Hamdan hands out degrees

Dubai: One of the top sporting officials from the UAE is convinced that the first batch of sports leaders will usher in a new era and fuel the country's ambitions to stage bigger events in the future.

The senior official was speaking at the passing out function of the first batch of students of the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Programme for sports leadership development at the Dusit Thani Hotel yesterday.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council, presented the degrees to all 25 students who graduated in the presence of Mattar Al Tayer, Vice-Chairman, Dubai Sports Council.

"Yes, this is the start for the UAE whereby we can hope to take sports and its management to a new level through these young leaders," Saeed Abdul Gafour, Secretary-General, UAE National Olympic Committee told Gulf News.

"The country has its ambitions and these young graduates are definitely part of this bigger plan. The UAE has on its agenda the possibility of staging the Olympic Games in the future and these young students will be among the core people involved for such an event," Gafour added.

As many as 25 students, including four girls, comprised the inaugural batch of students who passed out under the programme that is tailor-made for the UAE keeping an eye on the future.

This is the first time that such a degree, equivalent to a Masters in Sports Management, has been offered in the region under the auspices of the World Academy of Sport Manchester Business School.

The 18-month course took the UAE students on a varied journey of workshops, lectures, clinics and mega sporting events including the Fifa World Clubs Cup and the F1 race in Abu Dhabi last year.

"We will ensure these new graduates get on-field training by posting them in clubs within the UAE and then sending them off on training assignments all over so that the country is better equipped to handle top sporting events in the future," said Dr Ahmad Sa'ad Al Sharif, the Secretary-General of Dubai Sports Council.

Chris Solly, Director, IPC Academy that works closely with the World Academy of Sport, said that it has been a fruitful experience in delivering the dream of a nation. Classes were held in four different modules with each of these catering to specific aspects ranging from international sporting structures, high performance sports participation and how it can help develop sports stars within the UAE, commercial sports along with sponsorship and marketing and finally, the infrastructure within the country.

"There is good vision and there is good capability, and the more we build human resources here the more competitive the region will get," Solly said.