Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum says we are determined to expand the sport across the Arab world, therefore it is a great privilege and tremendous honour to be recognised by the APF President and its Board of Directors.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Padel Federation (UAEPA), has been named honorary president of the Arab Padel Federation (APF) during its first General Assembly held in Cairo, Egypt.

With Ahmed Ghaturi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Padel Federation, winning the General Assembly vote to secure the inaugural APF Presidency, Sheikh Saeed was installed as honorary president in recognition of the UAE’s status as the first Arab country to practise padel, and in appreciation of his personal efforts to spread the game across the Arab world.

“For many years, the UAE has played an important role in nurturing the growth of padel, both at a grassroots level and in terms of hosting major professional events. Our work continues apace, and we are determined to expand the sport across the Arab world, therefore it is a great privilege and tremendous honour to be recognised by the APF President and the APF Board of Directors,” said Sheikh Saeed.

In other votes at the General Assembly, the APF finalised its first-ever Board of Directors with Saeed Muhammad Al Marri, the Secretary of the UAEPA, joining Kuwait Padel Federation’s board member Abdullah Al Roudhan, Fahd Kanoo, the President of the Bahrain Padel Federation, and Khalid bin Suleiman Al Saeed, President of the Saudi Padel Federation, on the Board. Al-Roudhan will serve as the Vice President of the APF.

“With a clear mandate now in place, I look forward to working with the APF President, honorary president, and my fellow Board members to continue developing the game of padel across the region. Our goals are to set new participation benchmarks among Arab men, women, boys and girls, and see more world-class international events held across APF member countries,” said Marri.

Elsewhere in the voting, Egypt will serve as the APF headquarters until the next General Assembly, which will be attended by the Federation’s six member countries - Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE - in addition to a representative of the Sudan Padel Federation.

Established in 2014, the UAE Padel Association (UAEPA) governs the sport of padel tennis across the seven Emirates of the UAE. As part of its mission and commitment to increase competition, optimise commercial and fan engagement opportunities, and raise the competitiveness of domestic padel tennis, the UAEPA has implemented an expanded seasonal calendar of tournaments. The UAEPA works with a wide cross-section of government and private sector stakeholders to grow the game at all levels, from grassroots to the UAE national team.