Sports Minister receives Youth Olympic badminton gold medallist Riyan Malhan

DUBAI: Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports, received UAE national badminton player Riyan Malhan upon his return home after winning gold at the 4th Youth Olympic Games Dakar, securing the UAE’s first gold medal in the history of its participation in the Youth Olympics. The reception was also attended by Noura Al Jasmi, President of the UAE Badminton Federation; Saeed Hareb, Secretary-General of the Dubai Sports Council; and Safa Taryam, Chief Executive Officer of Elite Sport UAE. Al Falasi congratulated Malhan, his family and his coaches on the historic achievement. He praised the coordinated efforts of the National Olympic Committee, the UAE Badminton Federation, the technical and coaching teams, and supporting entities, highlighting their role in nurturing his talent and providing the resources needed to develop his abilities to the highest competitive levels. "The UAE is home to a wealth of promising sporting talent, and we are committed to investing in its development and support as part of the National Sports Strategy 2031,” Al Falasi said. "We have worked to develop an integrated system that enables talent to be identified at an early stage, beginning with school and university sports, while providing clear pathways for its development and preparation through specialised programmes. This ensures that athletes reach elite and high-performance sport fully prepared to compete with their peers and reach the podium.” He added, "The achievements recorded by our athletes in recent times, culminating in Rayan’s historic gold medal, underscore the importance of continuing to invest in this system and building on the progress made. Our goal in the next phase is to expand the pool of athletes capable of competing for continental and international medals, moving from exceptional individual achievements towards establishing a sustained UAE presence on the podium. "We will continue working with our partners in the sports sector to develop training programmes and raise performance levels, ensuring that we are fully prepared to achieve further success at upcoming Olympic Games and major international championships.” Under the National Sports Strategy 2031, the Ministry of Sports is developing an integrated competitive sports ecosystem that links broader participation and the identification and development of talent with specialised training programmes and elite and high-performance sport. This work is being carried out through a partnership involving the ministry, sports federations, educational institutions, specialised committees and sports entities across the UAE.