Dubai: UAE table tennis has taken badminton under its wing to become the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association, it was announced on Wednesday.
Dawood Al Hajri, current president of the UAE Table Tennis Association will assume the role of president, with Hassan Al Zarooni becoming secretary general.
The formation facilitated by Falcon and Associates was overseen by the secretary general of Dubai Sports Council Saeed Hareb and Badminton World Federation (BWF) president Poul-Erik Høyer.
“The formation of the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association is a fantastic milestone for the growth and development of the sport,” said Hareb.
“The creation of this national association will no doubt increase participation in the UAE and further enhance the governance, development and administration structures currently in place.
“This is certainly an exciting time for badminton in the UAE and Dubai Sports Council looks forward to working very closely with the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association to promote badminton to an ever wider audience.”
Major events in both international table tennis and badminton have been held in Dubai in recent years as the emirate looks to further promote itself to Asian markets, where both sports are predominantly played.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Asian Cup will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, April 28-30. And the BWF World Superseries Finals will be held at the Hamdan Sports Complex for the third time in a four-year agreement this December. Both sports have enjoyed successful grassroot spin-off programmes as a result of their hosting.
“The growth trajectory of badminton over the past two years has been nothing short of remarkable since the Shuttle Time Dubai [grassroots] programme was introduced as part of the agreement to host the BWF World Superseries Finals in Dubai,” said Al Hajri. “The association will further promote the growth of the sport in the region by developing a strategic and coordinated approach to the long-term development and sustainability of badminton in the UAE.”
Høyer said: “Through our association with Dubai Sports Council, the Badminton World Federation has enjoyed a great relationship with the UAE for over two years now and it’s incredible to think that within this short space of time a national governing body has been set up. The UAE sporting community should be commended for the pace at which it has helped develop the sport in this part of the world and we are delighted to see this progress.
“The formation of this association is reflective of the UAE’s commitment to promoting grassroots participation and extending the benefits of playing badminton across the country. We at the BWF look forward, in the near future, to the UAE governing body taking the next step and becoming a member of the Badminton World Federation. We will be happy to welcome the UAE into the international badminton family.”
