Ministry of Sports Holds First 2025 Customer Council

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Photo: WAM

The Ministry of Sports has started the year 2025 by holding its first "Customer Council" meeting. This special session was part of the Zero Bureaucracy Programme, which is a plan to make government services faster, easier, and better for everyone in the sports field.

The meeting was led by Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, the Minister of Sports, along with Ghanim Mubarak El-Hajeri, the Undersecretary of the Ministry. More than 40 people from different national sports federations also joined the session.

Dr. Al Falasi shared that this first meeting shows how serious the Ministry is about working closely with its "customers" — which means the people and groups who use or help run sports services. He explained that the Ministry follows a team approach, based on innovation, working together, and flexibility.

He said: "Real change starts with the customer. They see the problems every day and can share useful ideas and solutions to fix them."

The Customer Councils are a way for the Ministry to directly listen to the people they serve. These meetings help find what needs to be improved and make processes simpler and quicker. This matches the goals of the Zero Bureaucracy plan, which wants to reduce unnecessary steps and paperwork.

During the event, the Minister also introduced a new digital platform called ‘Sportifai’. This new tool is designed to move sports services online, speed up how things are done, and make it easier for people to access what they need. Sportifai uses smart technology, including AI (artificial intelligence) and data systems, to connect all sports organizations in the UAE.

By using both digital tools and face-to-face meetings like the Customer Council, the Ministry wants to make sure services are easy to use, fair for everyone, and fast. These efforts are made to support the future of Emirati sports and help the country reach higher levels in the sports world.

After the council ended, special teams inside the Ministry began reviewing all the feedback and ideas shared by the sports federation members. The most important and useful suggestions are now being looked at for quick action. The goal is to make services better and improve how things are run.

These Customer Councils are just one part of a bigger plan by the Ministry to:

• Improve user experience

• Cut down extra steps in government processes

• Use less paper and fewer documents

• Make more services available online through smart technology

This step also shows how the Ministry supports the "We the UAE 2031" vision — a plan to make the UAE one of the most advanced and efficient governments in the world.