Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 2, 2023: The United Arab Emirates will field a squad of 140 athletes – 102 male and 38 female – in 20 sports disciplines at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China later this month.

The UAE National Olympic Committee announced the squad at a press conference held on August 30 at the NOC headquarters in Dubai.

The 20 disciplines are: archery, athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, equestrian, esports, fencing, golf, judo, jujitsu, karate, rowing, rugby, sailing, swimming, taekwondo, triathlon and wrestling. 

Addressing the media at the press conference, Ahmed Al Tayeb, UAE NOC Director of Technical and Sports Affairs Department, underlined the importance of success at the September 23 to October 8 showpiece.

He also noted that the UAE NOC President HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is pushing for the promotion of sports in the Emirates, and to boost the values of the Olympic Movement in collaboration with the national sports federations and other organisations.

"We emphasise the importance of presenting an honourable image and achieving results that reflect the reputation and status of the United Arab Emirates in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid," said Al Tayeb.

"Apart from success at the Asian Games, there are several sports whose results contribute to the qualification process for the Paris 2024 Olympics, such as judo, sailing and triathlon, and we wish these sports well," Al Tayeb added.

The UAE first participated at the Asian Games in 1978, in Bangkok. At the last Games, in 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, UAE returned home with its biggest medal haul winning 14 medals, including three gold medals.