By Dana Al Marashi, Head of Cultural Diplomacy, UAE Embassy of Washington, D.C.
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics Summer Games in Paris last week was one of recent history's most impressively entertaining and uniquely innovative events. Watching the ceremony and the events that followed filled me with pride for my country and inspired me to create more opportunities to showcase the talent and resilience of my fellow Emirati citizens. Not only did several talented Emirati athletes qualify for the Olympics this year, but my country, its citizens and culture are being showcased and shared with and alongside countries and people from all over the world.
There is a special and uplifting feeling to collectively be excited about a shared common interest simultaneously with billions of people around the world. The Olympic Games are a refreshing reminder that no matter where we come from, the culture we were brought up in, or the beliefs we follow, we most likely have more in common than we realize.
Sports is one of many common and important threads that weaves through all cultures. Sports transcends language, nationality and cultural boundaries.
Heading the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC’s Cultural Diplomacy Department, I’ve had the pleasure of creating projects and programs based on the common interests and values that the UAE and the United States share. My department has organized and titled programs to reflect and highlight our similarities, such as wildlife diplomacy, culinary diplomacy, music diplomacy, art, heritage preservation, architecture, faith, innovation, film, climate change, environment sustainability and restoration, and so much more, including, of course, sports diplomacy.
Incorporating sports and athletes in my department’s and the UAE Embassy’s overall outreach and diplomatic initiatives has been very successful in providing effective communication and learning opportunities, breaking down barriers and building bridges of understanding and friendship. Additionally, we’ve found that including athletes from either the UAE or the United States only enhances our efforts.
Their sociable and inclusive personalities, passion for their sport and inquisitive character make athletes natural cultural ambassadors and useful advocates. Many of the various sports diplomacy programs my department, the Embassy and organizations in the UAE have implemented are successful because athletes, either from the UAE who joined us for our US-based initiatives, as well as American athletes who traveled to the UAE for exhibition games, visit schools, run sports clinics and more.
For example; the UAE women’s ice hockey team traveled to the US to showcase their skills alongside local clubs, hosting youth hockey clinics and working with athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities who share an equally strong passion for and to play hockey. Those experiences created a lifetime of memories and continued friendships and partnerships.
The UAE women’s national soccer team also visited and toured the United States for similar community outreach programming, in line with the UAE Embassy in Washington DC’s Community Soccer Program, where multiple state-of-the-art soccer fields have been constructed across the country, from Los Angeles to New York City – with plans to build more fields across the US. These initiatives underscore the mutual commitment to making use of sports for community building and youth development in both the UAE and the US.
From early on, the UAE has a history of embracing American superstar athletes like Muhammed Ali, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods. American athletes, teams and leagues are frequently hosted in the UAE to participate in exhibition games, community programs, fan appreciation opportunities and much more.
Basketball exemplifies this connection between the UAE and US. In fact, later this year, the UAE will host its third set of NBA pre-season games, further showcasing its dedication to the sport. Last month, Team USA Men’s Basketball – led by superstars LeBron James and Steph Curry – played two games at the Etihad Arena, in preparation for the Paris Olympic Games.
UAE’s longstanding relationship with the NBA has significantly boosted the popularity of basketball in the country. Women’s basketball clubs have developed across the UAE, with the UAE U-19 Women’s National Basketball Team traveling stateside in 2023 for training and competition with US-based teams. The NBA partnership reinforces basketball's role as a unifying sport, bringing athletes to a global stage and encouraging youth inclusion.
Supported by UAE leadership, programs from elementary schools to universities and professional leagues offer additional opportunities and support for sports education programs, venues and facilities to train, compete, and attend live sporting events, as well as mentorship and coaching assistance at all levels, such as for the 14 Emirati athletes who are representing the UAE at the Olympic Games in Paris, the highest number of Emirati Olympic athletes since 2012.
Just like James and Curry, these 14 Emirati athletes will showcase their elite talents on a global stage, competing in a variety of disciplines, including swimming, equestrian, cycling and more. These impressive Emirati Olympians are more than competitors; they are cultural “ambassadors” who are sharing UAE’s values with the world.
And just like the members of Team USA, our Emirati athletes are a reminder of how sports can bring people together and connect cultures – much like the long-standing bonds between the UAE and the United States.
During the next few weeks, we will all cheer on these extraordinary Olympic athletes – whether Emirati, American and every extraordinary athlete who trained just as hard and dreamed just as long for the opportunity to participate in this global event alongside their counterparts in friendly competition, and showcasing their talent, sharing their unique cultures, common values, and passion for their sport with the thousands of participants at the games and billions around the world.
The Olympic Games is a timely and welcoming opportunity to see, experience, and remember that our globally mutual love of sports is only one small example of how much we all have in common, how much we all have to share with each other and the endless possibilities there are to learn from one another and work together toward a more peaceful and prosperous world.
We should look beyond the medals and the fanfare of this single event. And we should remember how sports bring us together – and in our case evoke the extraordinary bonds that have been built between Americans and Emiratis over our mutual love of sport and a passion for athletics. Whether you are watching the Olympics, playing a favorite video game, or enjoying a pick-up soccer match on a neighborhood field, there may be a closer UAE-US connection than you might have previously imagined.
