General Authority of Sports launches Specialized Diploma Programs to foster sports sector and leadership among athletic

UAE, September 28, 2022- The UAE Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine Center has launched two new diploma programs, ‘Comprehensive Sports Training Program’ and the ‘Future Sports Management Program’, to foster and empower the sports sector by nurturing athletes in technical and administrative fields. The announcement was made at a press conference held at the General Authority of Sports (GAS), which was attended by H.E Saeed Abdul Ghaffar, Secretary-General of the General Authority for Sports, as well as administrative officials from the Authority, the National Olympic Academy, and the UAE Center for Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine.

The revelation came in accordance with the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) among GAS, the National Olympic Academy, and the UAE Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine Center. The agreement aims to promote collaboration in advancing the administrative work while boosting the sports industry. This collaboration has been further enhanced by launching the Future Sports Management Program, besides developing the technical capacities of sports cadres through the Comprehensive Sports Training Program. The General Authority of Sports will further offer accredited vocational diploma certificates in sports sciences for the two programs’ graduates.

H.E Saeed Abdul Ghaffar said: “Launching the new two programs demonstrates the commitment of the Authority and its partners to make available the best means for the sports sector's development, in accordance with governmental directives and the Sports Sector Strategy 2032, which aims to promote the sector's governance and create a new generation of athletic leaders. We also look forward to keeping pace with the technological and scientific development of the UAE in various fields, and preparing new cadres capable of making a qualitative leap in the sports sector.”

Mohammed bin Darwish, Executive Director of the National Olympic Committee, said: “The Academy is eager to strengthen ties with other institutions in the sports industry in order to give sports cadres the greatest technical and managerial training possible. These initiatives are the first of their kind in the UAE, and we are eager to see how they prepare individuals for the future by incorporating the best international practices and studies.”

Asserting that these new diplomas are in line with the governmental trends, Abdulla Meyiwa, Head of the interim management committee of the UAE Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine Center, said that the Authority intends to train and empower sports carders academically and administratively to utilize their capacities in shaping a new future of the sports sector. 

Emphasizing on the significance of the new programs, Omar Abdulrahman Al Ali, Director of Leaders Qualification Centre, said: “The Leaders Qualification Centre has been created based on the new structure of the General Authority of Sports, to create a new generation of athletic leaders. The collaboration with our partners is an opportunity to achieve our objectives, which are in line with governmental initiatives and the Authority's system. This engagement promotes governance by empowering administrative cadres and growing investment in the human sector.”

The Comprehensive Sports Training Program offers a comprehensive academic program for sports training at various levels, with a focus on empowering students and alumni of sports institutions, technical cadres of federations and sports clubs, physical education teachers in schools, college sports supervisors, as well as those interested in sports fields. These levels are associated with producing talents and champions, with the ability to organize sports training, and with the investigation of physical activity for hardworking individuals. It further addresses other aspects related to physical fitness and the study of the impact of climate change on training methods, injuries, and recovery processes.

This program, according to Dr. Reesan Khalifa, member of the scientific committee in the UAE Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine Center, is just the beginning of a series of more advanced sports initiatives that will be introduced in the future years.

He added: “Using the most recent comprehensive and contemporary academic programs that keep up with the international development of the sports sector, the Comprehensive Sports Training Program addresses general training theories and gives participants the necessary sports culture to work within the sports sector.”

As for the Future Sports Management Program, it targets building new administrative leaderships by attracting university graduates in the UAE and those interested in sports at the national and international levels. It further aims at empowering the sports sector cadres including employees and members of the sports councils.

Dr. Mohammed Fadil Allah, Counselor of the National Olympic Academy committee and a member of the scientific committee in the UAE Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine Center, addressing the conference said: “We look forward to achieving leadership in the Future Sports Management Program. This program relies on preparing students for the future by emphasizing research on ways to advance digital administration and utilize AI in administration, as well as developing new structures and strategies based on these systems. We must keep up with the ongoing rise of digital development in the sports industry by planning for the future and raising up new generations that can ensure the sector's sustainability.”

During the conference, Dr. Ahmed Al Amri, head of the specialized training and a member of the scientific committee in the UAE Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine Center, explained the Center’s vision, which has been recently re-launched by the Authority. He noted the Center's commitment to creating a dynamic generation of leaders that will take over key sports institutions at the national and international levels. Additionally, he emphasized that the Center provides consultation, carries out research and scientific studies pertaining to various sport sciences, and aids in the implementation of the Authority's policy and strategy with regard to the development of sport leaderships in the United Arab Emirates and raising their technical and scientific proficiency in their respective fields.

The UAE Center for Sports Sciences and Sports Medicine is keen to offer specialized scientific programs that would contribute to enhancing the sports sector in the country, in partnership with the General Authority of Sports, the National Olympic Academy, and various sports institutions. The diploma programs are the center’s first initiatives, which also includes constructing a new building to offer sports medicine services to all sports entities.

-End