The Olympic gold medallist made this statement on Wednesday during his visit to the Sharjah Self-Defence Sports Club, where he met a group of talented athletes, in the presence of Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Club, and the club’s board members.
Sheikh Ahmed delivered a speech to motivate the athletes to work hard and train with the determination required to become Olympic champions, and highlighted the unstinted support of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for sports, particularly individual sports.
He then affirmed his optimism in the club’s success, through discovering new promising talents capable of becoming future champions and representing the UAE in international and Olympic events.
Sheikh Ahmed spoke about his journey crowned by his victory in the Olympics, noting that his passion for the sport was inspired by his family, which he described as the key motivation that enabled him to become an Olympic champion.
Mental and psychological aspects are key elements in training Olympic champions, along with concentration, good coaching, good nutrition and rest, and confidence, he further added.
Sheikh Ahmed concluded his talk by stressing that training successful athletes should start begin at an early age, by feeding ambition, teaching them to deal with performance anxiety and enhancing their competitiveness.
Al Owais thanked Sheikh Ahmed for his visit, highlighting the unlimited support of Dr. Sheikh Sultan, who continues to encourage the club to achieve further successes for the UAE.
"In line with the visions of Dr. Sheikh Sultan and the Sharjah Sports Council, we believe that preparing champions is a well-rounded process and should go beyond physical training. Therefore, the club adopted plans for supporting the academic, cultural and psychological growth of athletes," he added.
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