Olympic gold medal winner slams 'embarrassing' UAE sport

The United Arab Emirates's only Olympic medal winner has said the Arabian Gulf state must do more to encourage children to take up sport to improve the current "embarrassing" level of competitiveness.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum, who won gold in the double men's trap during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, told a Dubai newspaper that the UAE, like many other Arab countries "lags far behind the rest of the world in sport."

Sheikh Ahmed added "the level of sport here is embarrassing. In shooting there are only a handful of private ranges. There's no academy for schools ... looking for an Olympic champion is far harder than finding a diamond.

"A lot money in the UAE is spent on the wrong projects. Of all the money spent on sport here, 50 to 70% spent on football. It's a shame."

Sheikh Ahmed added that sporting officials can only do so much, stating "the government is busy running the country. The role of parents is important. Children spend too much time on their iPhones and in malls. They have to do sport for the good of themselves and the UAE.

"They can still drive their Lamborghinis, but drive them to a sports club."

30 UAE nationals headed to this year's London Olympics to compete in a wide range of sports including football, triple jump and weightlifting, but none of the competitors secured a medal.

Among Gulf nations, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia each secured a single bronze medal.

Sheikh Ahmed, who retired after competing at the Beijing Olympics, is the only UAE national to ever win a medal at an Olympic Games.

Great Britain's shooter Peter Wilson, who won the Olympic gold in double trap, paid tribute to Sheikh Ahmed, who has been training him since 2008, stating "I was fortunate to get back with Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and get back to a level where I was back on the funding program.

"(Every) February I go out to Dubai for a month. And that is an opportunity to bulk train. I go out to see Ahmed and get a chance to shoot a huge amount of targets."