The International Fencing Federation (Fencing) has approved the request of Eng. Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Arab and UAE Fencing Federation, to include Arabic as an official language in the FIA meetings.
The International Federation of Fencing (Fencing) held its annual General Assembly meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. The meeting was presided over by the President of the International Federation, Alisher Osmanov. The delegation was led by Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the UAE and UAE Fencing Federation. The delegation also included the Secretary General of the Federation, Dr. Huda Al Matrooshi, and the Executive Director, Ibrahim Khalid.
A statement issued by the Emirates Chess Federation said: "The inclusion of Arabic as an official language in the meetings of the International Fencing Federation is an unprecedented success for the President of the Arab Federation, who adopted this initiative, which would raise the status of Arabic in sports forums."
The meeting discussed several topics, including the adoption of the decisions of the Executive Office, the adoption of financial reports and the estimated budget for 2020, as well as some amendments to the law of the game.
The meeting also approved Oman's accession to the International Fencing Federation, becoming the 156th member of the Federation, the culmination of the efforts of the Oman Fencing Committee, which was fully supported by Sheikh Salem Al Qasimi.
The meeting adopted the agenda of international tournaments for the next three years, where the International Fencing Federation asked the UAE to host the 2022 Youth and Junior Championship. The same country organizes two world championships in two different categories in the same year.
Salem Al Qasimi: A historic decision
HE Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Arab and UAE Fencing Federation, expressed his delight at the decisions of the General Assembly of the International Federation, describing its decision to adopt the Arabic language as a historic decision, which resulted from the great efforts made by the Arab Federation in mobilizing the necessary support for it. He expressed pride in the International Fencing Federation's request that the UAE host the 2022 World Youth Championship in the UAE.
He stressed in a press statement: «This request translates the prestigious position of the UAE in the family of the International Fencing Federation, especially after the organization of the two world championships of the IPA girls in Dubai in the past two years, as well as hosting the meeting of the Congress of the International Federation 2017 in Dubai International Federation of the State 's ability to organize major sports events ».