Fares Al-Mutawa Elected as Chairman of the Athletes Committee and its representative in the membership of the Olympic Board of Directors
· Rashid bin Humaid: We are pleased with the enthusiasm of the members of the Athletes Committee and their eagerness to take the initiative to present such innovative ideas.
· Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi: We appreciate the prominent role of the Athletes Committee in the National Olympic Movement.
· Fares Al-Mutawa: Teamwork and consultation among members are the most important factors upon which the Athletes Committee relies.
· 3 members elected to represent the Athletes Committee in the General Assembly of the Olympic Committee.
Supported by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and President of the National Olympic Committee, Fares Mohammed Al Mutawa was announced as elected Chairman of the Athletes Committee and its representative in the membership of the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee, following his being re-elected by his colleagues to represent the Athletes Committee in the seat of membership of the Olympic Committee, in addition to electing Youssef Mirza Al-Hammadi, Youssef Al-Matroushi, and Safia Al-Sayegh as members in the General Assembly of the Olympic Committee, according to the Olympic Committee's Articles of Association.
The Athletes Committee in the National Olympic Committee consists of Fares Muhammad Al-Mutawa as Chairman, Youssef Mirza Al-Hammadi as Vice-Chairman, in addition to the members: Abdullah Al-Marri, Omar Al-Marzouqi, Saif bin Fetais, Muhammad Al-Nakhi, Muhammad Al-Nubi Al-Hammadi, Youssef Al-Matroushi, Aisha Al Ali, Safia Al-Sayegh, and Saud Al-Zaabi.
Article (40D) in the Articles of Association of the National Olympic Committee stipulates that one member of the Athletes Committee shall be representative in the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee after being elected by his colleagues in the Committee; and he shall have the right to vote in the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee. Also, Article (18A3) of the same Articles of Association stipulates that the Athletes Committee shall be represented in the General Assembly of the National Olympic Committee by 3 of its members (at least a man and a woman) after being elected by the Athletes Committee as well; provided that at least two of them have participated in any of the last three Olympic Games and they shall have the right to vote in the General Assembly of the Olympic Committee.
Both Vice-Chairmen of the National Olympic Committee, Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, and His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, met with the Athletes Committee yesterday morning, using visual communication technology, after the election of a member of the Board of Directors and the three members of the General Assembly having been elected by the Athletes Committee. The purpose of the meeting was to finalize the electoral procedures for seats for all members. The Electoral Commission has recently announced the final list of candidates to run in the elections scheduled for the 22nd of this month, with a total of 17 candidates. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was announced elected as the president of the committee, in addition to 10 candidates for the seats of the Olympic federations 9 of whom will be elected. The women’s seat included 3 candidates out of whom one candidate shall be elected, in addition to the non-Olympic sports federations' seat and the four candidates nominated by the Chairman of the Olympic Committee.
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi stressed the importance of the role played by the Athletes Committee in the Olympic movement: vocalizing the challenges faced by their athletes peers and communicating their voices, opinions, and proposals into the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee and its General Assembly, in a manner ensuring the continuous communication with them and their participation in all decisions. This is in addition to realizing the goals of the Athletes Committee: representing the rights and interests of athletes, making relevant recommendations, and diligently participating in initiatives and projects that protect and support the committed playing and non-playing athletes.
Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi praised the enthusiasm of all members of the Athletes Committee of the National Olympic Committee and their keenness to take the initiative to provide practical solutions based on their experiences at the level of various participations in the name of the UAE, in addition to emphasizing the need for contacting and playing with Olympic and international champions in all sports, as this will have a great impact improving the UAE sports, and ensuring a better future for the national Olympic movement.
During the meeting, his Excellency Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi stressed the need to invest in the opportunity of the presence of the Athletes Committee after its formation and the election of its representatives in the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee and the Committee’s General Assembly, in order to achieve more successes and to adopt more creative ideas and visions to enhance the Olympic sports at all levels. His Excellency also stressed the confidence of the National Olympic Committee, presided by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in the committee, and His Highness' instruction to providing all means to carry out its tasks in the best possible manner.
His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi praised the keenness of the candidates to finalize all matters related to the membership application to the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee. The electoral committee supervising the elections confirmed the validity of the candidacy applications for all those who applied for membership in the various specific categories, appreciating the role of the Athletes Committee in making this progress in the electoral process that will close in the elections within the work of the Committee's General Assembly on August 22.
Mr. Fares Muhammad Al-Mutawa appreciated the Athletes Committee members' confidence for having been elected as the Chairman of the Committee to represent the Committee in the membership of the Board of Directors of the Olympic Committee. He also highlighted that the teamwork and consultation among all members are the most important factors upon which the Committee relies during the next stage, with access to best practices and experiences on an ongoing basis, in addition to implementing the processes going in line with the committee's work strategy and objectives.
Al-Mutawa stated that the Athletes Committee is one of the most important sports committees, and it receives full support and attention from all international sports institutions, agencies and bodies, given that it is the link between athletes and the National Olympic Committees on the world level and the Athletes Committee of the International Olympic Committee and the Athletes Committee of the Olympic Council of Asia.
The Athletes Committee aims to consider issues related to athletes, provide opinion to the National Olympic Committee of the United Arab Emirates, and work with the competent administrative bodies of the National Olympic Committee in the United Arab Emirates to adopt the Declaration of the Rights and Responsibilities of Athletes, which was presented and adopted at the 133rd session of the International Olympic Committee in Buenos Aires in October 2018 on behalf of the Olympic Movement, and to incorporate it into the policies and procedures of the United Arab Emirates National Olympic Committee. In particular, the Committee will work with the United Arab Emirates National Olympic Committee to develop effective compensation mechanisms related to these rights and responsibilities, and to encourage athletes to apply these mechanisms, and keep in touch with the IOC Athletes Committee and the Olympic Council of Asian Athletes Committee.