Dubai: The UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC) has come up with a new initiative to make the National Olympic Day events more relevant, while deciding to self-sponsor the annual initiative after turning down an offer from McDonald’s.
The UAE NOC’s decision to not accept an annual initial grant of $50,000 (Dh180,500) from the fast food giant was endorsed by the board of directors recently. McDonald’s then increased their offer to $250,000 (Dh918,000), but that too was refused.
“We are aware that McDonald’s is an international sponsor for the IOC [International Olympic Committee]. But the thinking was simple — we could not accept a fast-food chain sponsoring our National Olympic Day,” UAE NOC General Secretary Mohammad Al Kamali told media.
“We have a fresh initiative through the UAE School Olympics, where we are identifying and pruning talent at the grassroots level. And having a fast-food company sponsor the National Olympic Day did not exactly fit.
“We are looking for a change in our thinking and approach. This issue in fact figured during the IOC Session in Monaco and we have explained to the IOC our vision for sports and they are happy that we are moving in the right direction.”
The UAE National Olympic Day is normally celebrated on December 19 to coincide with the establishment of the UAE NOC. The trend over the past few years has been to organise a sports meeting for school kids in one of the emirates to mark the day.
However, this year each of the seven emirates will host one sport, where specialised personnel will guide children to learn about that particular activity with an eye on the future. This year’s celebrations will take place on Friday, December 18.
“We are looking at the bigger picture, while also sticking to our national policy and vision as laid down by our leaders of making the UAE an ultra-modern and fast-developing country,” Al Kamali added.
