Rallying legend applauds appointment of new NOC President
Mohammed Ben Sulayem believes Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum can help deliver a golden era for sport in the UAE in his new role as President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC).
Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, has sent his personal congratulations and best wishes to Sheikh Rashid, and says his election by the NOC can help create a new generation of Emirati sporting champions.
"It is vital that we do more to build our own champions and sporting heroes from the youth of the UAE, and Sheikh Rashid will put a great deal of passion and commitment into his new role to make sure we achieve this," said Sulayem.
"He is fully committed to making sure that young Emiratis are given every assistance and encouragement to make the most of their talents, and find success and honour for themselves, and their country, in the Olympics, and across the international sporting stage."
Sulayem said recently that the arrival of World Championship Formula One racing in Abu Dhabi next year can help usher in a new golden era for motor sport, and sport as a whole, in the UAE.
He says promoters are queueing up to bring a range of top events to the UAE which can become one of the world’s major sporting venues over the next five to ten years. And he wants an official ranking system to be introduced to ensure events are run to the highest standards, and to identify those that warrant government support.
"This would encourage organisers to set their standards higher, because only the best, and those giving back something to the country, would qualify for government backing," he said.
"The UAE is well established as the sporting capital of the Middle East, and for many years has been building its reputation on the international stage of sport," added the 14-times FIA Middle East rally champion. "But we are now entering a new era, and we have a great opportunity to establish the country as one of the leading sports venues in the world.
"The Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi will be an event the whole of the UAE can be proud of. It’s creating a huge amount of excitement, putting the UAE on the map in a way we’ve never seen before, and it will lead to a lot more sporting activity here.
"Proposals are already raining in from promoters who want to bring their events and championships here, and Formula One in Abu Dhabi will create even more interest. We just need a one or two-year settling in period for the event, and then a lot more will follow."
The UAE’s motor sport calendar has grown dramatically since Sulayem took charge of the ATCUAE - formed in 1965 - two-and-a half years ago. He was asked by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to shape the future of Emirates motor sport.
One of the main aims was to keep racing off the streets, and ensure the youth of the UAE were encouraged to indulge their passion for motor sport in a safe, properly controlled environment. At the time, only 90 competitors in the UAE had official licenses to compete in motor sport – most of them in rallying – and there were less than 20 official events per year.
Today, the ATCUAE has more than 1200 licensed competitors and oversees a calendar of 140 events as the sole official representative in the UAE of the FIA, the world governing body of motor sport, and its motor bike and classic car counterparts, the FIM and FIVA.
- Tony Lewis, Total Communications Dubai - also photo
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