Emirati showjumper Abdullah Al Marri said the UAE's equestrian team will learn from their experiences at the Paris Games and use the lessons to help them qualify for Los Angeles 2028.
Al Marri was part of a 14-strong UAE contingent at the Paris Olympics alongside fellow equestrian teammates Omar Al Marzooqi, Ali Al Karbi and Salem Ahmed Al Suwaidi, cyclist Safia Al Sayegh, 100m sprinter Maryam Al Farsi, and swimmers Yousuf Al Matrooshi and Maha Al Shehhi.
The UAE also sent six judokas to France: Bishreltiin Khorloodoi, Narmandakh Bayanmunkh, Nugzari Tatalashvili, Aram Grigorian, Dzhafar Kostoev, and Magomedomar Magomedomarov.
While the UAE didn't feature among the medals, there were a few highlights to savour, including 21-year-old Al Marzooqi reaching the individual showjumping final, Al Matrooshi setting a personal best and placing second in his heat in the 100m freestyle, and Al Sayegh becoming the first Emirati woman to compete in an Olympic road race. In judo, Grigorian reached the repechage round and was one win away from challenging for a bronze medal.
“For us, Paris was alien territory, and it’s an event that happens once every four years. So, the exposure was very important to understand the level of the competition and live it,” Al Marri told The National.
“We will analyse everything after the conclusion of the Games. We are working on things even while we speak. There are a lot of lessons learned and, hopefully, it will only make us better going forward.
“The experience in Paris was great, and for sure we will set new goals. First is the World Cup final in Basel in April 2025. So, we will set a plan for qualification as soon as possible with the horses we currently have.”
Paris 2024 was the first time that the UAE equestrian team had qualified for the Olympics since Beijing in 2008, although their campaign ended in the first round. There was personal frustration in the individual event for Al Marri, who was forced to retire during the qualifier, while Al Suwaidi finished outside the top 30 to miss the final.
However, Al Marzooqi represented the UAE in the individual final and placed a creditable 19th out of 30 on his Olympics debut.
“Omar’s performance was exceptional, first being the youngest competitor, plus having to do such a performance at this stage will only boost his confidence to the roof,” Al Marri said.
“For us as a small nation in such a sport that’s been dominated by Europe and the USA, it’s a leap forward for all of us. It’s the first time any of us reached an individual final, that’s including the World Cup and the World Equestrian Games, so it’s a huge achievement for the UAE.”
Nasser Al Tamimi, general secretary of the UAE Wrestling and Judo Federation, said they achieved the main objective of getting six judokas qualified for the Olympics but admitted they fell short in hopes of securing a medal.
“It was the first Olympics for all of them,” Al Tamimi said. “We were hopeful of a medal or two after having six of them qualified for Paris, but unfortunately we fell short of that goal.
“However, we are satisfied with our programme and they will follow the same pathway to qualify for LA and achieve better results, hopefully. It will be the same schedule for them again, participating in the IJF competitions throughout the year.”
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Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
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Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
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Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
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Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
