Rugby union charts the road map to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

The UAE Rugby Federation, headed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, held its first meeting on Wednesday of the Board of Directors for the new session that extends until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, in the Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum Council, in the presence of all members of the Council, to discuss the game’s files and plans for developing it during the next stage.
The Board of Directors approved the national teams’ participation plan for the year 2026, in addition to adopting the high-level plan for the period from 2026 to 2032 within the Federation’s strategic plan, which aims to reach the Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia, and achieve a gold medal in the Asian Games in Doha 2030.
The Secretary-General of the Federation, Mohammed Sultan Al Zaabi, confirmed that the meeting constituted a turning point for the launch of the new phase, and said: The first meeting of the Board of Directors set a clear road map for an important stage in the UAE rugby journey, where ambitious plans were adopted aimed at developing the national teams and enhancing their continental and international presence, in order to achieve our goals in major tournaments.
Al Zaabi said: “During the next phase, we will focus on investing in the development of male and female national players, and building a sustainable system starting from the bottom, in addition to strengthening partnerships and sponsorships to ensure the implementation of the approved strategy until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”
During the meeting, the participation of the national teams in this year’s competitions was discussed, as it was decided that the men’s and women’s teams will participate in the Arab Rugby Sevens Championship in Morocco, in addition to the participation of the men’s and women’s sevens teams in the Asian Sevens Series in two rounds in Sri Lanka and China. The 15-player team will also participate in the Asian Championship alongside the Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and South Korea teams, while the under-18 men’s and women’s teams will participate in the Asian Cup in China.
In an important structural step, the Board of Directors decided to cancel all committees working in the federation, and suffice with the “Rugby Rugby – RRR” committee to support the sister federations, and adopt a system for working with files, so that the national teams file falls under the General Secretariat, and all members participate in the sponsorship file. It was also decided to privatize the league competition through an external committee to manage the competition, in addition to an independent committee for referees, which contributes to raising the level of competition between the teams.
The Council listened to a presentation by Khaldoun Al Maleh, Rugby Development Supervisor and coach of the Shaheen team, and Philadelphia Orlando, Rugby Development Supervisor and women’s coach, about the path of developing national male and female players through schools and organizing mini-tournaments in various emirates of the country, leading to a major tournament within the “Emirati Player’s Path” initiative in partnership with HSBC Bank.
The meeting also reviewed the previous marketing plan presented by the Marketing Committee, which showed an increase in in-kind and material sponsorship returns by 300% compared to previous years, with an emphasis on continuing support for this file as it is an essential pillar for the sustainability of implementing the Union’s plans and strategy.
The meeting included a presentation of the plan to develop the Union’s website and link it to social media platforms, where Reem Mustafa, the Union’s media officer, gave a presentation on the development of digital media during the years 2024 and 2025, and the numbers achieved by the various platforms, in addition to the targeted vision for the year 2026.
The Board of Directors approved the final financial report and approved the federation’s budget for the year 2026. It also discussed the search for alternatives to the positions of executive director and general coach, after accepting Apollo Berlini’s resignation, which expires at the end of this February. The federation will begin next week announcing the filling of the two positions and receiving CVs and studying them by a specialized committee from the executive office.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum and the members of the Board of Directors thanked coach Apollo Berlini for his efforts during the past period, which witnessed a qualitative leap in the results and ranking of the UAE national team internationally, as it rose from outside the 100 to fortieth place in the world. It was also decided to honor him and appoint him as an ambassador for the UAE Rugby Federation in recognition of his contributions to the development of the game.