First Emirati team to finish among top three in Champion’s Award
Dubai, UAE, Aug 17, 2026: Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation, part of Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, secured second place in Champion’s Award at FIRST® LEGO® League Asia Open Championship 2026, held in Beijing from 13 to 16 August 2026.
The result is the highest placing achieved by an Emirati team in international FIRST® LEGO® League competitions and marks the first time a UAE team has finished among the top three in Champion’s Award.
Champion’s Award reflects a team’s overall performance across the competition’s key areas, including Innovation Project, Robot Design, Robot Performance and Core Values.
H.E. Dr Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Executive Director, Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, said: “We are proud of what our students have achieved in one of the leading international competitions in robotics and innovation. Securing second place in Champion’s Award reflects a high level of knowledge, skills and disciplined preparation, and demonstrates our students’ ability to compete with leading international teams when provided with an educational environment that nurtures talent and creates meaningful opportunities for development.”
H.E. Dr Khalifa Al Suwaidi added: “This achievement is the result of an integrated development pathway that begins with talent identification and continues through training, preparation and participation in local and international competitions. It also reflects the support provided to Emirati talent and the opportunities available to help students develop their capabilities and achieve strong results on international platforms.”
The result followed a competitive journey that began at the local level. Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation team won Dubai FIRST LEGO League competition before being crowned UAE champion for the 2025–2026 season, earning the opportunity to represent the country at the international championship in Beijing.
Ahead of its participation, the team completed a specialised preparation programme at Hamdan Centre for Giftedness and Innovation focusing on robot design and programming using LEGO Education, analysis of the season’s challenges, engineering solution development and Innovation Project. The programme also covered presentation skills for judging sessions, critical thinking, teamwork and communication, alongside competition simulations designed to strengthen students’ readiness for the international event.
FIRST® LEGO® League Asia Open Championship 2026 was held at Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center. The championship was organised by FIRST LEGO League Greater China Committee in cooperation with Huairou District Government in Beijing, under the supervision of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and LEGO Education.
FIRST® LEGO® League combines hands-on learning with robotics, programming, research and innovation. Students work in teams to develop solutions to real-world challenges, design and programme robots, and present their projects to judging panels, developing skills in problem-solving, engineering thinking, creativity and teamwork.
The result reflects Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences’ efforts to identify and nurture gifted students and connect talent development programmes with local and international competitive opportunities that enable students to strengthen their capabilities and expand their participation in scientific and technological fields.