Page 18 - MOS PR REPORT - JULY 2025

Press Release

Ministry of Sports applauds UAE Chess Federation’s
pioneering initiative to include resident members in Board of

Directors

United Arab Emirates, Monday, 21 July 2025

The extraordinary general assembly meeting of the UAE Chess Federation recently marked a
pioneering milestone by adopting the ‘List System’ for the 2025–2028 Board of Directors electoral
term, in alignment with the Sports Law. The Assembly approved the inclusion of resident members
on the Board with a representation of up to 30 per cent.

This marks a qualitative shift in the way in which sports federation boards are formed, reinforcing
the principle of involving all segments of society in the decision-making process, aligning with
the vision of the UAE’s wise leadership. It also lays the foundation for a new model that responds
to the precise needs of the current development phase in the national sports sector.

The Ministry of Sports affirmed that the UAE Chess Federation's experience constitutes a historic
milestone in the nation’s sports governance development journey. The new system will be adopted
as a pilot model within a well-studied, integrated approach aimed at assessing the institutional and
technical impact of this initiative on the federation’s performance and its ability to achieve its
goals. This includes evaluating decision-making efficiency, diversity of expertise, speed of
initiative implementation, as well as internal governance effectiveness.

Based on the outcomes of this experience, a comprehensive analysis will be conducted to help
shape future policies for the development of board formation mechanisms across other federations.
The approach may be gradually generalised depending on the extent to which the intended
objectives are achieved, in alignment with the principles of professionalism, sustainability, and
inclusivity within the sports sector.

The Ministry considers the inclusion of resident members in the boards of sports federations as a
practical embodiment of the values of openness, tolerance, and diversity. This inclusion enhances
the contribution of the residents to sports development by harnessing their expertise and talents,
further reinforcing the role of sports as a national tool for development, social integration, and
empowerment.

This experience also highlights the need to integrate elite talents into sports leadership, particularly
in specialised areas such as sports marketing, strategic planning, technical analysis, and the