Dubai has introduced a new accreditation programme to verify the qualifications and employment records of people working in the emirate’s sports and fitness sector.
The Mu’Ahal programme will initially be mandatory for fitness trainers, personal trainers and fitness facility operators.
Dubai Sports Council launched the scheme with DataFlow Group at Hamdan Sports Complex on Thursday.
Under the programme, qualifications will be checked directly with the organisations that issued them. This will include professional certificates, education records, employment history and work licences.
Verified staff will then be added to a central register available to Dubai’s 53 registered sports federations, as well as academies and fitness facility operators.
Each certificate will only need to be verified once. The record can then be accessed through the TrueProfile.io platform without the holder having to submit it again.
The programme includes a target for academies and technical staff to meet international compliance standards by the end of that period.
Ali Omar Al Baloushi, director of sports development at Dubai Sports Council, said the checks were intended to improve standards and protect athletes and sports organisations.
“The launch of the Mu’Ahal programme is a fundamental pillar for establishing institutional excellence and ensuring the quality of technical and training talent working in our sports sector,” Al Baloushi said.
“We aim to provide a safe and professional sports environment that protects athletes and institutions.”
Sunil Kumar, chief executive of DataFlow Group, said checking documents with their original source would remove the reliance on copies and information supplied by applicants themselves.
The council plans to extend the programme beyond the fitness industry. Later stages are expected to cover coaches, physical education teachers, sports club staff, athletes and people involved in organising events.
The accreditation process may also include criminal record and background checks, digital fingerprint verification and assessments of whether documents are genuine.
