Nahyan and Omar win Creative Sports Awards
dubai — Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Tolerance, has been named the UAE Sports Personality of the Year at the 9th edition of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, while Princess Rima bint Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has picked up the corresponding award for Arab Sports Personality.
The winners were announced on Monday afternoon at the Palazzo Versace Hotel by Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, which is one of the entities under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.
Moaza Al Marri, Secretary General of the Award, Mustapha Larfaoui, Member of the Award’s Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Jury Committee, were also present on the occasion.
Sheikh Nahyan was bestowed the honour for his contributions as Chairman of the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare, while Princess Rima – Deputy President of the Sports Authority for Planning & Development and the first female to head a Saudi Sports Federation, has picked up the award for her contributions in founding and regulating women’s sport in Saudi Arabia by introducing sports among girls at public schools.
Omar Abdulrahman, the UAE and Al Ain football superstar who was named AFC Player of the Year for 2016, has picked up the UAE Outstanding Athlete Award.
The 9th Edition of the Awards considered the sporting achievements of individuals, teams and organisations during the period September 20, 2016 to August 31, 2017 and all the winners will be honoured on January 10, 2018.
Al Tayer, who is also Vice Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, said: “On behalf of the Board of Trustees for Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award and the sports sector, I would like to thank Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE National Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Award, for their guidance and unlimited support, which has strengthened the status of this prestigious award and put it at the forefront of international awards, honouring innovation and creativity in the world of sports.”