UAE marks historic year of global, continental sporting achievements

The United Arab Emirates concluded 2025 with a record-breaking series of athletic achievements, securing unprecedented medal hauls across regional, continental, and global competitions. 

The year marked the country’s most successful historical performances in multi-sport events, including record tallies at the GCC Beach Games – Muscat 2025, the 3rd Asian Youth Games – Bahrain 2025, and the Islamic Solidarity Games (Riyadh 2025). 

In professional football, Sharjah FC claimed its first AFC Champions League Two title with a 2-1 win over Singapore’s Lion City Sailors in the final. 

On the global cycling circuit, UAE Team Emirates-XRG continued its dominance as Tadej Pogačar won the UCI World Championships Road Race in Kigali for the second time and secured his fourth Tour de France title, while the team also took top honors at the Tour de Pologne. 

The UAE maintained its global dominance in Jiu-Jitsu, led by a historic 50-medal performance at the 2025 Ju-Jitsu World Championships in Thailand. The national team also secured podium finishes at the World Games 2025 Chengdu and the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, alongside a 66-medal haul across the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour. 

In other combat sports, the national karate team added to the count with successes at the Islamic Solidarity Games and various Asian championships. 

Para-athletes delivered standout performances, highlighted by Thekra Alkaabi's gold in the women's 100m T71 frame running at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi. The UAE delegation further won nine medals at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup hosted in Al Ain. 

The nation’s sporting diversity was reflected in global titles for chess, where Mouza Nasser Al Shamsi won the Women’s 1700-rating category at the World Amateur Individual Chess Championship in Serbia. The UAE also recorded an eight-medal debut in modern pentathlon at the World Championships in South Africa. 

Success extended to water sports in Asian and European circuits, while the badminton programme secured its first-ever continental medal. Traditional sports remained a cornerstone of the year's success, with the UAE sweeping world and Asian titles in endurance horse racing and securing historic medals during camel racing’s debut at the Asian Youth Games.

WAM