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Endurance leads UAE's medal charge
At the halfway mark in the Pan Arab Games schedule, UAE athletes have claimed 21 medals and are on course to hit the target of 40-50 medals that was set prior to the event.
- By Sarah Tregoning, Staff Reporter
- Published: 01:30 November 21, 2007
- Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum brings home gold after winning the endurance race at the Pan Arab Games being held in Cairo.
- Image Credit: Tracy Brand/Gulf News
Cairo: At the halfway mark in the Pan Arab Games schedule, UAE athletes have claimed 21 medals and are on course to hit the target of 40-50 medals that was set prior to the event.
Before leaving for Egypt, Ebrahim Abdul Malek, General Secretary of the UAE National Olympic Committee (NOC), had demanded an improvement on the 19 medals won by the UAE at the last Pan Arab Games in Algeria four years ago.
And while in the early stages of the competition the chances of successfully reaching the 40-medal mark had looked unlikely.
However, a recent medal charge has turned the situation around. With five days of the event remaining, the UAE has claimed 21 medals with bowling, karate and table tennis still to come.
Dr Omar Al Hai of the UAE NOC said: "Right now we are looking okay, but we know that we still have a lot of work to do and we must keep our focus on this event."
The Pan Arab Games in Egypt has so far been dogged by organisational issues, but that has not stopped the UAE from notching up golds in shooting, sailing, endurance riding and disabled athletics.
The triumph of Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the UAE team in Monday's endurance competition brought a much-needed four medals, including two golds (team and individual) as well as silver and a bronze in the individual event.
Sailing prodigies
The UAE's sailing prodigies proved they could deliver when it mattered with two individual golds and a team silver and are now setting their sights on an Olympic berth.
Disabled athletes from the UAE are also looking good for the Paralympic Games in Beijing next year with two golds, one silver and three bronze and a passionate desire to prove what they can do on the world stage.
And now with Asian Games silver medallist Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum set to take on all-comers in karate, hopes are high that she can go one better in Cairo and take gold.
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