His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and President of the National Olympic Committee and the "Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sports Creativity Award," honored the winners in various categories of the twelfth cycle of the award from local, Arab, and international sports leaders, athletes, coaches, referees, and officials from various sectors of sports work in the UAE, the Arab region, and the world. This took place during a grand ceremony organized by the "Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sports Creativity Award" today (Wednesday) at the Arena Hall in Madinat Jumeirah, attended by His Highness Sheikh Hashr bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Tennis Federation. Among those participating in the honoring were His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the "Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sports Creativity Award," and Moza Al Marri, Secretary-General of the Award. The ceremony was also attended by Sheikh Abdullah Al Sharqi, President of the UAE Bodybuilding Federation, members of the Board of Trustees of the Award, and several heads of national, Arab, and international sports federations and clubs, as well as officials from the sports sector.
The ceremony included a film showcasing the twelfth cycle of the award, featuring significant statistics showing that this cycle had the largest number of nominees, totaling 545, and 30 winners across various categories and a diversity of sports, including the addition of a new category for Arab youth. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the award for the category of "Athlete Achieving High-Level Achievement," which was won by Khabib Nurmagomedov from Russia for his numerous achievements, including winning the World Championship. Nurmagomedov holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak in mixed martial arts at 29 matches and is the first Muslim Russian to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship title.
He also honored His Highness Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, who won the "Emirati Sports Personality" award and received it on his behalf from Sheikh Hamid bin Ammar Al Nuaimi. Sheikh Ammar won the award in recognition of his substantial support for the development of sports in Ajman and throughout the UAE. He launched the Ajman Equestrian Center, one of the most important stables in the world, which has won numerous titles in international horse beauty championships.
Additionally, he honored the winner of the "Global Sports Personality" award, Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, for his significant efforts in advancing football globally, expanding participation, hosting various tournaments, and implementing governance principles and modern technologies in the management of the game and officiating matches. His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum honored the winners from athletes, teams, and institutions in other categories of the award, including His Excellency Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah from Kuwait, who received the award for "Arab Sports Personality" for his extensive sports career in Kuwait and the Arab region.
The Dubai Racing Club won the award for "Emirati Institution," received by Sheikh Rashid bin Dalmouk bin Juma Al Maktoum, head of the Dubai Racing Club, for maintaining sustainability and leading the organization of 27 editions of the Dubai World Cup, becoming a model for organizing speed racing and a reference for learning from the accumulated experiences of many countries, including Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Mongolia. He also honored FIBA for winning the "Global Institution" award, which was received by His Excellency Sheikh Saud bin Ali Al Thani from Qatar. The award was given to FIBA for launching the Youth Leadership project linked to the 2023 Basketball World Cup, aimed at empowering youth and utilizing basketball as an effective means for positive community change.
His Highness also recognized the winners in the "Emirati Junior Athlete" category, where six junior athletes from the UAE across various sports were honored based on the results of referees' evaluations and public voting via the award's website and application, totaling 19,934 votes. The winners were:
1. Sultan Saleh Mohammed, UAE national team and Al Dhaid club player, gold medalist in the 2021 Asian Championship in 10-meter air rifle.
2. Ahmad Khaled Al-Abdooli, UAE taekwondo national team player, gold medalist in the 2023 International Macedonia Taekwondo Championship.
3. Mira Abdullah Al-Shahi, UAE swimming national team player, silver medalist in the 200 meters and bronze in the 50 meters butterfly at the 2022 Arab Water Sports Championship.
4. Zamzam Mohammed Al-Hammadi, UAE jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts national team player, gold medalist in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship for juniors and youth in 2021 and 2023, and gold medalist in the 2023 World Mixed Martial Arts Championship for youth.
5. Al-Hayam Saif Al-Balooshi, UAE fencing national team player, gold medalist in the 2022 West Asia Fencing Championship.
6. Said Mahmoud Al-Awadi from the UAE Marine Sports Federation, gold medalist in the final rankings of the World Jet Ski Series for the Ski Stock category, topping the international ranking in his category in 2022.
He also acknowledged winners in the newly added "Arab Youth" category, emphasizing the importance of youth and talent in developing sports and crafting a better future. The rankings were determined based on referees' evaluations and public voting, with a total of 40,566 votes. The winners were:
1. Hana Ayman Jooda from Egypt, gold medalist at the World Table Tennis Championship for youth in the mixed category in 2022 and gold and silver medalist at the 2021 youth world championships, ranked No. 2 worldwide under 17.
2. Abdul Aziz Saif Al-Saif from Saudi Arabia, silver medalist at the 2022 World Karate Championship for youth and juniors.
3. Nour Sahnoun from Tunisia, gold medalist at the 2023 African Championship in under 14 singles and doubles tennis, ranked No. 1 in Africa under 14.
4. Abdel Rahim Mujahid from Algeria, gold medalist at the 2023 African Judo Championship for juniors.
5. Malaak Al-Alami from Morocco, gold medalist at the African Championship in under 16 tennis in Tunisia in 2022.
6. Ahmed Ibrahim Sham'a from Syria, bronze medalist at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championship for youth.
His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recognized the winner in the "Emirati Athlete" category, awarded to:
- Salem Hamad Malhoof Al-Ketbi, for winning gold and silver at the World Endurance Championship in 2021 and 2022.
- Khaled Mohammed Al-Shahi, for winning gold medals at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship for adults in 2022 and 2023, along with three gold medals at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship for youth, ranked No. 1 worldwide in the 62 kg category.
In the "Emirati Administrative" category, the award went to His Excellency Abdul Mun'em Al-Hashimi, President of the UAE and Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federations, and First Vice President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, who was represented by Mohammed Salem Al-Dhaheri, Vice President of the Federation. In the "Emirati Team" category, the UAE Show Jumping Team received the award, accepted by His Excellency Lieutenant General Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi, President of the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, and team members: Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mari, Abdullah Hamid Al-Muhairi, for their qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympics, winning bronze at the 2023 Asian Games, and for their titles at the international equestrian competitions in the Netherlands and Belgium.
He also honored the winners in the "Arab Athlete" category, awarded to:
- Moroccan Khadija Maradi, for winning gold at the 2023 World Boxing Championship and gold at the 2022 African Championship, ranked No. 1 worldwide in the 81+ kg category.
- Tunisian Ghufran Bilkhir, for winning two gold medals at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships and gold at the 2022 African Championship.
In the "Arab Referee" category, the award went to Moroccan Bushra Karaboub, for being the first Arab female referee to officiate matches in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup finals, as well as being part of the officiating team for the 2021 men's Africa Cup final and officiating the final of the Moroccan Throne Cup for men in 2023.
In the "Sustainable Sports Achievements" category, the award went to Moroccan Soufiane El-Bakkali for his consistent achievements in the 3000 meters steeplechase, having won gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, and being ranked No. 1 worldwide in the event.
He awarded the winner in the "Athlete Achieving Achievement in Difficult Circumstances - Special Needs Category," Algerian Nasima Safi, for winning gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships for persons with disabilities, bringing her total to 4 Olympic medals and 8 world medals. The winner of the "Arab Team" category was the Moroccan national football team, accepted by Mr. Tarek Najm, Secretary-General of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, recognized for being the first Arab and African team to achieve historic results during the World Cup, becoming the first Arab and African team to reach the World Cup semifinals, the first Arab team to top its group in the World Cup twice, and the team with the most goals in World Cup history, totaling 19 goals.
His Highness also honored the winner in the "Arab Administrator" category, His Excellency Mohammed Hassan Al-Shammari from Iraq, as he was the first Iraqi, Arab, and Asian to win the presidency of the International Weightlifting Federation.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, His Excellency Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, delivered a speech on behalf of the honorees, expressing gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the State, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, for his efforts in developing the sports sector regionally and internationally, appreciating the efforts of those behind the award, which has become a global platform for recognizing sports creativity.
**Sponsors and Partners of the Award**
Before the ceremony, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai, President of the National Olympic Committee, and President of the "Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sports Creativity Award," along with His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Sports Council, met with the sponsors and partners of the twelfth cycle of the award, including Sheikh Ahmed Al-Mulla, Senior Vice President for International Affairs at Emirates Airlines, His Excellency Saeed Al-Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Issam Kuladari, Board Member and Managing Director at Nakheel, and several other officials from various entities.
