Dubai (Etihad)
The UAE’s balance rose to 8 medals, two gold, one silver, and five bronze, in the “11th edition”, to occupy the “28th place” in the World Games in Birmingham.
Germany topped the general ranking table, with 47 medals, including 24 gold, 7 silver, and 16 bronze, while America came in second with 44 medals, distributed between 16 gold, 18 silver and 10 bronze medals, and then Ukraine with 45 medals. With 16 gold, 12 silver and 17 bronze medals.
The UAE advanced 10 places in the cumulative table of the World Games, in the 56th place out of 102 countries, after it ranked 66th, with the end of the tenth edition of the Games in 2017, while Italy retained the cumulative ranking of the Games, with a total of 488 medals. Despite achieving fourth place in Birmingham 2022, with 49 medals.
The Muay Thai team added two new medals on the final day of the tournament, through Elias Habib, after defeating Mexico’s Miguel Padilla in the under-81 kg category, achieving the bronze medal, while the American Aaron Ortiz won the first place and the gold medal, and Portugal’s Diogo Calado grabbed the silver medal.
Our national team player, Noureddin Samir, defeated American Joe Muller, in the Muay Thai competition in the under 63.5 kg competition, and won the bronze medal, while Ukrainian Igor Lyubchenko won the gold medal, and Warasak Tharakjad of Thailand won the silver medal.
The coronation ceremony was attended by Engineer Azza bint Sulaiman, Assistant Secretary-General for Administrative and Financial Affairs of the National Olympic Committee, head of the UAE delegation to the World Games, and Ali Khoury, member of the Board of Directors of the Muay Thai Federation.
The jujitsu team won 5 medals, with two golds won by Faisal Al Ketbi in the 85 kg weight, the open weight, the silver medal by Muhammad Al-Suwaidi in the 69 kg weight, and two bronze medals by Shamma Al-Kalbani in the 63 kg weight and the open weight, in addition to the bronze medal that came By Abdul Bari Al Qubaisi, free skydiver and water ski player.
Nour El-Din Samir expressed his happiness with the bronze medal, in light of the strength of the level of participants with advanced rankings globally, referring to the public factor that stood with the American players in all fights.
He said: I am happy to achieve the bronze in third place, and I was aspiring to the best, and I was able to resolve the fight from the second round, and compensate for the loss of qualifying for the final round, after the support and support I received from everyone, whether from my fellow players, the Muay Thai Federation, or in the Emirati delegation headed by the engineer Azza bint Suleiman, as everyone gathered around us and demanded to focus on the remaining fights of the tournament, which was crowned with success in the end, and I won the bronze medal, in addition to the achievement of my colleague Elias Habib, the captain of the team, who in turn won the bronze in the under-81 kg.
Elias Habib expressed his happiness with the bronze achievement, after presenting strong performances during which he approached qualifying for the final round, but he was not successful. A plan and strategy developed by the Federation, and I extend my thanks and appreciation to the first supporter of the sport of Muay Thai, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court. The upcoming events, whether in the World Junior Championships in Malaysia next August, or in the professional tournaments organized by the Federation.
Ali Khoury dedicated the achievement of our national team in the international tournament in Birmingham to the UAE leadership and people, and to His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, stressing that what our national team players have done is a great achievement, in light of the strong levels of all players in the world.
He added, “I would like to express my pride in the success of the Muay Thai players Elias Habib and Noureddine Samir in crowning them with two bronze medals in their respective weights, as well as the player Mohamed Mardi, who was prevented by injury from participating, and to complete his career, following the recommendations of the medical committee in the session not to compete, and to the player Amin. Al-Mu’tasim, because they were all up to the responsibility.
On the other hand, Faris Al Zaabi, player of the Duathlon team, carried the UAE flag at the closing ceremony of the World Games in Birmingham, and the ceremony witnessed various parades with the use of fireworks for 5 minutes. In Chengdu, China in 2025, the mascot of the cycle was also announced.
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