Saeed bin Maktoum, President of the Tennis and Padel Federation

Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports, approved the decision to merge the Board of Directors of the Emirates Tennis Federation and the Emirates Padel Federation into one entity under the name of the Emirates Tennis and Padel Federation. He also approved the formation of the new Federation’s Board of Directors for the 2024-2028 electoral cycle, in a strategic step aimed at unifying efforts and developing the technical and organizational system of the two games, and enhancing their presence locally, regionally and internationally, in accordance with the best practices approved in sports governance.

Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum was chosen as honorary president of the UAE Tennis and Padel Federation, in recognition of his outstanding contributions and efforts in developing the game of tennis, and his role in consolidating its position on the map of influential sports locally and regionally, while Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum assumes the presidency of the Federation’s Board of Directors.

During the first meeting of the Board of Directors, Ismail Al-Hashimi was elected as Vice President and Saeed Al-Marri as Secretary-General, and the membership was: Khalifa Khoury, Mohammed Al-Sharhan, Hassan Al-Mazrouei, Issa Sharif, Marwan bin Issa, Hamis Ward, Omar Al-Marzouqi, and Fatima Bujasim.

Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum thanked the members of the previous boards of directors of the UAE Tennis and Padel Federations for their sincere efforts and hard work during the last stage, which contributed to laying important foundations for developing the two games and enhancing their presence on the local and international arenas.

He said in press statements: “The achievements that have been achieved would not have been possible without their cooperation and sincerity, and we in the new council will continue to build on what has been accomplished and work in the spirit of one team to achieve further development and successes for the sports of tennis and padel, in line with the aspirations of our wise leadership and the ambitions of athletes in the UAE.”

Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum stressed that the merger of the tennis and padel federations comes in line with the vision of developing rapidly growing sports, and in a way that contributes to raising the efficiency of governance, unifying regulatory frameworks, expanding the base of practitioners, supporting national teams and programs for discovering and nurturing talent, in addition to enhancing the country’s capabilities to host and organize major tournaments.

He pointed out that the new formation of the Board of Directors brings together qualitative expertise and specialized competencies, capable of making a real shift in the Federation’s journey, completing the stages of institutional and technical development, and strengthening strategic partnerships, thus consolidating the UAE’s position as a leading regional center for the sports of tennis and padel.