The UAE Athletics Federation has announced that four female and one male athlete have qualified for the IAAF World U20 Championships, to be held in the US state of Oregon from August 4-9, 2026. This marks the first time in the history of Emirati athletics that athletes will compete in seven events. The team includes Arwa Ali, Maryam Karim, Sulaiman Abdulrahman, Aminat Khamardin, and Aisha Muhammad, who achieved qualifying standards at the 2025 West Asian U20 Championships in Beirut and the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain. Mohammed Abdul Nasser Al Khayat, Vice-Chairman of the Federation's Board, confirmed that qualification for the World U20 Championships is a pivotal milestone that crowns the strategic efforts of the Federation in establishing a strong base of promising athletes and developing their capabilities through international competitions. He also emphasized the Federation's commitment to a comprehensive program to prepare all team members to ensure they demonstrate strong technical performance at the World Championships, noting that participation is a major driver for further development of the UAE team.
