7 things to know about UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed is the third president of the United Arab Emirates…

On May 14, 2022 the UAE pledged allegiance to the UAE’s new president, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Mohamed becomes the third President of the UAE, succeeding his brother Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who passed away on Friday May 13. 

Here are 7 things you probably didn’t know about UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed

He studied at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Known simply as Sandhurst, the military academy is one of several military academies in the United Kingdom and is the British Army’s initial officer training centre. Sheikh Mohamed joined the academy in 1979 where he trained in armour, helicopter flying, tactical flying and paratroops.

The new President later used his skills and education to develop the UAE Armed Forces in terms of strategic planning, training, organisational structure and promoting defence capabilities. He was also appointed Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces in January 2005 turning The UAE Armed Forces into one that is widely admired by many international military organisations.

He is a family man

The opportunity to spend holidays and festive occasions with family, and especially with our children and grandchildren who remain an endless source of happiness and joy, is truly one of God’s greatest gifts and a cherished aspect of our culture and heritage. pic.twitter.com/tNGTQrCruN

— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) May 3, 2022

A tweet shared by HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed on May 3 states ‘The opportunity to spend holidays and festive occasions with family, and especially with our children and grandchildren who remain an endless source of happiness and joy, is truly one of God’s greatest gifts and a cherished aspect of our culture and heritage.’

He cares for the future generation

The future is in the hands of the youth and Mohamed Bin Zayed stated that ‘caring for future generations remains a core value of the UAE, as it is the first step in building a strong nation.’ The post was published this year on Emirati Children’s Day which falls on March 15.

He cares deeply for environmental protection

The political, legislative and economic responsibilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE can keep anyone busy. But despite this, Sheikh Mohamed has shown great support and care for the environment. The MBZ Species Conservation Fund was founded in 2009 and provides small grants to help species conservation projects for the world’s most threatened species.

According to a statistic on speciesconservation.org, MBZ Species Conservation Fund has awarded $23,128,581 (nearly 85 million dirhams) to 2,453 conservation grants.

He maintains an interest in poetry

The Royal family have all publicly displayed their love for poetry and HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed is a huge supporter of Nabati – a poetry style native to the region. He attends as many poetry competitions and other events as he possibly can and most of them are held under his patronage.

And he is a supporter of the arts

Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Hosn, Qasr Al Watan and many more cultural, artistic, literary and innovation-based initiatives in Abu Dhabi and the country have been supported by the HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.

He loves and follows a number of sports in the UAE

It’s rare not to be a fan of at least one sport but Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed is a fan of a number of sports here in the UAE. He regularly meets and recognises the achievements of many Emirati sportsmen and women.

According to Emirates News Agency (WAM) Sheikh Mohamed said that supporting the sports sector in the UAE is one of the priorities of the leadership in the quest to achieve advanced positions in various sports competitions at the regional and international levels and raise the flag high of the UAE at various sports events. He also stressed the importance of preparing a distinguished sports generation in various disciplines to the betterment of the country’s present and future.

Al Ain Football Club or Al Ain FC – a professional football club based in the city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi is one club where the President is an honourary council member.

In the above photo, Sheikh Mohamed is photographed meeting Jiu-Jitsu champions of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Sheikh Mohamed is a long-time advocate of the sport and stated that more martial arts training centres are needed across the Emirates to provide facilities for those who practise Jiu-Jitsu.

Images: Instagram and Emirates News Agency WAM