DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 16th Aug, 2023) Supported by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), Fares Mohammed Al Mutawa was announced as elected Chairman of the Athletes Committee and its representative in the membership of the board of Directors of the Olympic Committee.
The announcement came following his being re-elected by his colleagues to represent the Athletes Committee in the seat of membership of the Olympic Committee, in addition to electing Youssef Mirza Al Hammadi, Youssef Al Matroushi, and Safia Al Sayegh as members in the General Assembly of the Olympic Committee, according to the Olympic Committee's Articles of Association.
The Athletes Committee in the National Olympic Committee consists of Fares Muhammad Al Mutawa as Chairman, Youssef Mirza Al Hammadi as Vice-Chairman, in addition to the members: Abdullah Al Marri, Omar Al Marzouqi, Saif bin Fetais, Muhammad Al Nakhi, Muhammad Al Nubi Al Hammadi, Youssef Al Matroushi, Aisha Al Ali, Safia Al Sayegh, and Saud Al Zaabi.
A/rticle (40D) in the Articles of Association of the National Olympic Committee stipulates that one member of the Athletes Committee shall be representative in the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee after being elected by his colleagues in the Committee; and he shall have the right to vote in the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee. Also, Article (18A3) of the same Articles of Association stipulates that the Athletes Committee shall be represented in the General Assembly of the National Olympic Committee by 3 of its members (at least a man and a woman) after being elected by the Athletes Committee as well; provided that at least two of them have participated in any of the last three Olympic Games and they shall have the right to vote in the General Assembly of the Olympic Committee./
Both Vice-Chairmen of the National Olympic Committee, Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, and Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, met with the Athletes Committee yesterday morning, using visual communication technology, after the election of a member of the Board of Directors and the three members of the General Assembly having been elected by the Athletes Committee. The purpose of the meeting was to finalise the electoral procedures for seats for all members. The Electoral Commission has recently announced the final list of candidates to run in the elections scheduled for the 22nd August, with a total of 17 candidates.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid was announced elected as the president of the committee, in addition to 10 candidates for the seats of the Olympic federations 9 of whom will be elected. The women’s seat included 3 candidates out of whom one candidate shall be elected, in addition to the non-Olympic sports federations' seat and the four candidates nominated by the Chairman of the Olympic Committee.
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi stressed the importance of the role played by the Athletes Committee in the Olympic movement: vocalising the challenges faced by their athletes peers and communicating their voices, opinions, and proposals into the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee and its General Assembly, in a manner ensuring the continuous communication with them and their participation in all decisions. This is in addition to realising the goals of the Athletes Committee: representing the rights and interests of athletes, making relevant recommendations, and diligently participating in initiatives and projects that protect and support the committed playing and non-playing athletes.
He praised the enthusiasm of all members of the Athletes Committee of the National Olympic Committee and their keenness to take the initiative to provide practical solutions based on their experiences at the level of various participations in the name of the UAE, in addition to emphasising the need for contacting and playing with Olympic and international champions in all sports, as this will have a great impact improving the UAE sports, and ensuring a better future for the national Olympic movement.
During the meeting, Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi stressed the need to invest in the opportunity of the presence of the Athletes Committee after its formation and the election of its representatives in the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee and the Committee’s General Assembly, in order to achieve more successes and to adopt more creative ideas and visions to enhance the Olympic sports at all levels. He also stressed the confidence of the National Olympic Committee, presided by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in the committee, and His Highness' instruction to providing all means to carry out its tasks in the best possible manner.
Dr. Al Falasi praised the keenness of the candidates to finalise all matters related to the membership application to the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee. The electoral committee supervising the elections confirmed the validity of the candidacy applications for all those who applied for membership in the various specific categories, appreciating the role of the Athletes Committee in making this progress in the electoral process that will close in the elections within the work of the Committee's General Assembly on 22nd August.
For his part, Fares Muhammad Al Mutawa lauded the Athletes Committee members' confidence for having been elected as the Chairman of the Committee to represent the Committee in the membership of the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee. He also highlighted that the teamwork and consultation among all members are the most important factors upon which the Committee relies during the next stage, with access to best practices and experiences on an ongoing basis, in addition to implementing the processes going in line with the committee's work strategy and objectives.
Al Mutawa stated that the Athletes Committee is one of the most important sports committees, and it receives full support and attention from all international sports institutions, agencies and bodies, given that it is the link between athletes and the National Olympic Committees on the world level and the Athletes Committee of the International Olympic Committee and the Athletes Committee of the Olympic Council of Asia.
