UAE Targets Bright Future At Paris 2024 Olympics With Focus On Swimming And Judo

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will commence on Friday, 26 July 2024. This international event will feature 10,500 athletes from 200 National Olympic Committees competing in 32 sports across 329 events at 35 venues. The event will also host 20,000 media representatives and 45,000 volunteers.

The UAE National Olympic Committee (NOC) has announced that 14 Emirati athletes will participate in five sports: equestrian, judo, cycling, swimming, and athletics. These athletes will begin their journey in swimming and judo two days after the official opening ceremony.

Ghanim Mubarak Al Hajeri, Director-General of the General Authority of Sports, reflected on the UAE's sporting ambitions. He stated: "Since the flag of this dear nation was raised for the first time at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, we have been dreaming of a bright sporting future that carries with it achievements and excellence. There is no doubt that our participation in the Olympics is not just a sporting competition, but rather an embodiment of the visions and directions of our wise leadership and the dreams and aspirations of our people and our rising generations."

The Paris Olympics mark a significant milestone in the UAE’s sports journey that began at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. This participation aligns with the National Sports Strategy 2031, which aims to increase qualified Emirati athletes to over 30 by the next Olympic Games.

Al Hajeri added: "The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was the beginning, and since then we have been striving to build a generation of athletes who represent the UAE in the best way. The challenges we faced and the difficulties we surmounted were nothing but additional motivations to achieve more achievements."

He further elaborated on their goals for Paris: "As we prepare today for the Paris 2024 Olympics in a few days, we have in mind a goal that goes beyond Paris, which is to achieve the largest possible participation and create a new dream for the UAE’s leadership and people, in line with objectives of the National Sports Strategy 2031, which include developing the capabilities of sports talents and achieving success in elite professional sports to consolidate the presence of the UAE on the global sports landscape.’’

The Games will conclude on 11 August. The UAE delegation views this as an opportunity to advance their sporting future under their national strategy.

With inputs from WAM