Dubai The UAE is hopeful of having more than ten athletes competing at the 2012 London Olympic Games to be held from July 27 to August 12.
With shooters Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum (skeet), Shaikh Juma Bin Dalmouk (double trap) and Dhaher Al Aryani (trap) already booking their places for this summer's big event, the rest of the sporting fraternity here hope to book at least another ten spots through various qualifying quotas open in other sporting disciplines.
Leading the list of hopefuls is the track and field events, followed by the likes of wrestling, weightlifting, judo, taekwondo and swimming.
"Historically, the UAE has qualified with a very nominal number of athletes for the Olympic Games. But this time we have three [shooters] who have already qualified and we are also expecting another ten to meet the qualifying mark in the next few months," Yousuf Al Serkal, Vice President of the UAE NOC, told media at a press conference Tuesday).
"We have a good expectation from the athletics and the shooting teams," he added.
Athletes already qualified: Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum (skeet); Shaikh Juma Bin Dalmouk (double trap) and Dhaher Al Aryani (trap).
Athletes trying to qualify:
Taekwondo - Shaikha Maitha (65kg category)
Track and field - Omar Bin Sulfa (200m), Obaid Al Shrook (400m hurdles)
Fencing - Abdullah Al Hammadi (epee), Majid Al Mansouri (epee)
Swimming - Mubarak Bashir, Obaid Al Jasmi
Judo - Khalifa Al Qubaisi (74kg category)
Wrestling - Mohammad Al Qubaisi (74kg category)
