Final Report

Muhammad Bin Sulyem

Sports Ambassador of the UAE

Submitted by: Nasser Rashed Albraiki  H00-233-777

Class:                    CIQ

Muhammad Bin Sulayem as a sporting figure of UAE

Muhammad Bin Sulayem was born in Dubai in 1961.He is one of the famous Arab world’s leading motor sport figures. He is also an influential official within the sport’s world governing body, the FIA. Muhammad Bin Sulayem is one of the most celebrated sporting figures to emerge from the United Arab Emirates. He presented the progressive face of the country globally. He is a liked personality among young people across the Middle East. He got his education from the USA and the UK in business administration. He started his career in adventure sports and became a sports personality

His rallying sports career spanned over three decades; he became the most successful Arab driver in motor sport history with 14 FIA Middle East Championship titles. He is considered to be the sporting ambassador of the region. In 2008, he was appointed as Vice President of the FIA. He was the first Arab sportsman appointed for this position and the first to be elected to the FIA World Motor Sport Council. As a FIA leader he pioneered coaching, research and knowledge transfer initiatives in motor sports  (mohammedbinsulayem.com, 2014).

He became President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE in 2006. Using his experience and knowledge he has built the organization into one of the world’s leading national motor sport and motoring authorities (Jr Racing, 2013).  

He was appointed as chairman of the new Motor Sport Development Task Force. This task force was set up by the FIA in Jun 2013 to build a ten-year plan for the sport’s global development.

His career

He entered rallying in Dubai in the early 1980s.  In a short time he progressed from local events to the FIA Middle East Championship which was established in 1984. In 1986 he won the first of the 14 regional titles of his career. He dominated the Middle East Championship till 2002, the time of his retirement from competitive sports. He defended the title successfully in each of the 13 other seasons in which he contested the regional series. He won this 12 times (Sharp, 2000).

He secured 61 international victories in the Middle East.  He is the winner of more FIA rallies, and FIA championships, than any other driver from the Middle East. His international reputation is raised by regular overseas excursions, including several with the official Toyota works team in the FIA World Rally Championship. Victory in Turkey’s Bosphorus Rally in 1991was the first victory in an international Rally outside the Middle East by an Arab driver. He recorded production class victories in Spain and Argentina in Group N World Rally Championship.

His role in motor sports in the UAE

He became president of the ATCUAE in 2006 and transformed the organization into one of the world’s leading national motor sport authorities. Automobile & Touring Club of UAE is the official representative in the Emirates of the FIA. The body also governs motor cycling, karting and classic car counterparts, the FIM, CIK and FIVA. The club delivers training programs to assist the development of motor sport in many other countries as well (Jr Racing, 2013).   Under his leadership Automobile & Touring Club of UAE provides wide-ranging services to motorists and travelers.

Under his guidance, the Club has assumed growing responsibilities for the supervision of all forms of circuit racing, rallying, and drag racing and expanded the motor sport calendar of the UAE (atcuae.ae, 2014).

In this organization his role is to ensure that all events are run in accordance with the regulations of the FIA and FIM. Special concern is for the safety of competitors, spectators, media and the general public. The Club is organizer of the F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and other year-round competitive events at Yas Marina Circuit (atcuae.ae, 2014).

He joined Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management in 2009 to create one of the world’s premier platforms for F1 racing and other world-class competitive motor sport. The club also oversees UAE motor sport and organizes the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, a round of both the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup and the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship and Dubai International Rally as well.

Sulayem established the Motorsport Knowledge Institute, which now delivers FIA training to its counterparts worldwide for event organization, with an emphasis on safety for officials, competitors and spectators. In 2012, Motorsport Knowledge Institute conducted training programs to national sport authorities in the Middle East, Africa and South America.

By the arrival of Formula One racing in Abu Dhabi in 2009 there was need of 700 marshals and officials to help run the event smoothly and safely. Volunteerism in the UAE was a relatively new concept. Under his guidance a UAE-based group of Emirati and expatriate volunteers were trained to serve the needs of the Grand Prix, and motor sport in general in the Emirates.

He set up the UAE Motorsport Marshals Club to manage and promote the growth of a national framework of motorsport officials, and run events in the UAE in a safe and professional manner.

Empowering Emiratis

Sulayem has driven a number of initiatives in support of the Club’s commitment to encourage greater participation in all areas of motor sport by UAE nationals.

He empowered local youth and Emiratis now play an active role in ensuring the safe and efficient running of the F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, forming a significant part of the dedicated team of volunteer officials and marshals and at the 2012 F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, 15% of the marshals were Emiratis. He has a nice collection of his spectacular sports cars as well (Sharp, 2000)

References

·         atcuae.ae. (2014). Auto and touring Club of UAE. Retrieved from www.atcuae.ae: http://www.atcuae.ae/index.aspx

·         Jr Racing, L. W. (2013). Mohammad Bin Sulayem holding fire on FIA Presidency bid. Gulf News .

·         MCEVOY, J. (2013). Todt should win re-election after Bin Sulayem pulls out of FIA presidency race. Mail Online .

·         mohammedbinsulayem.com. (2014). Mohammad Bin Sulyem. Retrieved from http://www.mohammedbinsulayem.com/.

·         Sharp, M. (2000). The supercar sheik who enjoys a drive in the country. The telegraph .