Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum today received the UAE team participating in the 2019 FIRST Global DXB Challenge robotics event. Dubai Future Foundation is organising the event under the theme ‘Ocean Opportunities’.

To be held for the first time outside the Americas, the event will bring together more than 1,500 youth from over 191 countries to collaborate, create and compete for a better future. The challenge focuses on developing robots to clean up the millions of tons of pollutants in the oceans produced mainly by factories, mismanaged sewage systems and marine activities.

Sheikh Hamdan affirmed that the UAE leadership is keen to develop educated youth, adding that the leadership places the highest priority on the development of the UAE’s human capital. His Highness said: “Our brilliant minds are our real wealth and we are happy to see them competing in international competitions. We are proud of their achievements. A few days ago, we celebrated the safe return of the first Emirati astronaut Hazzaa Almansoori, who has set an example for dedication and hard work.”

Sheikh Hamdan expressed his admiration for the achievements of the UAE team selected to participate in the international challenge. He stressed on the important role of schools and families in motivating and supporting students to think, innovate and apply their skills and knowledge in various fields of technology.

The Crown Prince wished the team the best for the competition and urged them to pursue their education and dreams. Members of the UAE team expressed their gratitude to His Highness for his encouragement and support.

The team is composed of seven members: Shouq Saeed Al Dhanhani and Sheikha Ali Al Saridi from Dibba Fujairah Secondary School; and Hamad Saeed, Abdulla Jawdat, Abdulrahman Abdulla, Ghazi Salem and Mohamed Yasser from Rashid bin Saeed Secondary School in Hatta.