New annual award will honour individuals and institutions for their humanitarian work in the sports sector

Dubai, UAE, December 18, 2018:   In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Sports Council, in collaboration with Watani Al Emarat Foundation, have launched the annual Sports Fingerprint (Limitless Abilities) Award which will honour individuals and institutions who spread positive values in society and contribute towards the nation and community through their humanitarian work and initiatives in the sports sector.

The winners of the award will be honoured every year during the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, in the framework of Watani Al Emarat’s “Humanitarian Work Awards”, which have been launched this year under the slogan “That’s What Zayed Used to Love”. The Awards will coincide with the Emirati Humanitarian Day, which is commemorated annually on the 19th day of the Holy Month of Ramadan to mark the anniversary of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s passing away.

The announcement came at Tuesday’s press conference, which was held at Dubai Sports Council with H.E. Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, and H.E. Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi, Director General of the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, in attendance.

“Sport in the UAE enjoys the unlimited support of our generous leadership, who wish to see sport become a source of happiness and positivity in the country and the community embrace a physically active lifestyle,” said HE Saeed Hareb.

“We feel honoured to be working together with entities like Watani Al Emarat to implement this vision of our leadership and achieve their noble goals of promoting sport and spreading happiness to all sections of our society.

“With the generous guidance and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Sports Council organises the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, the largest community sports event, every year and we are pleased to launch the Sports Fingerprint (Limitless Abilities) Award category under the Watani Al Emarat’s Humanitarian Work Awards.

“This cooperation between Dubai Sports Council and Watani Al Emarat will unite our efforts and increase our potential to serve the nation and enhance its achievements.”

H.E. Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi added: “As a person who has played and loves sports, and as Director General of the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, I am really pleased to be working with Dubai Sports Council on this very important national project.

“The purpose of including the Sports Fingerprint Award in our Humanitarian Work Awards is to promote community service among the sports sector, as well as to promote positive values in the community through the promotion of the culture of work. 

“The award also wants to serve as a motivation for individuals, institutions and organisations from the sports sector to become role models in the field of community work, in line with UAE’s strategy and Vision 2071.”

The aim of the Award is to promote positive values in the UAE by spreading the culture of humanitarian work, and motivate individuals and institutions in the sports sector to serve as role models in the sphere of giving. The Award also seeks to support the strategy of the UAE and “Vision UAE 2071”, which espouses the core values of tolerance, cohesion and respect.

The award has been launched under the slogan, “Responsibility for Humanitarian Action in the Sports Sector”, and the nominees could be involved in different voluntary activities that seek to achieve humanitarian, economic and social objectives, or create a positive impact on the sporting sector.

To be eligible for the Award, individuals and institutions will have to submit papers highlighting the tangible benefits of their work to the nation and society, and make a case for the conformity of their efforts with both the criterion of the Awards and the strategy of the UAE. The work should be documented, implemented or applied during the candidacy period, and it should be consistent with human values and ethics, and contribute to the enrichment of the sports sector.