Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Dubai: A state-of-the-art stadium bearing the name of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, a sports museum and an award for sports performing schools are among the slew of initiatives launched by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC) on the sidelines of the ‘Sports Innovation Lab’ on Wednesday.

Held at the Meydan Hotel, the day-long Sports Innovation Lab is part of Dubai’s ongoing process to finalise a strategy beyond Expo 2020, and one that will hoist Dubai and the UAE as the foremost sporting destinations of the world.

Accompanied by Mattar Al Tayer, Vice Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC), Saeed Hareb, General Secretary, DSC and Mohammad Al Kamali, General Secretary, UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC) and a host of other top dignitaries, Shaikh Hamdan said that the sports stadium will be of the highest standards and will be equipped with fourth generation technology to host any international sporting event in the country.

While the location of this new stadium is yet to disclosed, it bear the name of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Later in the evening, Shaikh Mohammad paid a visit to the Sports Innovation Lab and endorsed the initiatives launched by Shaikh Hamdan.

Among other things launched will be an award in the name of Shaikh Hamdan for schools fostering best sports practices, another initiative for developing community sports to improve health and happiness level of society, building specialized clubs and sports complexes dedicated to women sports, a world-class specialized sports medicine centre and a sports museum documenting the sporting achievements of the UAE.

“This is the only way forward for us,” Saeed Hareb told Gulf News. “Our leaders are always challenging us to reach heights that have never been touched before. Shaikh Hamdan has shown us the way.”

Arif Al Awani, General Secretary, Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) said that it is important for all like-minded nodal sports bodies from other emirates to break common ground with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).

“We need this common thinking ground so that the entire country and its people benefit from an event like this [Sports Innovation Lab]. The strategy has to be unified as it involves the future of the UAE,” Al Awani said.

Anas Bukhash, the former chairman of the Professional League Committee (PLC) of the UAE Football Association (UAE FA) said that innovative ideas emanating from such modernistic events will only raise the level of thinking in the UAE.

“Today, sport plays a very integral part in the development of humanity. We are faced with very little choice but adopt an active lifestyle for the general well-being of the human race. The findings of this lab today will help a long way in determining the sports strategy and the vision of the UAE,” he said.

By Alaric Gomes Senior Sports Reporter

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