The headquarters of the UAE NOC was the venue for a meeting last Tuesday between Fares Al Mutawa, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee, and Klaus Schormann, President of the International Modern Pentathlon Union. Strengthening cooperation and activating partnerships in order to raise the level of athletes in the sport of Modern Pentathlon was one of the main points of the meeting. This is a sport that was included in the Olympic programme at the Stockholm Games in 1912.

Both parties offered their opinions  to analyse the current Olympic landscape with the forthcoming Olympic Games as the main topic of discussion. The modern pentathlon will be contested by 72 athletes (36 women and 36 men), the same number as in Tokyo 2020.

During the meeting, Fares Al Mutawa stressed the importance of opening new channels to learn from and benefit from the experiences of international sports institutions, based on their role as active partners in driving the efforts of the Olympic Movement and working towards the achievement of its goals and the establishment of its principles of friendship, excellence and respect.

The same theory can be found in the roadmap of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and President of the National Olympic Committee. He insists on building bridges of cooperation with all Olympic and sports stakeholders. These collaborations can build a solid base of diverse partnerships that will enhance the United Arabs Emirates' position and highlight its achievements, especially in hosting major sporting events. The UAE has tremendous capabilities and world-class infrastructure.

Recent events and key initiatives of the International Modern Pentathlon Union were reviewed. Some of these have been successfully hosted by the UAE through the Modern Pentathlon Federation. These include the 2022 Modern Pentathlon World Championships in shooting and running, and the Global Laser Run, which took place in September. More than 700 athletes from 15 countries and various age groups took part in the event.

The meeting was attended by Qais Al Dhalai, President of the Rugby Federation and Member of the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee, Dr Huda Al Matrooshi, President of the UAE Modern Pentathlon Federation, and Abdulaziz Al Salman, Member of the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee, as well as the delegation from the International Federation.