Dubai: Registration for the 10th Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award will commence from April 1 and close on August 31.
The announcement regarding the opening of the five-month long registration window was made by Moaza Al Marri, General Secretary of the Award, at the end of a meeting with representatives of local media at the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) office, in the presence of Nasser Al Rahma, Director of the Award and Assistant General Secretary, DSC.
While the theme for the 9th Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award was ‘Empowerment of Women in Sports’, the focus for the 10th edition will be ‘Empowerment of Youth, the Architects of the Future’.
The qualifying period of the 10th MBR Creative Sports Award will be from September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018. The winners will be announced in the third week of November and they will receive their share of the prize-purse of Dh7.5 million at the awards function to be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre’s Shaikh Rashid Hall on January 9, 2019.
Inviting individuals, teams and associations from across the UAE and the Arab world, and sports federations from around the globe to send in their applications, Al Marri said: “The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award enjoys a prestigious place in the sports world, not just in the UAE and the Arab world, but around the globe.
“Over the years, we have witnessed an ever-increasing flow of applications, and it’s not surprising because the Award carries the name of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and reflects his policy of development in all spheres of life, chief among which is the sports sector.
Held under the banner of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the MBR Creative Sports Award is the biggest of its kind in terms of categories and financial awards, and it is the first to reward creativity in the world of sports.
The ninth edition witnessed a significant increase in the number of applications — from 198 at the previous edition to 297. The number of applicants from inside the UAE rose from 72 to 87, while the number of entries from International Sports Federations climbed from 15 to 26, an increase of about 73 per cent.
Last year, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Tolerance, was named the UAE Sports Personality of the Year, while Princess Rima Bint Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia picked up the corresponding award for Arab Sports Personality.
NUMBERS!!!
Total number of applicants in 9 years: 1,835 (Local: 489; Arab: 1,145; International: 201)
Total number of winners in 9 years: 203 (Local 96; Arabs 93; International 14)
Winners include 143 individuals, 17 teams and 43 associations
