Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi and other dignitaries during the meeting.

Gulf Today, Sports Reporter

Under the directives of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, President of the National Olympic Committee and President of the First Gulf Youth Games, the Higher Committee for the event approved the event’s slogan and final number of sports totaling 36 individual and team sports through 41 sporting competitions on Wednesday in Dubai.

Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee, chaired the Higher Committee for the event.

This comes as the countdown begins for the event hosted by the UAE during the period from April 16 to May 2, with the participation of 3,500 male and female athletes under the slogan "Our Gulf is one .. Our youth is promising.”

The Opera House in Dubai will host the opening ceremony on April 23 with a range of artistic and heritage performances that will harness technological methods and artificial intelligence techniques in most segments of the ceremony.

The meeting witnessed following up on the work progress of the main and working committees and reviewing the latest developments related to the event.

Many aspects of the event were approved in the presence of a large number of media outlets, as the distribution of sports competitions across the various emirates of the country was revealed. Abu Dhabi will host the football (youth - girls), judo, jiu-jitsu, boxing, golf, swimming, ice hockey, sailing, and cycling track competitions, while Dubai will host competitions for people of determination athletics, billiards and snooker, bowling, volleyball, marine sports, air sports, athletics, badminton, badminton, tennis, mountain biking, table tennis, motocross, esports racing, and esports.

The Emirate of Sharjah will host basketball (3x3), handball, rowing, chess, archery, equestrian (show jumping and dressage), cycling (track race), and shooting competitions, while Taekwondo, fencing, and karate competitions will be held in the Emirate of Fujairah. Ajman will host modern pentathlon and triathlon competitions, while Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah will host fitness and karting competitions respectively.

The meeting also witnessed the approval of the event’s website www.uae2024.ae and its logo, which artistically embodies the word “Emirates”, and symbolizes ambition and progress with its ascending Arabic lines. The logo reflects the spirit of vitality and unity, with a focus on cultural harmony between the GCC, and an emphasis on the UAE’s role as a host country with its simple and elegant style.

The logo expresses the values of respect, equality, and fair play, celebrating the growth and sporting achievements sought by the youth of the Gulf. While its intertwined lines celebrate friendship and solidarity, its colors refer to the colors of the UAE flag, sending a welcoming message that enhances unity between the peoples of the Cooperation Council states.

The meeting reviewed design samples for the sportswear of the UAE sports delegation participating in the event and the system of codes for the sports included in the event.

The mascot was also approved, which embodies a falcon in a space suit symbolizing lofty aspirations and limitless ambition, reflecting the spirit of innovation and courage that characterizes youth, inspired by the UAE's space achievements. This falcon that strives to soar high represents the new generation with boundless ambitions and serves as a symbol to motivate them to pursue great dreams and embark on new horizons, whether on the sports field or in the sky of science and discovery, affirming that nothing is impossible in the face of will and determination.

The falcon's head in the mascot symbolizes athletic traits such as agility, keen vision and speed, which inspires athletes, while the blue space suit expresses the UAE's ambition to explore space and its aspirations for the future and achieving great dreams.

Sheikh Rashid opened the meeting by conveying the greetings of Sheikh Ahmed stressing the importance of redoubling efforts and uniting all teams to present a distinguished and unique model of organizational work regarding hosting sports events; and affirming the country's leadership in the success of events hosted on its soil, which always writes a success story called "UAE".