Obaid Sultan, who founded basketball at Al Wasl

Obaid Sultan Al Shamsi, vice-chairman of Al Wasl, spent his life within the club's walls for many years, growing up on a love of Al Wasl, and founded basketball at the Wasl house in Zabeel, Dubai.

Al Shamsi excelled as a boy, as a young man and as a leading player across the club's teams and the various national squads — and more than that, he was a coach and administrator of the first rank. History records that Al Wasl have a long association with the game: it is enough to note that the first three basketball league titles went to the yellow of Al Wasl.

Across his journey in the game he passed many milestones, which we trace here with Obaid Sultan Al Shamsi — player, coach, administrator and today a senior figure at Al Wasl, one of the important sporting fortresses of the United Arab Emirates. The Basketball Association's website was keen to conduct this extended interview with him.

Interview: Safaa Amer

Al Shamsi began by paying tribute to the federation under Major General Ismail Al Qarqawi, president of the UAE and Arab federations, for what it is doing to keep the game on the path of development.

How do you see the difference in administrative work at the clubs?

Administrative work at the clubs has changed from the past and is now harder than it was. Things were much easier before; now matters have become more complicated. There are players, federations, clubs, boards, coaches and other problems that need rapid intervention and resolution.

What is your story with this game?

I played it for many years, then moved into coaching after retiring. I coached the youth national team in 1986 and coached Al Wasl's teams for six years, but work commitments did not allow me to continue coaching, so I moved into administration in 1991, working as administrator of the first basketball team and then as a board member at Al Wasl for many years.

Which sport did you start with at the club?

In the past we played more than one sport, and I had a passion for many — basketball, volleyball, even athletics. We were allowed then to take part in more than one game.

And how were you with basketball?

I founded the game at Al Wasl. It is true I played football, basketball, volleyball and athletics, but I found myself best suited to basketball, and it gives me great pleasure that I played every sport at the club.

What was the game like in its early days?

Honestly, schools played a large part in its flourishing then. School competitions had real intensity and strength — things that have changed a great deal from where we are now.

How deep is your love for the game you have spent your life in?

I lived the finest days of my life with basketball, and today I regard it as one of my children. I am completely attached to a game through which and with which I won many titles.

What is the difference between past and present in the game?

In the past, love and passion for the game and the club were the foundation, and the affection among our generation of players was considerable. Things are different now — material considerations dominate. It is true the technical side is better today, but the bond among the players and generations of the past was far better than now. Back then all our ambitions were with the club and how to win titles, and there were players such as Sultan Al Manaei, Ahmed Jasim, Abdullatif and Hamdan Saeed who carried real weight on court; no player of the following generations has yet matched what they produced.

Why do we see Emirati referees and coaches turning away from basketball?

The low financial return is the root of it on both counts. The federation used to organise training camps and referees' courses abroad, but the situation has changed given federation budgets that cannot provide them. And despite the smaller population in the past, the number of players in every one of the club's teams was large — not only in basketball.

What sources can be drawn on to develop sport, including basketball?

In the past competition in the schools basketball league, for example, was extremely strong. I see schools as the source and the important sporting treasure that should be the focus. More than that, the sports halls in schools should be used to develop sport and broaden the base in every game — except football, which has dominated and affected the rest of sport negatively.

What challenges do you see facing basketball?

Every other sport suffers because of football, which has overshadowed them all, and that is not healthy, because the players in the other sports are all Emiratis and have the right to the same attention football receives. We are not asking for parity with football, but at least for the other sports to be looked at differently — for a basketball player to be released for the evening so that he can attend training. As it is, the team and the coach's plans suffer from three or four players missing every day. We are not asking for full release, only the evening period, and the full day of a match.

Why have the crowds drifted away from the game?

Scheduling is a very important factor, along with the need for our local media to take an interest in broadcasting matches live. Every effort must come together for the game to develop and succeed.