The game family reveals real problems facing the heroes' journey

Without a track and with 18-year-old equipment... UAE bikes win 77 medals

• The team made strong performances in the Arab Cycling Championship and came back with medals.

  From the source

• Mirza and Al Hammadi raise the flag of the Emirates in Cairo.

  From the source

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The family of the Cycling Union demanded a track commensurate with the size of the achievements made last year, which amounted to 77 Arab, regional, Asian and Gulf medals, despite the absence of a track in the UAE to train on, and bicycles that the national team riders have participated in since 2004.

The national cycling team won 29 medals in the 11th edition of the Arab Track Championship, which concluded in Cairo last Sunday, and ranked second behind Egypt, which participated in the championship with a large number of riders in various categories, in contrast to the UAE, which participated in 14 cyclists and bikes.

Riders and experts in the game told "Emirates Today": "The current cycling track, which has been under maintenance since the summer of 2018, is not suitable for training or holding tournaments, because of its hard floor," noting that "providing a track with international specifications will put our players out of the way of the game because of the large number of The talents in this game, in addition to the game’s need for new bikes and spare parts instead of the ones that existed 18 years ago.”

The head of the Cycling Federation, Mansour Bouaseba, appealed to those in charge of Emirati sports to establish a new cycling track commensurate with the size of the achievements of the game, stressing that "the track is the beginning of all the current world stars, and its presence is very important due to the lack of an outlet to train national teams in preparation for the championships." .

He said: "Youssef Mirza's arrival in the eighth world ranking in the track points race proves the importance of the presence of the track in the country. It has its own tools, and therefore we ask the wise leadership to look into this matter, and establish a track with international specifications because the track is a treasure for talented people in the game of bicycles, and it has become extremely important at the present time.”

For his part, the technical director of the cycling team, Abdullah Sweidan, confirmed that “the achievements in the cycling game and the talk about the colored medals in the Arab championship and at the Asian and Gulf levels are not commensurate with the very weak capabilities created for the manufacture of champions in the cycling game, especially the track.” .

He said: “We have had bicycles and spare parts since 2004, that is, 18 years ago, and riders are currently playing with them in championships, and you can imagine the great development of the game in the world, but we suffer from the lack of tools and their presentation, and the presence of a track that was shyly built, and it has been in maintenance since 2018, i.e. It has been in use for four years, unlike the wooden track in Egypt, which helps its players a lot.”

He added: "We have great talents and Arab numbers with the names of the UAE players, and we have two riders, Youssef Mirza and Ahmed Al-Mansoori, who are Arab and Asian champions in the game, and they have monopolized all Olympic men's races in the Arab Championship, which makes the presence of new tracks and bikes very important to create new stars." .

In turn, Khalifa bin Omair, Vice President of the Cycling Federation, said that the bike track in Sharjah, which has been under maintenance since 2018, is not suitable for training or officially holding tournaments on it because of its hard floor, which may cause injuries to any player who falls on it.

Bin Omair added: “I appeal to those in charge of sports to establish a wooden track with international specifications, which will be a talent mine and supportive for thousands of players and sports lovers, not just for the cycling team. We have talents and players who have achieved many achievements without a track and with old equipment, and certainly the presence of a track will help a lot.” .

As for the captain of the national team, Youssef Mirza, ranked eighth in the world in the points race on the track, he said that the UAE’s achievements are mostly in the track, and therefore the presence of a track will increase the volume of achievements and discover talent, pointing out that he talks about the need to create a track for future generations, as it is one of the most important pillars of the game.

Mirza said: "I appeal and hope that my voice reaches the officials of Emirati sports, the necessity of having the track in the country with international specifications, and an opportunity to discover the players and increase the UAE's achievements and place it on the map of the game globally."

Safiya Al Sayegh: With the track, we will advance 50%

Arab champion Safiya Al-Sayegh said that the presence of the track leads to a difference of up to 50% due to continuous training.

She explained: "Continuity in track training gives better results, now we are in the ranks of the Arabs and have achieved many medals, and given the small number of participants due to the lack of a track, good training and continuity, I hope the presence of the track is necessary."

65000

An average dirham of the cost of a track bike, in which the players of the national team compete in tournaments in order to compete. 

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