Sports | Monday 9 July, 2018 5:16 am |

The Sharjah Sports Family Award (SSFA) has announced its 2018 slogan as ‘Behind Every Champion is a Legend’, to reinforce the role of support as a vital component of victory.

 

In recognising the friends, families, sports institutions, clubs, sponsors and other advocates of competitive sporting champions, the SSFA aims to encourage more athletes and send a message to their supporters that without them there would be no champions.

 

HE Abdulaziz Al Noman, Head of the Board of Trustees at SSFA, said: “Through this slogan for 2018 we are not only celebrating the medal winners, we are celebrating the people who helped them reach the podium. We want to reflect the spirit of competition the relentless commitment and the Emirati values of loyalty that make these awards such a prestigious honour.”

 

HE Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Secretary General of the Board of Trustees at SSFA, added: “This new slogan echoes the community initiative to invest in the health and well-being of Emirati society and aligns perfectly with the vision of the event’s patron, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) and Chairperson of the SSFA.

 

“It also emphasises that not everybody has to be a top athlete to play a major part in winning a tournament and will encourage the next generation to play a role in sport, whether as a player or a supporter.”

 

Organised by the Sharjah Sports Council, the awards consists of AED 300,000 in the ‘Sporting Family’ category, which is presented to a family whose members have made several professional accomplishments in sports. A prize of AED 100,000 will be awarded to winners of the ‘Family of Sports Heroes’, which is conferred on families who have supported the sporting ambitions of a family member. The new categories of ‘Hero/Heroine with a Disability’, and ‘Family Participation in Community and Health Sports’, will also receive AED 100,000 each.

 

Khawla Al Serkal, Head of Media and Public Relations Committee at SSFA, said: “From a visibility perspective, ‘Behind Every Champion is a Legend’ is an excellent summary of the award’s character and its message to appeal to the community as a whole. We are planning to team up with a significant number of personalities and media outlets to ensure that message reaches as many members of the public as possible.”

 

Hanan Al Mahmoud, Head of Marketing and Events Committee of SSFA, concluded, saying: “There are few awards which recognise the devoted stalwarts behind the scenes and with this slogan we are reinforcing the fact that there is a very special core of hidden champions who make the champions we all see.” 

 

SSFA is encouraging all UAE nationals who meet the award criteria to apply before the deadline of December 12, 2018.

 

All entrants, whether individual or collective, must have made their achievements at sports and athletics competitions organised officially at local, regional and international levels. The winners will be announced and honoured at a ceremony early next year.