Dubai: The Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) led the tributes to UAE sailing champion Omar Shaheen after he was killed in a car crash this week.

Shaheen was driving on the Emirates Road with his brother Ahmad on Tuesday morning when he lost control of his car, rolled off the road and hit a date palm tree. He was killed on the spot, while his brother was rushed to Rashid Hospital, where he is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

"He was one of our most promising sailors, having won the UAE National Sailing Championships on several occasions. We will sorely miss him, and our deepest condolences are with his family," Sid Bensaleh, General Manager and Race Department Director at DIMC, told Gulf News.

Shock to all

"The news came as a shock to all of us. Omar Shaheen was a talented sailor, who was quiet and decisive in what he did. I personally spent so many years with him during training here in the UAE and then during the various competitions that we attended all over Europe.

"It is always so sad to cope with the loss of someone so special. And when the loss is of a sportsperson, the entire sports community grieves as we are like one big family.

Lots of promise

"Shaheen showed a lot of promise as a sailor in the optimist class, and it was through his efforts that the UAE recorded several accolades in the sailing world, starting off [with] a fine win in the 2003 Al Baraha Regatta in Bahrain. He was also a member of the bronze medal team at the European Championships in Portugal the following year.

"I've known him since he was a little boy and, for almost six years, we were regularly together, be it in training at the DIMC or for close to two months each summer in various sailing destinations in Europe. He was very motivated with a lot of achievements to his name.

"Hopefully his brother will have a speedy recovery. We all feel very sad for the family and our thoughts and prayers are with them at this moment."

Shaheen, who was laid to rest yesterday afternoon, stopped sailing about three years ago, when he went overseas to pursue his studies.