Private academies are capable of qualifying Olympic champions

Sports specialists have confirmed that private academies and clubs have become a fundamental pillar of the sports movement, and are capable of creating Olympic champions in various sports and can help official clubs and sports federations achieve the highest goals of Emirati sports. However, their success depends on the availability of clear legislation, advanced infrastructure, and sustainable funding that ensures the continuity of their training and development programs, in addition to establishing a culture of professionalism and discipline, and using the latest technological techniques in monitoring performance and analyzing physical and technical skills. For athletes.

Specialists believe that creating a champion begins with long-term training plans, based on discipline and professionalism, and based on modern technologies in monitoring performance and analyzing physical and technical capabilities, which contributes to identifying strengths and weaknesses and developing them according to accurate scientific foundations.

They told “Emirates Today” that academies cannot work in isolation from sports federations, as they are considered complementary to their role, stressing the importance of integrating efforts between the various concerned parties, and the cooperation of society and the sports family, to provide a stimulating environment that enables talents to develop and transform into champions capable of raising the UAE flag in Olympic and international forums.

Regulating legislation

The sports director at the Future Swimming Academy in Ajman, Ali Diab, confirmed that sports academies are now capable of transforming into pioneering projects in creating Olympic champions, or at least putting them on the right path towards this goal.

Diab said that academies in the UAE have the capabilities that qualify them to achieve the required results if financial support and appropriate infrastructure are available.

He added: “The success of the academies depends on the presence of regulating legislation issued by the highest sports authorities, and working under their umbrella, with their involvement in some decision-making circles, especially with regard to financial support and facilitating access to infrastructure.”

He explained: “On the ground, the work has resulted in the discovery of a number of talented players, and their technical and physical skills are currently being developed, in addition to providing them with psychological support through individual programs and action plans designed for each player. However, the lack of cooperation with sports federations hinders these talents from reaching the professional stage.”

He continued: “There is an exaggeration in the regulations of many federations regarding dealing with academies, especially with regard to financial aspects, and the lack of support and services necessary for talented players, enabling them to continue their ambitions, to be an active part of the future of Olympic and international sports in the UAE.”

He concluded by saying: “There are many academies that work according to serious technical and development plans, and contribute to raising the level of sports, especially at the budding and junior levels, and developing these elements after that stage falls primarily on sports federations.”

A thoughtful investment

For his part, the technical director of the “King Wolf Combat Sports Academy” in Ras Al Khaimah, Walid Muhammad Najeeb, said that discovering sports talents capable of turning into Olympic champions requires a clear vision and thoughtful, long-term investment.

He added: “One of the most prominent challenges facing the academies is establishing a culture of sustainability in training from the early stages, all the way to the advanced levels, and this aspect in particular forms the cornerstone of building a player capable of competing globally.”

He pointed out that “the financial costs of creating champions are not as high as rumored, as much as they require long-term commitment, discipline, and a professional system based on clear scientific foundations that ensures the continuity of the players’ technical and physical development.”

He explained: “The most prominent realistic challenge facing sports academies is the lack of consistent financial support from the authorities concerned with supervising the sports sector, which limits their ability to prepare and implement sustainable professional plans to create Olympic champions.”

He continued: “The challenges are not limited to the financial aspect, but rather extend to the absence of facilities related to providing lands allocated for sports investment, and taking advantage of unused sports halls in some schools, despite their technical readiness, which contributes to expanding the base of sports practice and discovering talents.”

Naguib stressed the necessity of using modern technology in the work of academies after it has become an essential element in the process of selecting distinguished players, explaining that “relying on artificial intelligence, digital measurement programs, and motor and physical performance analysis devices; It has become one of the internationally recognized pillars of talent discovery and development.”

Talent discovery

In turn, the Iraqi expert in athletics, the former coach of Shabab Al-Ahly and the current coach of the Emirates Club, Hadi Al-Kaabi, stressed that sports academies can play an effective role in discovering and developing talents to create Olympic champions in various individual sports, including athletics.

He said: “Academies can achieve success when there are strong partnerships with clubs and close cooperation with sports federations, allowing them to participate in competitions, provide teams with talent, and obtain both moral and material support.”

He added: “The success of academies requires the presence of legislation that regulates their work, including obligating the player to associate with the academy or club to guarantee the rights of all parties, while achieving tangible production within a specific period of time to create champions.”

He pointed out that “clubs such as Shabab Al-Ahly and Al-Emirates have proven their ability to produce champions through organized artistic and popular projects, but they often face challenges related to administrative stability, while academies usually enjoy administrative stability.”

He explained that “academies of a commercial nature can succeed if they have real talent, provided that the federations support them from the organizational and technical aspects, in addition to financial support when needed.”

Al-Kaabi proposed establishing specialized government clubs that have the ability to spend financially and create champions in various games in accordance with the global strategies followed in this regard.

He said: “Providing this type of club can work in parallel with the academy, clubs, and federations, creating strong competitions and contributing to developing and refining talents to be ready to achieve results, whether at the international or Olympic level.”

Making heroes

Member of the Board of Directors of the Judo Federation and Head of the Clubs and Academies Department, Issa Musa bin Howeiden, believes that sports academies are capable of playing an important role in creating Olympic champions in individual sports, including judo, as they constitute a qualitative and complementary addition to the role of sports federations, but they cannot achieve this goal alone without follow-up, support and encouragement from the sports family, in addition to community support united around achieving common goals.

Ben Howiden said that his field follow-up indicates that many academies are on the right path and working according to good foundations, as evidenced by their regular participation in tournaments supervised or organized by the Judo Federation, whether at the local or international level, and this represents a positive indicator of the development of the role of academies.

He added: “There is positive and continuous communication between the Judo Federation and a number of academies, with the aim of strengthening joint cooperation during the next stage, without forgetting that the work of many academies has a commercial nature, which is legitimate and natural in light of their lack of a fixed official income.”

A member of the Judo Federation’s Board of Directors pointed out that “academies reinvest financial returns in developing their infrastructure and technical programs, which contributes to achieving the goals related to discovering talent and creating future champions, and we are confident that many academies are capable of achieving tangible results in the coming years.”