MINSK, 21 May (BelTA) - Expansion of bilateral cooperation in various areas of the Olympic movement was discussed at the meeting between Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus Polina Golovina and the leadership of the National Olympic Committee of the United Arab Emirates, BelTA learned from the press service of the NOC of Belarus.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Secretary General of the UAE NOC and head of the UAE Motorcycling Federation, touched upon some important topics of the sportsmen development. “You cannot become an Olympic champion immediately. To reach certain heights, you have to work, study, listen and hear. Every year it gets harder and harder to compete in elite sports. Another important aspect on the road to victory is controlling your emotions. You always have to be ready for anything,” Mohammed Ben Sulayem stressed.
Polina Golovina emphasized the importance of not only athletes' development during their sporting career but also athletes' self-fulfillment after retirement. “In late April we held our first National Athletes Forum, which was aimed at socialization of athletes after retirement. In my opinion, it is very important to support athletes and give them an opportunity to prove themselves in other areas. We invite athletes from the United Arab Emirates to take part in the next athletes forum which we plan to host next year,” Polina Golovina said.
Both sides agreed that athletes need to be supported at the state level.
The main topic of the meeting was, of course, the preparations for the Olympic Games amid a difficult epidemiological situation, the possibility of organizing joint training camps and projects to popularize the Olympic movement.
The UAE NOC representatives were interested in the practices of the Belarusian judo school (there is an Olympic judo school in Abu Dhabi). They also expressed interest in the development of such sports as shooting and taekwondo. Belarus, in turn, suggested organizing a visit of 2004 Olympic champion Igor Makarov, who continues his sporting activity as a coach and founder of the judo school, to the judo school in Abu Dhabi. This will be one of the first practical steps in the development of international cooperation between the two organizations.
Polina Golovina invited the UAE NOC delegation to take part in the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the NOC of Belarus. There are plans to consolidate further areas of cooperation by signing a memorandum of cooperation this year.
