Dubai: The Dubai Sports Sector Strategic Plan 2033, recently launched by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, has established an integrated system for creating future champions. This system includes a comprehensive package of initiatives to develop talented athletes and cultivate national technical staff within a professional environment operating according to the highest standards.

The plan has paid strategic attention to sporting talent by expanding talent identification channels, developing academic programmes, supporting athletes’ journeys to peak performance and building a qualified workforce, thus reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global hub for professional athletes.

The plan aims to ensure that 100 per cent of coaches and sports academies in Dubai are qualified according to the highest international standards, creating a new generation of athletes capable of competing globally through a more robust and effective training and competitive system.

Thus, the scope of specialised academies will be expanded, new sports classes and schools will be launched, and specialised sports programmes for talented individuals will be enhanced in collaboration with various national institutions. Support will also be provided to talented athletes across different sports, contributing to the development of a generation capable of competing at the international level.

Continuous development and support

The plan also involves supporting more than 1,400 talented athletes through a clear development path that encompasses continuous training, incentives, expanding the scope of specialised academies and fostering competition among them and increasing the quantity and quality of training sessions annually.

The plan also focuses on enabling athletes to balance their academic and athletic pursuits through a dual-track programme, along with the launch of a new sports talent academy. This will allow for the discovery and development of a wide range of local talent, transforming Dubai into a global platform for launching new champions across various sports.

Comprehensive framework for talent development

The plan also aims to empower and support talent as a key pillar of Dubai’s sports vision. Initiatives include establishing a unified framework for sports academies with clear standards, tiered classifications and precise operational guidelines. Additionally, it involves developing an integrated system for accrediting and regulating professional athletes according to the highest international quality standards, ensuring the continuous development of talent.

This system relies on enhancing training opportunities and competitive pathways from the grassroots level to the national level, while providing additional opportunities for interaction and competition through organised academy leagues in various sports.

School Games: A platform to discover champions

This season, the School Games programme will be expanded to include 26 different sports, along with the addition of four new sporting disciplines such as judo, jiu-jitsu, shooting and taekwondo. Consequently, the number of participating students will increase from 9,000 to 25,000.

The various competitions will take place over 107 days. The Dubai Sports Council will manage the operational aspects of the first and second levels of the UAE School Games programme, with winners qualifying for the national finals. This reinforces the role of schools as a primary and grassroots level platform for discovering talent.

Raising coach efficiency

Dubai Sports Sector Strategic Plan 2033 emphasises raising training standards and qualifying coaches by 100 per cent by 2033 in partnership with the Ministry of Sports. This includes ensuring continuous professional development opportunities, clear governance guidelines, clear accreditation standards, corrective pathways along with internationally accredited courses that enhance training quality and guarantee the transfer of expertise at the highest global standards.

Knowledge transfer

The initiatives include developing a precise framework for regulating and accrediting professional athletes across various sports, ensuring that technical and training expertise aligns with global standards. A dedicated qualifications verification system will be implemented to guarantee the readiness of personnel and their suitability for each discipline.

A central database will also be established in partnership with the ministry to track and accredit the qualifications and experience of those working in the sports sector. The goal is to increase academies’ compliance with standards to cent per cent by 2033, in accordance with the new unified framework.

The plan also includes streamlining licensing procedures through collaboration between the Department of Economy and Tourism, the Dubai Sports Council, the Ministry of Sports and the various sports federations and associations. This will ensure quality control, compliance and the implementation of governance standards in leading academies.

Smart technologies

The ‘Dubai Sports Sector Strategic Plan 2033’ also places significant emphasis on leveraging data, digital platforms and smart analytics to enhance governance, discover and develop talent, track physical progress and develop advanced sports experiences that support all age groups.

The focus will be on analysing sports data and providing smart technologies that contribute to improving training quality and strengthening Dubai’s global position in the sports technology sector.

Fresh steps

Work will begin on implementing the plan in phases according to a specific operational schedule. This includes developing academies, accrediting personnel, expanding talent programmes and ensuring optimal data utilisation.

The Dubai Sports Council will continue implementing the plan’s components in partnership with the Ministry of Sports and relevant federations and bodies to ensure the sustainability of talent development, enhance the sector’s competitiveness and monitor the phased implementation of programmes to achieve the targets set as per the 2033 plan.