DUBAI — Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, president of the UAE National Olympic Committee and chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, has decided to defer the awards ceremony of the 11th MBR Creative Sports Awards by a year.

The decision was made after taking into consideration the cancelation and postponement of major international sports events across the world, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Organized under the banner of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the MBR Creative Sports Award prides itself as one of the leading voices in the world for the promotion creativity in sports as well as the wellbeing of sportspeople, and, taking the current situation into consideration, it has decided to reschedule the Awards Ceremony of the 11th edition to January, 2022.

The decision was also made to allow a greater number of athletes and sports institutions to participate in the 11th edition of the Awards, especially with the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games being rescheduled for 2021.

The MBR Creative Sports Award is the biggest award of its kind in terms of value and diversity of categories, and dedicated to inspiring creativity in sports — not just in the UAE, but around the Arab world and the globe.

The announcement comes following the 28th meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Award, which was held remotely, with Mattar Al Tayer, vice chairman of Dubai Sports Council and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Award, chairing the meeting.

Khalid Ali Bin Zayed, vice chairman of the Board of Trustees, was present at the meeting along with the other members of the Board of Trustees: Dr. Hassan Mustafa, Mustafa Al Arfaoui, Dr Khalifa Al Shaali, Ahmed Ma'ad Al Osaimi, Mona Bou Samra, Moza Al Marri, Secretary General of the Award, and Nasser Aman Al Rahma, director of the Award.

The meeting reviewed the challenges being faced by the world in general and the sporting world in particular due to COVID-19 with governments around the globe imposing lockdowns and restricting international travel, due to which sports activity around the globe was forced to a halt. — SG