A governing body has been founded for badminton in the UAE, a step that is certain to help further develop one of the popular and rapidly growing sports in the region.
The UAE Table Tennis Association will now be known as the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association. The joint organisation will share resources, and is expected to enhance the governance, administration, grassroots development and event delivery for both sports.
The formation of the governing body, facilitated by Falcon and Associates, was announced by Saeed Hareb, secretary general of Dubai Sports Council, and Dawood Al Hajri, president of the UAE Table Tennis Association, in the presence of Badminton World Federation president Poul-Erik Hoyer.
Commenting on the announcement, Hareb, also the chairman of BWF Dubai World Superseries Finals Organising Committee, said: “The formation of the association is a fantastic milestone for the growth and development of the sport.
“The creation of this national association will no doubt increase participation in the UAE. This is certainly an exciting time for badminton, and DSC looks forward to working very closely with the new body to promote badminton to an ever wider audience.”
It was also announced that Al Hajri will assume the role of president of the Association, with Hassan Al-Zarouni appointed as secretary general, Abdulrahman Al-Menhali as treasurer and Ghazi Al Madani as a board member.
Al Hajri said: “The growth trajectory over the past two years has been nothing short of remarkable. The association will further promote the growth by developing a strategic and coordinated approach to the long-term development and sustainability of the sport in UAE.”
