Dubai: Al Nasr hogged the limelight by bagging four of the most coveted awards at the annual Dubai Sports Excellence Programme Ceremony 2015 held on Wednesday.
Al Nasr was awarded the ‘Best Club’, ‘Best Football Company’ and the ‘Best Club in the development of women’s sports’ prizes at the annual function held under the auspices and patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), was the chief guest and presented the awards in the presence of Shaikh Hasher Bin Juma Al Maktoum, director-general of the Dubai Department of Information and president of Tennis Emirates; Mattar Al Tayer, deputy chairman of the DSC; Ebrahim Abdul Malik, general secretary of the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW), and Saeed Hareb, general secretary of the DSC.
During the course of the year, clubs and sports associations in Dubai are pre-judged on various set criteria for excellence, creativity and best practices that are laid down by the DSC with the underlying theme of ‘The sky is just the starting line’.
Marwan Bin Galaita, chairman of Al Nasr Football Club, received the awards along with Ahmad Khoury, vice-President of Al Nasr Club.
“These awards are culmination of three years of hard work,” Khoury told Gulf News. “Our goal has been to stay consistent, and what we have achieved today is being matched by the various teams on the sporting fields. Awards like these can only bring the best out of us as we strive towards excellence in all fields.”
Al Ahli were the next biggest winners with four awards. Al Ahli bagged the ‘Best Medical Unit’, the ‘Best Football Academy’, the ‘Best Sports Company in Marketing and Investment’ and the club for the ‘Best Joint Venture’.
“These awards create a good feeling among everyone at the club. Everyone has been working hard towards the objectives laid down by the board of directors and we promise we will fare better in the coming years. The challenge now is to keep improving,” Dr Mousa Abbas, member of the Al Ahli board of directors, said.
Individual talent was recognised as well, with Ali Saleh Ali, a left-winger in the Al Wasl Under-17 football team, sharing the award with Al Nasr junior cyclist Rashid Abdullah Swaidan. Mohammad Al Raisi from Al Wasl was presented with the award for ‘Best UAE Coach’ while Abdullah Bu Amim from Al Nasr was presented with the ‘Best CEO’ prize.
Special awards of recognition were also presented to nine eminent sports personalities for their contribution to the sports sector. These included Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister Cabinet Affairs, for his role in the Dubai Club for Special Needs, Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer (Al Nasr), Mattar Mohammad Al Merri (Al Shabab), Ali Mohammad (Al Ahli), Bakhit Salem Al Falasi (Al Wasl), Ahmad Mohammad Al Musmar (Dubai Chess Club), the late Saeed Al Mutaiwe’e (Hatta Club), Mohammad Abdullah Bin Humaidan (Dubai Club) and Saeed Mohammad Hareb (DIMC).
