From Dubai to the world…stations in Ahmed Osama Al-Shafar’s journey

Ahmed Osama Al Shafar was known for his love for sports, and creativity was one of his most prominent personal traits, as he combined passion for sports with the spirit of innovation, creating a career that spanned more than five decades during which he devoted his efforts to developing local and international sports sectors, embodying an Emirati approach based on leadership and continuous modernization.

Al Shafar was born in Dubai on December 25, 1974, and began his journey in sports work through a series of influential positions. He served as Vice President of the Emirates Bodybuilding Federation between 2005 and 2008, before assuming the presidency of the Federation from 2008 to 2012. He also led the Emirates Cycling Federation, and served as a member of the Dubai Sports Council and the Emirates Olympic Committee, leaving a clear imprint in the management and development of national sports.

At the international level, Al Shafar achieved a prominent presence by assuming the presidency of the International Cycling Federation since 2017, in addition to his presidency of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and the Asian Bodybuilding Federation during the years from 2007 to 2011, in addition to his membership in the Board of Directors of the Olympic Council of Asia.

During his busy career, Al Shafar won a number of awards and honors. Most notably, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Sports Creativity in 2018, and the Sports Achievement Award for seven consecutive years between 2006 and 2012, in addition to the Golden Medal in 2009 from the International Federation of Bodybuilding.

His career was not limited to sports only, as he was also a member of the Federal National Council for the Emirate of Dubai since November 11, 2019. He also received an honorary doctorate in 2017 from the College of Mathematical Sciences in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

With the passing of Ahmed Osama Al Shafar, today, Wednesday, after he was involved in an accident outside the country, the biography of one of the most prominent Emirati sports figures who left a profound impact in the various fields in which they worked was closed.