The gathering was arranged by the general secretariat of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Creative Sports Award and saw delegates attend three separate sessions all discussing various aspects of creativity in sport.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Creative Sports Award, Named after His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, honours individuals, teams and establishments that demonstrate creativity in the field of sports.

Chairman of the Secretaries' Council of the Award Mater Al-Tayer was joined by fellow members of the Council including President of the International Handball Federation, Hassan Mustafa.

They were joined by amongst others, President of the Palestinian Olympic Committee and Palestinian Football Association Jabril Al-Rajoub, Major General Naser Al-Razouqi, President of the United Arab Emirates Taekwondo and Karate Association, Abdul Muhsin Al-Dusari, secretary general of the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, as well as Saeed Hareb, Ali Bu Jusim and Yousuf Jawad Al-Ridha from the Dubai Sports Council.

Researcher and innovation ambassador Andrew Harrison spoke to delegates in the first session about how to best attain creativity and apply to organisations in the sporting field.

Andrew Harrison spoke to delegates about the importance of creativity in sport
©Dubai Sports Council



"Creativity is to attain a new vision or thought that differs from others," said American Harrison.

"In football, for example, both teams have the same number of players.

"However, the team which resorts to creativity will attain victory.

"In the case of loss, creative athlete should analyse the reasons of loss, rectify negative points and wok hard to attain victory in the next time.

"Triumph is the goal of creative athletes.

"Psychological and creative sides are the hidden parts that push teams or individuals to attain victory."

The second session focussed on the use of nanotechnology and the benefits it can bring to working with athletes both on the medical side and in analysing performance as well as in manufacturing sports equipment particularly for disabled athletes.

Dean of the Faculty of Sports Education at Al-Areesh University in Egypt, Dr Nader Shalabi led the discussion and concluded that technology needs to be constantly utilised and developed to aid in the improvement of athlete performance and the treatment of injuries.

Dr Nader Shalabi from the Al-Areesh University conducted a session on the use of nanotechnology in sport especially for disabled athletes ©Dubai Sports Council



Honorary President for the International Swimming Federation (FINA) Mustafa Al-Arfawi addressed delegates during the final session of the day at the Dubai Intercontinental Hotel and spoke about the experiences and knowledge he has gained during his career in sports administration.

Al-Arfawi presented a brief on his international career with FINA, while he also spoke about his roles in helping to establish the Algerian Swimming Association in 1962 and the Algerian Olympic Committee in 1963.

He also played a prominent role in setting up the Union of African Swimming Associations in 1983 and served as its President from 1987 to 2011.

Al-Arfawi concluded by highlighting the need for better education and training of swimming coaches in the Arab region which will help improve the success of the sport.

Two new in initiatives were launched during the Symposium which included the use of a translation service for delegates attending the event who were deaf.

The second saw the use of Google Plus which allowed members of Sports Faculties from a number of universities across the UAE, Egypt and Jordan to take part listen into the sessions and take part in dialogue.

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