In a ceremonial atmosphere on Thursday, the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, FBMA, awarded medals and certificates of excellence to the participants of its inaugural summer camp, marking the conclusion of the capital’s signature sports initiative for girls for the summer.

at the FBMA Dome in the Al Forsan International Sports Resort between 9th and 20th July, the FBMA Summer Camp for Girls welcomed more than 55 girls in two age groups 7 to 9 years and 10 to 14 years. It offered a fun and educational environment with movies as well as arts and crafts sessions.

With an array of different sports and interactive activities, the programme aimed to introduce young Emirati girls to a wide variety of sports, such as basketball, football and, volleyball all of which have been a part of the FBMA Youth Programme in the hopes of funnelling their interest to join the programme that will be re-launched in November this year.

The direction that the FBMA has taken since the start of 2015 to focus on youth and grass-root programmes has resulted in over 2,000 females participating in the academy’s training in six different sports annually.

"The FBMA Summer Camp is a response to the high interest we saw from the community with participation in different initiatives such as the FBMA Passport Programme for schools," Fatima Al Ali, FBMA Local and International Events Coordinator, said.

"We, at FBMA, nurture this interest and grow it in the hope of not only being part of the growth of the next generation of UAE athletes but also contributing to the changes towards a healthier and more active society," Al Ali added.

The academy confirms that after the success of the first edition of the FBMA Summer Camp it will be included as a returning event on the FBMA annual agenda that launches in September every year.

Further highlighting its strategic interest, FBMA shows its commitment to the youth once more by adopting the theme of "Inspiring Generations" for its 4th International Conference of Sports for Women that is scheduled to take place on 6th and 7th November, 2017.