UAE Archery teams ready for first world championships

UAE representatives have arrived in Copenhagen for what will be their first at a world championship, while the permanent membership of this young archery federation will be voted at the World Archery Congress held on 24/25 July.

The nation's disabled archery team also is preparing for the World Archery Para Championships that will be held in Germany from 23-30 August. Preparation for both disciplines has gone through the second UAE Open Archery Championship held in June in cooperation with Al Thigah Club for Handicapped with the participation of 78 archers.

A few days later, 86 archers from 18 nationalities took part in the third Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament – which included an archery competition for the first time beside seven other sports. The event was honoured with the presence of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, who has shown great interest in archery as an heritage sport.

UAE Archery has also been holding more development activities, such as a training camp for talented school students who had high rankings in the last School Olympics Archery competition in May. This camp will be conducted on 1-20 August 2015 as part of a project of the National Olympic Committee called “The Olympic Dream” aiming at preparing young athletes to qualify for Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

In February 2016, the country will host the third Arab Women Sports Tournament where archery is one of the competing sports, and in September 2016, the first round of the Gulf Cooperation Council Youth Games, which includes 12 sports.

Archery development activities in the United Arab Emirates are the outcomes of the cooperation between UAE Archery Association and the National Olympic Committee, General Authority of Youth & Sports Welfare, Ministry of Education, UAE Disabled Sports Federation, local clubs, and all international and local sponsors.