IJF Selects Bin Thaloub the Ambassador of Friendship and Peace in the World.. Al Deri is the Fourth International Figure Enjoys IJF’s confidence

Bin Thaloub’s Selection Highlights the Confidence of International Institutions in UAE

The International Judo Federation (IJF) organized a grand ceremony on the side-lines of the Year of Zayed Judo Championship following picking the UAE capital Abu Dhabi to host the annual World Friendship and Tolerance Day held on 28th October each year. The celebrations of this day coincide with hosting the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam 2018 scheduled to be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council with the participation of 61 countries from all continents of the world. Considering the spread of the game worldwide, key significant figures were honoured for their significant contribution by presenting them the Love and Peace Shield in the presence of the participating teams.

During the annual celebration held at the Mubadala Arena located at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, H.E. Mohammed bin Thaloub Al Deri was honoured the IJF by granting him the IJF’s Gold Shield signed by the 200-member states. The award was granted to H.E. Bin Thaloub in appreciation of the important role he has been playing in spreading the game and the immense quality leap achieved by the UAE throughout the past years in Judo, besides his role in supporting the game in the Gulf region and the Middle East. The IJF Hungarian President Marius Pfizer announced the selection of Al Deri as IJF’s Extraordinary Ambassador for Friendship and Peace in recognition of his great role in supporting Judo, the current broad base of the game and the successes achieved by Abu Dhabi while holding different Judo championships under the IJF’s supervision marking the 10th anniversary since holding the first championship in UAE in 2009.

Mohammed bin Thaloub Al Deri, President of the UAE Wrestling and Judo Association, stressed that his selection by IJF to be the Ambassador for Peace and Friendship and granting him IJF’s Honorary Membership Certificate signed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Honorary President of the International Judo Federation, awarded to influential figures and supporters of the game worldwide, made him so proud and honoured as the first Emirati to receive such a high-level international sporting medal. He underlined: “Such recognition is not for me personally, but for the UAE. As the days go on, the UAE proves itself to be the country of friendship, tolerance and peace. The UAE has been and will remain a safe haven for advocates of peace whose principles were established by the founding father of UAE, late Sheikh Zayed, may God rest his soul in peace, and the wise leadership of the UAE who are following his steps and turning the land of the UAE into the land of goodness and love where different nations of the world get together.

Mohammed Bin Thaloub Al Deri extended his appreciation to the IJF President, Marius Pfizer, for IJF’s great confidence in him and his appreciation for the great effort exerted by the UAE to improve the sports sector as a whole and the Judo in particular. He concluded: “Granting the UAE this honour and the high-level medal as the fourth figure selected to be the Ambassador of Peace and Friendship, is one of the UAE’s and its sports sector gains. Definitely, we are so proud to be Emiratis and serve our homeland through its local and international gates.”