UAE shooter Saif Bin Futtais attends a training session in Tokyo on Monday.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Stepping up the preparations, the UAE athletes started training hard for the Tokyo Games after reaching Japan.

The top three medal hopes include shooter Saif Bin Futtais and two judokas Victor Scvortov and Ivan Remarenco.

Gearing up to bring medals for the country, Futtais, who is taking part in the skeet competition at the Tokyo Games, began practice at a shooting range situated in Tokyo.

Sharpening skills, Futtais took aim at the target during the session. Scvortov and Remarenco, who reached Tokyo on Sunday after completing a training camp in Moldova, also hit the mat at a training facility based in Tokyo.  

Scvortov and Remarenco will be taking part in the 73kg and above 100kg categories of the competition during the Tokyo Olympics.

The objective of the training sessions were focused on raising the physical and mental fitness, and acclimatising to the conditions.

UAE’s national team swimmer Youssef Al Matrooshi and his coach Marawan Al Hitawi reached Tokyo on Monday. The promising swimmer, who is brimming with confidence to make his Olympic debut, will participate in the 100-metre freestyle event.

Ahmed Al Tayeeb, Chef de Mission of the UAE delegation, said  all the athletes who are named in the squad including Futtais, Scvortov, Remarenco, Matrooshi, Mohammed Hassan Al Noobi and Fatima Al Hosani have completed their registration process in Tokyo.

Tayeb ensured that the various procedures and updates set by the Games Organizing Committee, as a comprehensive inventory of the various steps for arrival, whether after reaching Tokyo or during competition periods, were done.

Dr Abdullah Al Rahoumi, Vice President of the Sports Medicine Committee of the UAE National Olympic Committee, confirmed that the safety and health of all the athletes is our top priority. Moreover, he added that the delegation has shown great cooperation to achieve the targeted objectives of the health care, before and during the period.

“We are making all arrangements to make sure the full compliance of the COVID-19 protocols laid down by the organising committee at the Tokyo Olympics.”

Dr Rohoumi indicated that his mission with the athlete’s delegation in Tokyo is focused on two major tasks. “The first one is to follow the health status of the athletes, as well as all the delegation members and to be ready for any developments that might happen to the participating team. Secondly, coordinating with the organising committee as regards any precautions and safety measures. Furthermore, arranging collection of the COVID-19 test samples to be handed over to the concerned departments.

“The periodical updating of the reports shall be issued on the UAE delegation fully covering all the participating members, on the sports, administrative staff and the media team accompanying the delegation.

“These reports shall update the status of all the members and disclose any of the infected cases or contaminated ones in order to follow in case of any positive indication.”

The delegation showed great interest in bearing the responsibility to represent the UAE as usual in all the international forums and events.

Following a one-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo Games will finally get under way on July 23.

Some of the big names have already pulled out, fans have been banned and the shadow of the COVID-19 still looms large.

Self-driving cars are deployed inside the Olympic Village to serve the participating delegations to move around and reach the venues.

Japan this month decided that participants would compete in empty venues to minimise health risks. Japan, whose vaccination programme has lagged behind most other developed nations, has recorded more than 840,000 cases and 15,055 deaths and Games host city Tokyo is experiencing a fresh surge, with 1,387 cases recorded on Tuesday.