SME
Mr. Mohammad Al-Damen, President of the Syrian Athletics Federation, confirmed that the confidence placed in him by the members of the General Assembly by electing him as President of the Federation represents a major incentive to work towards restoring the sport to its prestigious position in Arab, Asian, and international competitions and championships.
Priorities for the Next Phase
In his first statement, Al-Damen said, “We are effectively starting from scratch on all levels, whether in terms of technical or administrative personnel or players. Our priority now is to focus on developing emerging talent and preparing a strong cadre of coaches and referees, in accordance with the plans and programs of the International Association of Athletics Federations.”
He added, “We are planning to hold a championship for junior men and women next July in preparation for participation in the Arab Junior Championships, which will be held in Tunisia next September.”
Dedicated to the presidency of the Federation after the end of Al-Qadisiyah’s contract
Al-Damen explained that his extensive experience, gained from working in Kuwait with several clubs and interacting with Arab and foreign experts since 2006, will contribute significantly to the development of the game in Syria, through the adoption of the best technical and administrative practices.
He indicated that he had terminated his contract with the Kuwaiti club Al-Qadisiyah by mutual consent and would not renew it. He confirmed that he would devote himself fully to his work as the Federation’s president, residing primarily in Damascus, while continuing to follow up on some private matters in Kuwait on a temporary basis.
A Vision for Discovering and Refining Talent
Regarding the Federation’s plan to restore the game to prominence, he said: “We are suffering from a decline in participation due to the country’s circumstances, but we have a clear plan based on increasing player participation in tournaments and holding internal and external training camps to prepare them well, with a focus on qualifying coaches and referees to ensure the success of these plans.”
He added that there is a clear vision for discovering and refining talent by organizing tournaments in various governorates in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Sports Department, in addition to establishing specialized training centers that meet the needs of each region.
Establishing an Annual Excellence Cup
Al-Daman concluded his statement by discussing cooperation with clubs: “We will work to establish an annual excellence cup for clubs and governorates, based on points collected during several tournaments, with financial rewards to encourage everyone to advance Syrian athletics.”
