Sharjah to host 6th School Olympiad in different venues

As many as 2,664 talented students will participate in the 6th School Olympiad which is hosted by Sharjah in six venues. The eight-day event, which kick-starts on Wednesday, includes 7 individual games: bow and arrow, badminton, fencing, judo, swimming, athletics and taekwondo.

Dawood Al Hajri, Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee, Head of the Executive Office of the School Olympiad, said, “The sixth School Olympiad will witness a major change after President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a Decree that allows children of Emirati women married to expatriates in all tournaments in the country. This Decree reflects the keenness of the UAE leadership to promote sports, support talents and spur Emirati talents to aim for loftier goals.

“Targeting the talents of School Olympic Games is one of the most important national initiatives to discover outstanding players whose natural abilities will be polished so that they achieve the best possible results. This drive also echoes the vision of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the National Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the School Olympiad, which highlights the importance of honing youngsters’ skills to serve the interests of the UAE sport,” added Al Hajri.

Ahmed Abdul Rahman, Head of the Physical Fitness Department at the Ministry of Education, said, “The qualifying stage showed talented students who combated students in the Indian School and other private schools of different nationalities. Such productive friction is key to reexamining what it is done and turning it into a better one. This reflects the keen interest of all concerned parties including the National Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Education and other strategic partners to provide all means for the success of this project.”