Page 11 - GAS PR REPORT - August 2024

Press Release

The ’Sports Talent’ platform is an advanced tool designed to collect vital data and insights
about sports talents, starting from the initial registration phase and continuing the
empowerment stage. By collaborating with relevant sports organizations and educational
institutions in the UAE, the platform monitors sports fairs and events that focus on finding

talents within the community. Through these efforts, it seeks to connect skilled athletes with
the right opportunities, thus allowing them to hone their capabilities and channel their potential
in the right direction.

His Excellency Ghanim Mubarak Al Hajeri, Director-General for the General Authority
of Sports, said: “Our ‘Empowerment and Sustainability of Sports Talents’ project aims to
expand the base of sports practices for promising talents, fostering their sports culture and
developing a professional mindset through the recently launched ‘Sports Talent’ platform.
Through these efforts, we seek to ensure the sustainability of sports talents in alignment with
the goals and values of ‘Year of Sustainability’. Furthermore, it integrates talent identification

procedures to ensure a promising future for Emirati sports signifying the unwavering efforts of
the Authority in collaboration with its partners from the sports, government and private sectors.
Our goal is to devise national strategies to recognise and empower sports talents and ultimately
boost the UAE’s sports landscape.”

HE Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Sports Development
Sector at GAS, said: “Through this initiative, we seek to create a comprehensive database of
sports talents in the UAE using the ‘Sports Talent’ online platform, which is designed to be

accessible to all young talents, whether they are involved in sporting events or not. It will serve
as the primary communication channel with talented athletes across the UAE.”

Furthermore, HE Sheikh Suhail bin Butti emphasised that increasing the number of events
dedicated to talent discovery and empowerment will significantly bolster their national identity
among our sporting stars and help realise our national sporting ambitions. “By providing
financial and administrative support to promising athletes and sports federations, we can
improve the prospects of success for those athletes aiming to qualify for the Olympics. This
support will also enhance the chances of Emirati athletes succeeding in international
competitions and achieving sporting excellence at all levels. Our goal is to meet the targets set

out in the National Sports Strategy 2031, which aims to qualify over 30 Emirati athletes for the
2032 Olympic Games,” he added.

The key goals of the ‘Sports Talent’ platform include identifying sports talents according to
different age categories, monitoring and documenting initiatives and programs to discover and
empower sports talent, boosting the number of participants as well as programs linked to
discovering sports talent and developing a comprehensive database on sports talent in different
competitive sports.