UAE eager to make a splash at Asian Games

Guangzhou: The UAE will make their entry at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou with their athletes participating in at least six disciplines day: swimming, table tennis, shooting, judo, chess and snooker.

Obaid Al Jasmi will be leading the UAE charge along with Mubarak Mohammad Salem Al Bashir and Mohammad Abdullah at the Aoti Sports Centre Cluster here from today. Al Jasmi is taking part in the 100-metre butterfly, 50-metre backstroke and 200-metre individual medley, while Al Bashir is participating in the 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres breaststroke and Abdullah in the 50-metre, 100-metre backstroke and 50-metre butterfly.

"We are looking at competing against some of the best swimmers in the continent so that we can be better prepared for the 10th Fina World Swimming Championships," UAE team's swimming coach Jay Benner said.

Chess fixtures

Also starting their campaign for a medal in the 10-metre pistol shooting competition will be Esmail Al Nuaimi and Shamsa Al Marzouqi in men's category and Sumayya Saleh, Shamma Al Muhairi and Shaikha Saeed in the women's category.

The chess players will also get the campaign under way with Noura Saleh and Khuloud Eisa pitted against opponents from Indonesia and Uzbekistan respectively in the women's contest, while Salem Abdul Rahman and Abdullah Hassan have drawn first round opponents from Jordan and India respectively in the men's section.

Yahya Al Hammadi of the UAE has been pitted against South Korea's Hwang H.T. in the men's 100kg judo competition.