Tokyo Olympics: Swimmer Al Matrooshi leads UAE team at opening ceremony

Swimmer Yousuf Al Matrooshi led the UAE contingent at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games on Friday.

Al Matrooshi, who will make his Olympic debut in the pool when he competes in the 100-metre freestyle event, was the UAE flagbearer at the opening ceremony in Tokyo.

The opening ceremony was attended by Shehab Ahmed Al Fahim, UAE Ambassador to Japan, and Azza bint Suleiman, Assistant Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee for Administrative and Financial Affairs.

UAE’s campaign will begin on July 25 when Saif bin Futtais takes part in the skeet shooting competition.

Futtais, the two-time ISSF World Cup medallist, will hope to earn his first Olympic medal, having also represented the country in the 2016 Rio Games.

UAE’s best performance in the Summer Games came at the 2004 Athens Olympics when Sheikh Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Hasher Al Maktoum won the gold medal at the double trap event in shooting.

Meanwhile, Victor Scvortov and Ivan Remarenco, the two judokas in the UAE team, will be determined to produce their best performance on the judo mat in Tokyo.

Scvortov, bronze medallist at the 2014 World Judo Championships and the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, will defend UAE colours in the 73kg category on July 26.

Remarenco, bronze medallist at the 2014 World Judo Championships, will participate in the over 100-kg event on July 30.

Nasser Al Tamimi, general secretary of the UAE Wrestling and Judo Federation, said he was confident of the two UAE judokas’ chances in Tokyo.

“Scvortov and Remarenco have progressed well and are ready to give their best shot in Tokyo. We hope to replicate what judo achieved at Rio,” Al Tamimi said, referring to Sergiu Toma’s bronze medal for UAE at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In the track and field competition, UAE sprint star Hassan Al Noubi will run in the 100-metre event on July 31.

Ahmed Al Tayeb, the head of the UAE delegation in Tokyo, said the country’s athletes will leave no stone unturned in their effort to deliver a memorable performance.

“We are not promising anything to be fair. We are hopeful from the progress we have seen from Saif (Futtais), Victor (Scvortov) and Ivan (Remarenco) who all have the experience of participating at the highest level,” Tayeb said during a press conference.