Tariq Abdel Salam, and Abdul Quddus Ahmed Ali, as well as the rising generation in the national teams such as Wadima Haitham Al-Marri, Sarah Fahd Abdullah, Samar Saleh, Nasser Muhammad Al-Kaabi, Muhammad Adel Al Ali, and Mayed Mana Al-Kaabi.

Maryam Karim was crowned the best Asian under-18 player in the women’s category in 2024. The year 2024 also recorded a remarkable achievement with the athletics team topping the competitions of the first Gulf Youth Games “UAE 2024”, and the participation of runner Maryam Al Farsi in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

His Excellency Major General Dr. Mohammed Al Murr, President of the UAE Athletics Federation, confirmed that the Federation is looking forward to moving forward with its strategic plans, in the new session 2025-2028, to enhance development and reach the best positions in various competitions.

He added that the integrated plan launched by the federation to discover talents and create champions will contribute to increasing the participation of UAE athletics in international and Olympic tournaments, given its importance in strengthening the development system and leading it to double the achievements in foreign tournaments.

Fahd Abdullah bin Juma, a member of the Federation’s Board of Directors, said that the strategic plan that was adopted since the announcement of the Federation’s assumption of responsibility for matters relied on future visions in accordance with international best practices, to expand the base of players of the game of both genders, attract talent, cooperate with clubs, and create an ideal environment to enable male and female national team players to climb the podiums and achieve the best results.

He stressed that there are many indicators of success that were monitored by the Federation during the last session, including continuous coordination with the clubs, consultation in all aspects that enhance the success of the strategic plan, and providing means of support and follow-up from Federation officials for all development programs, as well as the steady development in the numbers of male and female players, and the successive achievements that the team has begun to reap the fruits of.

In turn, Rashid Nasser Al Ali, a member of the Board of Directors of the Athletics Federation, explained that the continuous work of all members of the Board of Directors, cooperation with clubs, and distinguished partnerships with Arab and continental federations are among the most important reasons that paved the way to achieving the best results at the level of national teams, and that these data are only a sound base from which the Federation will move towards the future to double the achievements.

He added that the solid base of talent and the distinguished legacy in terms of results are a strong motivation towards raising the level of ambitions and continuing to develop programs and practices, until the Mother of Games in the Emirates reaches the status it deserves on the continent and internationally.

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