"Talent platform" .. An Emirati sports initiative to create future champions

Dubai, 1st November / WAM / The Talent Committee platform, which was launched by the Ministry of Sports last June, constituted an advanced step on the path to building an integrated digital system to discover and develop sports talent in various games, relying on the latest analytical technologies and unified databases, in a way that enhances the competitiveness of UAE sports regionally and globally.
The launch of the platform came within the framework of the Ministry’s vision for digital transformation and adopting modern scientific methods in identifying talented people, and linking them to federations, clubs, and the sponsorship and rehabilitation programs of the “Emirates Committee for Nurturing Sports Talents and Supporting National Sports,” to be a qualitative step in the path of preparing an athlete generation capable of representing the country at the highest levels.
The platform provides a unified digital portal and an advanced analysis tool to track the technical and physical performance of athletes, within a comprehensive and interconnected database, which contributes to accelerating the process of early detection and evaluation of talent according to scientific and transparent indicators.
The platform allows direct registration of male and female players through a smart electronic portal that collects personal, technical and physical data, and uses advanced analysis algorithms to measure performance indicators and determine the most appropriate paths to develop each talent according to objective criteria that include physical abilities, technical skills and mental attributes.
The best are then nominated to participate in specialized field tests under the supervision of the Ministry, sports federations, and accredited clubs. Individual training plans are then developed and the progress of the talents is followed up periodically through accurate analytical reports that allow measuring continuous development and linking the results to grant and sponsorship opportunities.
The Ministry of Sports is supervising the project by providing the digital infrastructure, developing regulating policies, and technical and financial support, while the federations assume the role of technical evaluation and design of programs for each game, and clubs and training centers integrate the practical side by implementing programs, hosting talent, and providing the appropriate competitive environment.
The first session of the platform witnessed great interaction, as it received more than 800 applications, which were sorted to select 126 talents who underwent evaluation tests, which constituted the first results of the initiative.
The Emirati experience in launching the talent platform reflects an advanced global trend that relies on technology and big data to discover talented people, similar to what is applied by institutions such as the “Australian Institute of Sport” and the “National Talent Pathways” programs in the United Kingdom, and the talent identification centers of the US Olympic Committee, which have proven their success.
Ghanem Mubarak Al-Hajri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports, said that the platform was designed to be a technical partner for clubs and federations through an advanced digital structure that facilitates the management of athletes’ data and analysis of their performance, and at the same time supports partnerships with the private sector and educational institutions to provide educational and sponsorship opportunities for discovered talents.
He added that the Ministry seeks to transform the discovery process into a sustainable career path, so that the platform enables young people to access professional development environments that ensure the continuation of their sporting efforts in the long term.
His Excellency Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum, Assistant Undersecretary for the Sports Development and Competitiveness Sector and Chairman of the Emirates Committee for Nurturing Sports Talents and Supporting National Sports, stressed that the platform represents a pivotal step in building an integrated national system for discovering and developing talent, linking talent with relevant sports authorities, as well as enabling a new generation to compete regionally and globally.
He added that the platform is an extension of the Ministry’s digital transformation strategy, and enhances the competitiveness of UAE sports by linking technical analysis and evaluation tools with development programs, ensuring an integrated environment for the growth and development of athletes, including training, camps, and academic and administrative support.
He explained that the goal is not limited to discovering talent, but rather extends to providing comprehensive development programs that follow the player in the various stages of his development to ensure the sustainability of achievement.
In turn, His Excellency Engineer Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Asian and Emirati Fencing Federations and President of the Arab Federation, confirmed that the sports talent platform is a qualitative leap in the system of discovering and nurturing talented athletes at the state level, indicating that it provides an integrated national database that contributes to building a generation of champions capable of representing the Emirates in various regional and global forums.
He explained that the Fencing Federation is among the entities that benefit from the platform’s services, due to the advanced tools it provides for analyzing performance and monitoring the development of players at various age levels, pointing out that the Federation has already nominated 3 players to join the platform, namely Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Khadija Salman, and Shamma Al Suwaidi.
He added that the platform is an important step towards enabling federations to develop specialized training programs based on accurate data and realistic performance indicators, which contributes to developing the efficiency of the system for preparing sports talents in the country.

• For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter