Shaikh Ahmed encourages students

Shaikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum toured the sports facilities. — Supplied photo

The American University in Dubai (AUD) organized its third annual School Sports Challenge (AUD SSC), under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the National Olympics Committee in the UAE, on Friday featuring boys and girls’ school teams and individual athletes from over 20 different high schools in the UAE, who competed in soccer, basketball, volleyball, swimming, cross-country and tug of war.

During the event, Shaikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum, former gold Olympic medal winner, honoured the university and toured the sports facilities, encouraging the student athletes. He said: “I wish this day would never end, and I wish everyday was similar to it and full of sports activities. Our schools and universities should collaborate more to organize such sports events that create young heroes with hopes of reaching the Olympic dream for our nation. The road to that Olympic dream is not paved with a red carpet, but with thorns, perseverance and patience.”

SAIS Sharjah School was crowned champion of the AUDSSC 2014 edition and took home the Shaikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Athletic Scholarship offered by AUD.

Gold medal winners of the 2014 edition of AUDSSC are: Girls 100m: Erin Adones – ISC Khalifa, Girls 800m:Christina Hanna – UAS. Boys 100m: Youssef Hamada – SAIS Dubai, Boys 800m: MohamedSorour – ISC Al Ain. Basketball Boys: ASD, Girls:ISC Khalifa. Volleyball girls: UAS, boys: St. Mary. Soccer boys: Choueifat Abu Dhabi, girls: Al MawakebBarsha. Boys swimming 50m Freestyle: Ahmad El Sawi – SAIS Sharjah, 50m butterfly: Ahmad ElSawy – SAIS Sharjah, 50m backstroke: Ahmad El Sawi – SAIS Sharjah, Relay:Ahmad El Sawi – SAIS Sharjah, relay girls: MiaJovania – Choueifat Dubai, 50m freestyle: Miran Deeb – Choueifat Abu Dhabi, 50m butterfly: Natalya Lynchenko – Choueifat Sharjah, 50m backstroke: Hana Deeb - ChoueifatAbu Dhabi, Relay Running: SAIS Dubai, 3point shootout – girls: Marah Makbol – Nibras International School, 3point shootout – boys: Evender Benedicto – ISC Al Ain, and Tug of War: SAIS Sharjah.