From the bottom up…an Emirati vision to build a new generation of sports champions
Dubai, March 22 / WAM / Investing in sports talent represents one of the most important strategic paths adopted by the UAE to build future champions and enhance its presence in continental and global competitions, in light of the rapid transformations witnessed by the sports sector globally, as discovering talented people at an early age and providing an integrated system to hone their abilities has become a decisive factor in achieving and sustaining achievements.
This trend is receiving increasing attention within a comprehensive national vision that aims to expand the base of sports practitioners, discover promising talents in various sports, and prepare a generation of athletes capable of representing the country efficiently and raising its flag in international forums.
Sports institutions in the country pay great attention to discovering talents in the early stages of life, through school sports programs and specialized tournaments for buds and youth, which constitute the basic basis for identifying distinguished elements and directing them towards appropriate paths according to studied scientific foundations, in a way that enhances their opportunities for development in the long term.
In this context, the “Talent Committee” platform launched by the Ministry of Sports constituted an advanced step towards building an integrated digital system to discover and develop sports talent in various games, as it relies on the latest analytical technologies and unified databases, which contributes to raising the efficiency of monitoring and evaluation processes, and enhancing the competitiveness of Emirati sports at the regional and global levels.
The Emirates Committee for Nurturing Sports Talents and Supporting National Sports launched the “Sports Champion Path” programme, which aims to adopt promising talents in the various emirates of the country, and provide an integrated environment for their development, through specialized training programs and continuous follow-up to ensure they reach the highest levels of competitive performance.
Sports federations play a pivotal role in this context, by organizing local competitions for age groups, establishing training camps and development programs, in addition to establishing specialized academies that contribute to preparing players and qualifying them to join the national teams, which enhances the depth of the sports base and ensures the sustainability of supplying the teams with distinguished elements.
The National Olympic Committee works to support this trend through programs to prepare Olympic athletes, and to enhance cooperation with sports federations, clubs and educational institutions to develop talent discovery paths, in addition to providing technical and scientific support to national teams, which contributes to raising the level of performance and achieving advanced results in foreign participations.
The National Olympic Academy stands out as one of the pillars supporting this trend, as its programs are derived from the International Olympic Academy, and it focuses on preparing sports leaders and cadres according to an integrated knowledge system inspired by the principles of the Olympic movement, while applying them with a global vision and local implementation that contributes to the development of the country’s sports system.
The country is also witnessing the launch of many qualitative initiatives that contribute to creating champions, including the “National Schools for Sports Talent” program, which was launched by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Ministry of Sports and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and is considered one of the strategic national projects aimed at developing school sports, by discovering talented students in various games, and providing an integrated educational and sports environment that allows them to hone their skills within an early professional path.
Specialized sports academies constitute one of the most important sources of talent discovery in the country, as they provide training programs based on the latest scientific methods in developing sports performance, in addition to providing qualified technical personnel and advanced infrastructure, which helps players achieve their best levels and reach the podiums.
His Excellency Engineer Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Emirati and Asian Fencing Federations, stressed that the UAE pays great attention to discovering sports talent in the early stages, pointing out that investing in talented youth is the basic foundation for building future champions.
He explained that developing these talents requires an integrated system that includes scientific training, physical and psychological rehabilitation, and providing opportunities for international competition, ensuring the preparation of athletes capable of competing in continental and international championships.
For his part, Dr. Ahmed Saad Al Sharif, Vice President of the International Federation of Sports for All and President of the Emirates Athletes Association, stressed that investing in sports talent is the cornerstone of creating champions, indicating that the country is working according to a clear national strategy to discover talented people at an early age, and hone their abilities through advanced scientific and training programs.
He added that the integration of roles between sports and educational institutions, along with institutional support and advanced infrastructure, enhances the ability of Emirati sports to prepare a new generation of champions, capable of representing the country and achieving achievements in various continental and global forums, thus consolidating the UAE’s position on the map of international sports.
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