The National Olympic Committee, NOC, has announced the details of the UAE's participation in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, hosted by Ashgabat, the capital of the Republic of Turkmenistan, from 17th-27th September. As many as 96 athletes will be representing the UAE in 7 sports: Jujitsu, athletics, cycling, chess, bowling, billiards and snooker.

The announcement was made during a press conference held by the NOC yesterday morning at its headquarters in Dubai in the presence of representatives of the participating sports federations.

Dawoud Al Hajri, NOC Acting Secretary-General, appointed as Head of the UAE’s delegation, with Brigadier-General Abdul Malik Jani, Director-General of the National Olympic Academy as his deputy, and Ahmed Al Tayeb, Director of Technical and Sports Affairs, as Chef de Mission.

The UAE’s official delegation will also include Abdul Mohsin Fahd Al Dosari, Assistant Secretary-General for Sports Affairs at the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, and Nasser Khalifa Al Badour, Board Member of the National Olympic Committee.

The UAE Futsal Team will begin its quest against the Maldives in Group II, which includes Uzbekistan, China and Afghanistan. The preliminary round includes 18 teams divided into 4 groups. The group leaders and runners-ups qualify to make the quarterfinals.