DUBAI – The International Handball Federation has been honoured with the International Organisation Award at the 11th Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award for their innovative excellence in organising the 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship in Egypt last January.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Patron of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award – presented the International Organisation Award to His Excellency Joel Delplanque, the 1st Vice-President of the International Handball Federation, at a glittering ceremony on Sunday, where a number of other top international sports administrators and athletes were also honoured.

The Switzerland-based International Handball Federation were recognized for “their success and excellence in organising the 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship” in Egypt, despite the “global disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic”. 

The list of winners also included two top international sports administrators: UAE’s Anas Al Otaiba, President of Asian Boxing Confederation and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA), and Egypt’s Aya Medany – the first Arab and African to be elected as President of the Players Committee and a member of the Executive Office of the International Modern Pentathlon Federation. 

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, presented the “Local Administrator Award” to Al Otaiba, and the Arab Administrator Award’ to Medany.

HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed also presented The Arab Team Award to the Algerian national football team, which was received Hakim Madan, a member of the Executive Office of the Algerian Football Federation.

A number of Arab stars from last summer’s Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games were also present at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo 2020 Dubai on Sunday to receive their awards, with the list being headed by Iraq’s Paralympic star Jarrah Nassar.

Guests at the awards ceremony were shown a short movie, titled ‘The Story of a Hero’, which celebrated Nassar’s incredible journey from his humble beginnings to a shot put gold medal in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games and a silver medal in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Nassar has won two gold medals and a silver at the World Championships as well.

“Today, I have the honour to be among you, and in this wonderful place, Expo 2020 Dubai, to receive this prestigious award,” Nassar said at the presentation ceremony. “Present with me here are a group of champions from different Arab countries, and I am honoured to be a speaker on their behalf.

“This Award will surely be an incentive for us all – as well as hundreds of other athletes from the Arab world – to remain on this path of creativity and excellence, and aim for greater achievements.

“Thank you for launching this great award, which aims to develop sports in the UAE, the Arab region and the world. Thank you for this appreciation and honour. I hope that the journey of creativity and brilliance in Arab sports will continue and gather even greater pace.”

The other Arab Olympic and Paralympic athletes honoured at the Award were:

• Ahmed Ayoub Hafnaoui (Tunisia) for winning the gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, the first Arab Olympic medal in swimming in the 400m freestyle competition;
• Tarek Ali Hamdi (Saudi Arabia) for winning the silver medal in Karate at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020;
• Walid Katila (Tunisia) for winning two gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the 100 and 800 metres wheelchair races and breaking the Paralympic record;
• Maan Abdel Moeen Asaad (Syria) for winning a bronze medal in the weightlifting competition at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. 

Press release courtesy of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award. For more information on the Award, click here.