MBR Creative Sports Award continues to receive nomination

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, a Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiative, has urged outstanding Emirati and Arab athletes and international institutions to complete the submission of their files for the 11th edition of the Award before the close of nomination at midnight on Sept.15.

Nomination files can be submitted by individuals and institutions, from within the country and outside, through the official MBR Awards website and smart application, which is available on both Android and Apple platforms and expedites the submission process, and also allows nominees to communicate with the Award team and get virtual support through the nomination process.

On the directives of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Patron of the Award, and Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Award, the Board of Trustees of the MBR Creative Sports Award decided to extend the nomination deadline for the 11th edition of the Award to Sept.15 in order to give an opportunity to athletes and federations, who have been successful at the Summer Olympics and the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, to send in their nominations.

One of the leading initiative of its kind in the world in terms of categories and prize money on offer, the MBR Creative Sports Award has been honouring Olympic and Paralympic champions since its inception in 2009, when its list of winners included a number of heroes from the Beijing Games, including Tunisian swimmer Oussama Mellouli, who had won the 1,500m freestyle gold at the 2008 Olympics.

The Award had also honoured winners of the 2012 London as well as the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Award has also honoured Arab Olympic legends like Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj, who is considered one of the greatest middle-distance runners in history, and Tunisian Mohamad Gammoudi, winner of four Olympic medals - gold in the 5,000m in 1968 Mexico City, silver in the 10,000m at the 1964 Tokyo Games and the 5,000m 1972 Munich Games, as well as a bronze in the 10,000m in Mexico City.

The names of the winners of the 11th MBR Creative Sports Award will be announced on Nov.23, and they will be presented with their awards later at a ceremony on Jan.9, 2022.

The Award, earlier, had praised the distinguished results of Arab athletes at the Tokyo Olympics as well as the UAE team at the Paralympic Games. Arab athletes returned from the Tokyo Summer Olympics with a record harvest of 18 medals - 5 gold medals, 5 silvers and 8 bronze - which was four more than their tally of 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where they had two gold medals in a haul of 14.