National Olympic Committee meets in Dubai

National Olympic Committee meets in Dubai DUBAI, 31st January, 2018 (WAM) -- The Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee, NOC, held a meeting on Wednesday for the Olympic quadrennial (2017-2020) under the chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the NOC, in Dubai.

The meeting aimed to form the Board of Directors, assign the administrative posts, and set up the Executive Office for the current Olympic period. The members also reviewed a series of games and sports events at various levels.

The meeting saw Humaid Mohammed Al Qattami being named the 1st Vice President of the NOC, Mohammed Ibrahim Al Mahmoud the 2nd Vice President, and Dawood Al Hajri the Secretary-General. It also endorsed the three sports councils in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah as members of the NOC.

Sheikh Ahmed opened the meeting in the presence of Major General Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, Chairman of the General Sports Authority, board members of the NOC, and several representatives of sports bodies.

Welcoming the attendees, Sheikh Ahmed said, "This exceptional year, which bears the name of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is the best motivation for the nation. The Year of Zayed is also a great driver for searching all avenues that contribute to the betterment and prosperity of the UAE in all international and continental events.'' "The UAE sports and Olympic movement is witnessing substantial improvement thanks to our leadership that had set up a communication channel with the sportsmen and women through relentless support, attention and follow-up. Such elements were the cornerstone of the excellence drive and paved the way for making achievements and successes that raised the profile and flag of the nation in mega-events."

Sheikh Ahmed congratulated the sports family of people of determination following the resolution of the Asian Paralympic Committee to relocate its office from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Dubai. This, in turn, elevates the image of the nation in the sports of people of determination at the continental and global levels.

Attendees reviewed the report of the 5th School Olympics concluded by the Week of Sports Excellence (2016-2017) last April. They also reviewed the second edition of the National Sports Day Report in which the NOC sought to communicate with various categories including resident communities.

Attendees also discussed the sports events to be held this year including the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia (18th August – 2nd September), the 3rd Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina (6th – 18th October) in which 3,998 athletes from 206 nations compete in 32 sports.

The meeting concluded by calling for a meeting of the GA of the NOC to endorse the programme of participation for the Olympic period 2017-2020 as well as the endorsement of the financial report and closing of accounts.