Why Emirati girls should be encouraged to follow gymnastic dreams

Life as a gymnast wasn’t a bed of roses for British Olympian Sarah Mercer. Born in South Africa, Mercer spent her childhood years in the United States where she showed a flair for artistic gymnastics.

But breaking into the US national team was a humongous challenge as she needed to first apply for a green card.

And the other option, South Africa (the country of her birth), was in the midst of global isolation due to apartheid.

Desperate to showcase her artistic gymnastics skills on a global stage, Mercer turned to Great Britain.

“At that time representing South Africa in international sports wasn’t possible, so I ended up representing Great Britain because my grandmother was English,” Mercer recalled.

It was with the British team that Mercer competed in two European Championships and became the World School Games champion at the age of 15.

And then in 1992, the Durban-born gymnast finally realised her Olympic dream by competing in the Barcelona Games where her greatest moment was exchanging high-fives with the Dream Team (the star-studded US national basketball team featuring Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson).

Now a Dubai resident, Mercer dons the hat of the head coach at Wellfit with the aim of producing elite international gymnasts.

However the 49-year-old admits to facing challenges as most UAE residents still let their children do gymnastics only as a recreational activity.

“In this country, the level is not the same as you would expect in other countries because 1, there is no federation, and 2, gymnasts disappear during the summer months,” she said.

"When a gymnast takes three months off, that means there is no high level gymnastics. You can’t really take a month or two months off."

But Mercer’s concerns over the lack of a national federation could soon be over as Malak Alfarsi, a passionate promoter of gymnastics whose daughter, Lamia Tariq Malallah, is the only Emirati female rhythmic gymnast in the UAE, has been on a mission to help form the governing body for the sport.

Along with her husband, Tariq Ali Abdullah Malallah, Alfarsi says she has had several meetings with the UAE sports officials and government authorities to lay the groundwork for establishing a national federation.

“I am hoping within the next two months we will get the approvals from the UAE National Olympic Committee and then from the FIG (International Gymnastics Federation),” said Alfarsi.

For someone who has dedicated her life to gymnastics in the hope of seeing Lamia represent the UAE at the Olympics, Alfarsi opened up about why gymnastics is such a challenging sport.

“It’s an expensive sport, it’s like doing horse riding, a niche sport. And the technicality is so high that you must start at a very young age. You have to take it up at three or four and start professionally, where the child needs to be dedicated from such a young age, the family needs to be dedicated, it’s a lot of work,” she said.

“It has very specific needs, you can’t miss training, you have to train six days a week, sometimes, seven days. Not every child can go through that.

“So the Emiratis after some time, they give up for two reasons — one it’s too hard and painful for the kids, second there is no federation.”

Having a national federation, Alfarsi says, will be a great boost for any kid who wants to follow in the footsteps of her 13-year-old daughter Lamia, a decorated gymnast with several podium finishes in international competitions.

“There are more than 44 (gymnastics) clubs in the UAE. But we need a federation for the talented kids to pursue the dream of representing the country at big events like the Asian Games and the Olympics,” said Alfarsi who owns the Dubai Youth Olympic School of Rhythmic Gymnastics.

But even with a federation in place, there could be obstacles for young UAE gymnasts due to social norms.

Alfarsi, however, believes nothing is impossible in sports.

“Rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport, so the Emiratis should be more comfortable (in sending their kids to clubs),” she said.

“You don’t have to train with men, you don’t have to compete with men, so it’s easier for you to work in that environment. Not just the Emiratis, but any Arabs or any Muslims from the Gulf countries, should open up.

“You know even Saudi Arabia has a gymnastics federation now. So if Saudi can do it, we can do it too. That’s a big inspiration.

“Your religion is always going to be within you, that is your culture and religious heritage. But when it comes to sports, there is nothing that you cannot achieve.”

Mercer, who moved to the UAE 10 years ago, agrees with Alfarsi.

“I think there is a cultural aspect as well. Now it’s becoming popular, but 10 years ago (in the UAE) it wasn’t seen as a real sport like tennis, golf, football or swimming,” said Mercer who was also an accomplished swimmer in school before turning her focus completely to gymnastics.

“But I think people’s mindsets in terms of gymnastics as a sport are changing now (in the UAE). And, therefore, you see more and more kids becoming involved.”

Unlike swimming and badminton, two disciplines that have seen athletes from the UAE qualify for the Olympics, gymnastics has a long way to go.

But Mercer says it’s not just about producing elite international athletes.

“Gymnastics is good for everybody, you don’t necessarily have to become a champion, you don’t have to be number one. What is important is to enjoy the sport because it’s a good sport for every kid regardless of whether they can go on to become professional or not,” she said.

“The important thing is gymnastics can empower kids and help them to be good at other sports. So, I think as a parent if you want your child to do gymnastics, please encourage and support.

"But don’t push and don’t force. A child should be given the opportunity to follow whatever passion they have as long as it’s their passion and not their parents'’!”