Dubai: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has won the prestigious Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award.
Khan will get the International Sports Personality Award in appreciation of his efforts in turning Pakistan into one of the world’s leading cricketing nations. He was captain of the Pakistan team that emerged victorious in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, defeating England in the final.
Pakistan PM Khan has been invited to receive his award at the award ceremony to be held at Expo 2020, Dubai on January 9.
Arab Sports Personality
Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of Qatar Olympic Committee, has also been named as the Arab Sports Personality for his long list achievements since taking over as President of the Qatar Olympic Committee in 2015, including the unprecedented success of Qatari athletes at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The ceremony to announce the winners of the eleventh edition of the MBR Creative Sports Award - the largest such award in terms of prize money and categories, and the first dedicated to creativity in sports - was held on Monday at Deep Dive Dubai, the world’s deepest pool, in the presence of Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council and Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Award’s Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The list of winners in the eleventh edition of the Award was topped by leading sports personalities and decision-makers, alongside Arab champions and heroes from the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, and other national and Arab achievers.
Year of the 50th Commemorative Silver Coin and Stamp
Within the framework of UAE’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations and to mark its Year of the 50th, as well as the success of the first 10 editions of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, Sheikh Mansoor revealed a silver coin of 50 dirhams, issued by the Award in cooperation with the Central Bank.
He also revealed a commemorative stamp issued by the Award in cooperation with Emirates Post, bearing the image of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the award’s logo.
Home of creativity
Speaking at the ceremony, Sheikh Mansoor said the UAE will always remain the home of creativity in all areas of life, and that it will continue in its role of a pioneer in sponsoring and honouring creators, and spreading and promoting a culture of creativity in various sectors, including the sports sector.
“Every year, initiatives to support excellence and creativity, and care for distinguished and creative people in all fields have made the UAE take the lead in this field,” noted Sheikh Mansoor.
He added: “The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, which is sponsored by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and chaired by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the National Olympic Committee, translates the directives of our wise leadership to support and raise the level of creativity in sports.
Empowering societies
The Award, through its membership in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, contributes to empowering societies through sports and supporting creators and distinguished people who set an example for others to walk the path of excellence and achieve great achievements.
The ceremony to announce the winners was also attended by a number of members of the Award’s Board of Trustees, and the Board of Directors of Dubai Sports Council as well as prominent sports personalities.
Massive growth
Commenting on the occasion, Mattar Al Tayer said: ““Despite the challenges faced by the sports worldwide, which led to a decline in the number of events, the eleventh edition of the Award achieved a growth in the number of participants, which reached 409 candidates, an increase of 14 per cent over the previous session, in addition to an increase in the number of honourees to 28 winners, which confirms the great status of the Award and the keenness of everyone to compete for the honour of winning it.”
He added: “We are pleased that the eleventh edition of the Award coincides with the country’s celebrations of the Year of the 50th and the Expo 2020 Dubai, the largest event in the world. Therefore, the Award presentation will take place on January 9 in the heart of Expo 2020 Dubai.
Award categories and winners:
Imran Khan: The International Sports Personality Award
Imran Khan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Pakistan received the International Sports Personality Award in appreciation of his efforts in turning Pakistan into one of the world’s leading cricketing nations. He was captain of the Pakistan team that emerged victorious in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, defeating England in the final.
An inspirational sports icon, he continues to inspire young people as Prime Minister now, enhancing the status of sports in general and cricket in particular, and empowering Pakistani society through sports. Today, half of the country’s 221 million population identify themselves as cricket fans, and nearly 42,000 players are officially registered with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
In 2019, PM Imran Khan launched a pioneering $639 million initiative for the welfare of Pakistan’s youth, under which young men and women will be given scholarships and skill-development opportunities, including scholarships in sports. In June this year, PM Imran Khan announced plans to build a cricket ground in each of Pakistan’s 4,000-plus Union and Village Councils.
The Arab Sports Personality Award
Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of Qatar Olympic Committee, has been named as the Arab Sports Personality for his long list achievements since taking over as President of the Qatar Olympic Committee in 2015, including the unprecedented success of Qatari athletes at the Tokyo Olympic Games; they won two gold medals and a bronze, and this was Qatar’s best performance at the Olympics.
He was also chair of the Organizing Committee of the 2015 World Handball Championship in Doha and contributed to Qatar’s hosting of many international sports events as well as the development of equestrian sport and success of Qatari horses worldwide. He also led Qatar’s successful bid to host their second Asian Games in 2030. Doha had first hosted the premier continental championships in 2006.
The Local Athlete Award
Ali Ahmed Mabkhout won the local athlete award for his historical achievements at both the local as well as the international level, where he has emerged as the all-time top scorer for the UAE national team with 78 goals. Mabkhout has also broken the goal scoring record at the domestic level and is the UAE League’s all-time leading scorer with 175 goals. He is currently third on the list of international goal scorers.
The Local Administrator Award
Anas Nasser Al Otaiba, for winning the presidency of the Asian Boxing Confederation and becoming Vice President of the International Boxing Association.
The Local Referee Award
Ahmed Mohammed Al Hammadi, for being the first Arab to be chosen as the head referee for the International Weightlifting Federation for People of Determination, and for his participation for the seventh time in a row as a referee at the Paralympic Games.
The Local Coach Awards
Abdulaziz Muhammad Al-Yasi (Al-Anbari) for winning the Arab Gulf Football League title in the 2018/2019 season for the first time in the history of Sharjah Club since the start of the Professional League, as well as winning the Arabian Gulf Super Cup in 2019, and the success of Sharjah Club under his leadership for the first time in its history.
Abdul Hamid Ibrahim Al Hosani, being the dean of basketball coaches in the United Arab Emirates, and has achieved 58 titles so far in his career at local, Gulf, Arab and continental level. In 2001, he was crowned as the best coach in Asia. He is the first Emirati coach to succeed in guiding a team to the podium at the continental level. He also took over the technical leadership of the national teams in the UAE and Bahrain.
The Local Team Award
The UAE National Endurance Team, for winning the gold medal in the World Championships for Youth and Juniors, for endurance races over a distance of 120 km in Italy.
The Local Organisation Award
Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, for the success and excellence in organising the 2021 Paralympic Shooting World Cup for the fifth time in a row.
The Arab Athlete Award
Award was given to four champions who excelled in the Tokyo Olympics:
Feryal Ashraf Abdel Aziz (Egypt) for winning a historic gold medal in karate at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, which is the first Olympic gold medal for Arabs in karate.
Ahmed Ayoub Hafnaoui (Tunisia) for winning the gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, the first Arab Olympic medal in swimming in the 400m freestyle competition.
Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco) for winning the gold in the 3000m steeplechase at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming the first Arab athlete to win an Olympic gold in the 3000m steeplechase.
Tarek Ali Hamdi (Saudi Arabia) for winning the silver medal in Karate at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
The Arab Administrator Award
Aya Medany (Egypt) for being the first Arab and African to be elected as the President of the Players Committee and a member of the Executive Office of the International Modern Pentathlon Federation.
The Arab Referee Award
Zitouni Metyout (Morocco) for being the first international Karate referee to officiate 4 finals in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in addition to receiving the best African Continental Karate referee and the Arab Excellence Award in Arbitration 2021.
The Arab Team Award
The Algerian national football team for winning the 2019 African Nations Cup in Egypt and continuing to shine by breaking the African record of matches without defeat and winning the award for the best African team, as well as for not losing in 33 games in a row.
The Arab Organisation Award
Al-Ahly Club for Physical Sports - Egypt for its distinguished initiative for the sports institution in dealing with a pandemic, and coming out with excellent results and lessons in institutional work, and the returns of the financial, human and knowledge initiative will continue for several years to come.
The International Organisation Award
The International Handball Federation (based in Switzerland) for their success and excellence in organizing the World Handball Championship that was held in Egypt in light of the global repercussions of the pandemic.
The Local Emerging Athlete Achieved Outstanding Success in Sports Award
A local junior athlete who has achieved outstanding successes in the sports field:
Six male and female junior athletes qualified to win this category, who will be voted through Dubai Sports Channel, website and smart application for the award. The final arrangement of the arbitration and voting results are:
Mohammed Saeed Binham Al Ameri, for obtaining first place (3) times in the International Championship for Endurance - Slovakia 2019 and ranking fourth at the level of the world rankings for the adult riders category.
Saif Jasem Al Mansoori, for winning the gold medal in the World Junior Championships under 16 years in Romania for the year 2019 and the silver medal in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship for juniors category - 2019.
Alyaziah Tariq Abdulsalam, for winning the silver medal in the International Gymnastics Championships, which was held in Hungary.
Rahma Khalfan Al Murshidi, for winning the silver medal in the Asian Junior and Junior Boxing Championship, which was held in the UAE.
Salwa Ahmed Al Mansoori, for winning the bronze medal in the Asian Karate Championship for juniors, youth and under 21 years old in Malaysia.
Yousuf Rashed Al Matrooshi, for winning four (4) gold medals in the Gulf Swimming Championships held in Kuwait and Qatar, in addition to his participation in the Olympic Games - Tokyo 2020.
The Athlete Accomplished an Achievement within Difficult Challenges Award (People of determination Category)
Walid Katila (Tunisia) for winning two gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the 100 and 800 meters wheelchair races and breaking the Paralympic record.
Garrah Nassar Tnaiash (Iraq) for winning the silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games under difficult conditions and challenges.
The Athlete Accomplished an Outstanding Achievement Award
Maan Abdel Moeen Asaad (Syria) for winning a bronze medal in the weightlifting competition at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
An Outstanding Local Athlete Award
Zayed Abdulnaser Al Katheeri (UAE) for winning three gold medals in international jiu jitsu championships.
