The General Authority of Sports (GAS) in the UAE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Spain’s Ministry of Culture and Sport at the Authority’s Dubai headquarters, in line with its strategy for developing the UAE sports sector along three elements: governance, partnership, and accomplishments.
The MoU is part of the Authority’s efforts to develop the sports ecosystem, enhance the sector’s contribution to the UAE’s sustainable development plans, and strengthen collaboration with international partners. It was signed by Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), President of the General Authority of Sports, and Miguel Esita, Minister of Culture and Sport of Spain.
Signing the agreement reaffirms both parties’ commitment to building a network of collaborative relationships in the sports sector, and to adhering to key sports principles outlined in the Olympic Charter, such as working to build a better, safer world; educating the youth through sports, which are practiced with no discrimination of any kind; and building mutual understanding by promoting true athletic values of friendship, solidarity, and fair play.
The MoU establishes a framework for the signatories to initiate cooperation as per their respective competencies, promoting, as a priority, the exchange of knowledge in institutional cooperation; science and technology applied to sport; sports medicine; the fight against doping; the fight against harassment and discrimination in sport; sport and inclusion; sports sponsorship and patronage; organising sports events; the training of sports specialists and managers; programmes to support and promote sports for People of Determination (disabled people); protection of young athletes; women and sports; sports for all; and sports facilities and centres.
Dr Ahmad Al Falasi said: “The new agreement with Spain’s Ministry of Culture and Sport is a significant step forward for us given that it resonates with our vision and calculated actions to explore opportunities for advancing the sports sector and developing the athletic ecosystem in the UAE along three key elements: governance, partnership, and accomplishments.”
“The sports sector is an indicator of countries’ advancement and civility; it reflects governments’ commitment to investing in young talents and empowering them to play a part in promoting their countries on the world stage and in international competitions,” he added. “The UAE makes the development of national athletic talents a top priority; we have set clear plans in that regard and we are fully aware that nurturing talent must be complemented with a comprehensive development of all administrative, training, and medical aspects in the sector.”
“We must also build a more inclusive environment for People of Determination and women, in addition to developing the necessary infrastructure. All of this is part of our 10-year plan for the future and in line with the leadership’s directives and vision for the next 50 years,” Al Falasi noted.
For his part, Miguel Esita said: “With this Memorandum of Understanding, Spain and the UAE will enhance their collaboration in the sports sector – an area where Spain has had extensive experience and a long history. We also have a vested interest in supporting the UAE sports sector in various aspects, such as sports medicine, leadership, talents, science and research in sports, and anti-doping policies. We have no shortage of world-renowned institutions and professionals to make this mission a reality.”
The MoU outlined a scope of cooperation for the two parties, covering the following areas: exchange points of view through consultations on topics of mutual interest; exchange of information on experiences in sports equipment, planning, and construction of sports facilities; exchange information, reports, and other publications, related to sports and topics of mutual interest; exchange information on seminars, conferences, and other meetings that may take place; exchange knowledge in the field of sports planning, i.e., sports legislation, sports medicine, doping control, and so on; support activities related to ‘Sports for All’; support the exchange of activities between the different national sports federations; and collaborate on any other sports-related activity that is of interest to both countries.
The agreement sets the stage for the two signatories to develop various forms of sports cooperation, namely, the exchange of specialists, technicians, and experts, for mutual training purposes and to facilitate sharing experiences; participation in courses, seminars, symposiums, and conferences organised in each country in fields of mutual interest; collaboration on training technical, professional, and administrative staff; participation of sports delegations from each country in competitions and training activities in Spain and the United Arab Emirates, respectively.
Source: Emirates News Agency