Automobile and Touring Club UAE gets National Olympic Committee affiliation

Dubai — Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE National Olympic Committee, has granted the NOC accreditation to the Automobile and Touring Club in the UAE. Shaikh Ahmed handed over the accreditation certificate to Mohammed bin Sulayem, FIA Vice President and President of ATCUAE, in the presence of Abdulrahman Al Owais, Minister of Health, NOC Vice President and Advisor Mohammed Al Kamali, NOC Secretary-General.

The UAE National Olympic Committee has welcomed the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE into its fold as an affiliated member, underlining growing links between the Olympic movement and motor sport worldwide.

The ATCUAE’s request for UAE NOC affiliation was strongly supported by the FIA, motor sport’s world governing body, and its motor bikes counterpart, the FIM.

“ATCUAE enjoys an explicit international recognition from FIA and FIM which have been officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee, based on that and according to the National Charter, the National Olympic Committee has granted ATCUAE the accreditation as an entity that is in charge of overseeing the organisation of auto and motorcycle activities, especially that it has an official exclusive recognition by the international bodies.

Abdulrahman pointed out that ATCUAE has already received recognition and appreciation from many national government entities for its achievements. The Executive Director of the NOC has praised the prominent role played by Sulayem in achieving this leading position at the international level, which was reflected as a positive image to motorsport in UAE.

“We are honoured to have been granted affiliation to our country’s National Olympic Committee, and look forward to working together to advance the UAE’s sporting ambitions,” said Sulayem.

“We have a shared commitment to growing the participation of Emiratis in the international sporting arena and empowering them to achieve success at the highest levels, and at the same time enhancing the UAE’s status as a world-class sporting venue.”

As the sole representative of both the FIA and the FIM in the UAE, the ATCUAE is responsible for upholding and applying all the rules, regulations and sporting codes of the two global sporting bodies.

The FIM became a full member of the IOC in 2000 while the FIA became a full member in 2013 as part of the move to bring the federation in line with the best international sporting, governance and ethical standards. The IOC has enjoyed the official IOC status of Recognised Federation  since 2000.

As the UAE’s national motor sport authority, the ATCUAE overseas an annual sporting calendar consisting of more than 140 events and is the sporting organiser of the F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The club also stages the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge which marked its 25th edition two months ago as a round of both the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies and the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship.