Page 17 - Ministry of Sports PR Report - October 2024

Press Release

“The government’s decision to establish the Ministry of Sports reflects its commitment to making
a significant leap forward in the national sports ecosystem. This important step reflects the
government’s dedication towards empowering our current and future athletes and enabling the
promise of Emirati youth to achieve their full potential for leadership and excellence. The retreat
is a vital first step as we come together as one family to shape the future of this sector to contribute
to the realisation of the government’s vision and direction of the country for the next decade and
help transform these ambitions into reality,” His Excellency added.

Expressing his pride on the sports champions who represented the country in Paris 2024 Olympics
and Paralympic Games, His Excellency addressed them with a motivational speech, saying: “You
have been symbols of resilience and success in sports, embodying the determination and
perseverance needed for our sports sector and its future athletes to realize success at the highest
levels. We believe that you represent the hope and foundation for the future of our sports sector
and serve as true role models for new generations of Emirati athletes.”

The retreat provided participants an opportunity to reflect the significance of collaboration and
combined efforts among all partners in the sports sector to achieve the core objectives of the initial
phase of National Sports Strategy 2031. In less than a year, the UAE sports community has realized
a completion rate of approximately 95 percent of all eight high-priority projects in the first phase
of the new national sports strategy. Core pillars of the UAE’s sports strategy include increasing the
community member participation in sports to 75 percent by 2031, raising the number of athletes
qualifying for the Olympic Games to over 30 by the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, and intensifying
efforts to boost the sports sector’s contribution to the non-oil GDP, aiming for 0.5 per cent by 2031.

The “Future of Sports Retreat” program featured a series of brainstorming sessions that focussed
on five key topics: Youth and Sports, University Sports, Sports and International Public
Diplomacy, Expanding Olympic Participation, and Identifying and Supporting Development of
Elite Athletes. Additionally, the event honoured athletes who participated in the Paris 2024
Olympic and Paralympic Games, for their exceptional performances during the event and their
significant contributions to enhancing the UAE’s positive reputation on the global sports scene.

The retreat concluded with a series of key recommendations and announcements, the most
noteworthy being the launch of the inaugural University Games. The University Games is a
program designed to enable exceptional athletes at universities across the UAE to compete against
each other on a national stage. The University Games will feature competition in three sports --
football, basketball, and volleyball -- with participation from 21 universities across the emirates.
The University Games is structured to help facilitate the process of discovering and nurturing
sports talent in support of the national sports strategy objective of expanding the base of sports
participation among students in schools and universities while fostering a culture of
professionalism and enabling a new generation of elite athletes in the region.

-Ends-

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