Konya (Union)
The cycling team arrived in the Turkish city of Konya, in preparation for participation within the state delegation in the fifth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games, from August 9 to 18, with the participation of 6000 athletes from 56 countries, competing in 24 sports, through 483 competitions, held in 13 locations. With the attendance of 2,000 volunteers, the UAE participates in 9 different games.
The bikes will open our participation in the “Friday” session before its official launch, as it is the first appearance of the game in the Islamic Solidarity courses since its first launch in 2005, during which our team seeks to achieve a new achievement for UAE sport at the beginning of participation in the session.
The cycling team includes 9 cyclists, including 6 men, who are Yousef Mirza, Ahmed Al-Mansoori, Jaber Al-Mansoori, Khaled Al-Mayouf, Saif Al-Kaabi, and Walid Al-Naqbi, while the women’s team’s delegation includes Safiya Al-Sayegh, Sheikha Issa, and Zahra Hussein.
The team will compete on the first day of the track through Ahmed Al-Mansoori and Youssef Mirza in the men’s scratch race, while Sheikha Issa and Zahra Hussein will participate in the women’s scratch race.
The nine games of the course include archery, bow and arrow, bow and arrow for people of determination, karate, judo, taekwondo, fencing, weightlifting, swimming, and cycling.
Abdullah Suwaidan, coach of the cycling team, confirmed the readiness of the riders participating in the course, following going through many strong stations, whether at the level of participation or gatherings and camps, noting that the last period witnessed the establishment of a camp for the team that lasted for nearly a month in Italy, during which training was conducted in similar atmosphere and conditions. The host city of Konya, in terms of altitude above sea level, said: Many countries are candidates for first places and gold medals, in light of the presence of countries such as Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Indonesia, and other strong and well-known countries in the world of cycling, and all the riders made Great efforts were made in the Italy camp, including Youssef Mirza, the captain of the national team, who participated in many races, in conjunction with the camp within the Emirates Professional Team, in addition to achieving 3 colorful medals by cycling in the International Police and Firefighting Games that concluded recently in the Netherlands, as well as the medal The gold medal for Yusuf Mirza in the points race at the Asian Track Championship in New Delhi last June, which reflects the extent of continuous preparation for Kho In all forums, focus on the same goal, which is to ascend the podiums and raise the flag of the state.
Suwaidan pointed out that the Islamic Solidarity Games, and its distinguished cyclists participating in the world championships and the Olympic Games, make it difficult to predict the number of medals that can be achieved in the session.
He added: Our chances are great, and we have a list of winning colorful medals through the men and women categories, and we reserve a place for us on the podiums among the champions and riders present, because the UAE bikes deserve to be in the forefront always, and what we see from the players indicates their desire and commitment to achieve this, despite the pressure of the camps The participants, however, offer the best, as Jaber Al-Mansoori, Khaled Mayouf, Saif Al-Kaabi and Walid Al-Naqbi joined the delegation immediately, following their successful participation in the International Police and Firefighters Championship in the Netherlands, which reflects everyone’s keenness to represent the UAE sport in the desired image in various entitlements and forums. .
Sana Al Mirdasi, coach of the women’s cycling team, said: The trio of Safiya Al Sayegh, Zahra Hussein and Sheikha Issa are in the heart of the competition, and they are not far from the advanced positions in the various competitions, noting that there are many participating teams that take the UAE into account, given its promising elements. She is talented in cycling.
She added: We have difficult confrontations with the participating teams, including the Egyptian, Moroccan and others, and we wish success in all the races that will not be easy, including the track race, which includes 4 races, including aluminum, and consists of 6 races alone, but in the end we always trust in the players’ abilities, Especially in the case of experience elements such as Yusuf Mirza and all the riders who give the team a great push towards achieving achievements and winning medals.
