The announcement of the blueprint for an open-door policy in UAE sport, following a decree from President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in November, reflects the country’s ambition to grow into a sporting power. It’s also in keeping with the idea of bringing all sections of society to play important roles in the success of the country.
The UAE General Authority of Sports has now laid down the ground rules for registration of players who will be eligible as per the decree. Their registration with the respective federations could well be the first step towards introducing new and exciting talent in major sporting disciplines. While football will be the prime area of focus, other sports that have been mentioned are basketball, volleyball, rugby, hockey and ice-hockey — all individual sport and sport for people with determination.
Children born to Emirati women with expatriate husbands, players holding UAE passports, players born and residing in the UAE offer a wider talent pool and that in turn will encourage greater competition, which will benefit the UAE. For a country that has always strived to stay competitive in terms of innovation, technology and in other walks of life, the move to invigorate the sport scene is laudable.
It will be interesting to see how the UAE national teams tap into the new game plan. The UAE national cricket team, which qualified for both the shorter format World Cups recently, has been enriched with Pakistan and Indian players who have qualified under the criterion of International Cricket Council — which is now three years’ residency in the adopted country for the associate members. The new development can only further strengthen other disciplines of sport in the UAE.
