Dubai: Mohammad Fadil Al Hameli, President of the UAE Special Olympics, has formally announced his candidature for election to the prestigious governing board of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
Addressing media at the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW) late on Monday, Al Hameli said he hoped the UAE’s achievements at various Special Olympics in the past few years would stand him in good stead.
Al Hameli currently serves on the Special Olympics Board as representative for the Middle East and North Africa region’s International Advisory Committee. He also serves on the boards of the UAE Federal National Council, the Sub-Committee of the Executive Committee of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and is the Chair of the UAE Paralympics and one of two Vice Presidents of the UAE National Olympics Committee (UAE NOC).
The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the IPC, which meets every two years. It last met in December 2011 in Beijing, China, and the last elections took place in 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The 2013 IPC General Assembly and Conference will take place from November 22 to 24 at the Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel in Athens, Greece.
Up for grabs in the November 24 elections for the IPC Governing Board will be the positions of President, Vice President and 10 members at large. Al Hameli is aiming for one of the latter posts.
Ebrahim Abdul Malik, Secretary-General of the GAYSW, backed Al Hameli and hoped the official would boost his candidature over the next few weeks. “Several special athletes have done the UAE proud with their performances at the regional and international level and I hope that Al Hameli’s election will further boost sports in the UAE,” Abdul Malik said.
So far 31 nominations for 28 candidates — two each for President and Vice President — and 27 for member at large positions have been accepted for the November 24 elections. Sir Philip Craven and Alan Dickson, both from Great Britain, are in the running for President, while Ann Cody of the US will be up against Brazilian Andrew Parsons for the Vice President’s position.
On November 22, each of the contesting candidates will have the opportunity to make a presentation to the IPC membership at the conference.
