The 2017 WorldSkills competition in Abu Dhabi formally kicked off tonight with a lavish ceremony at the du Arena on Yas Island.
Around 10,000 competitors, skills experts, officials and supporters from 60 countries and regions around the world looked on as the 44th WorldSkills competition - the first to take place in the Middle East - was opened.
The competitors took to the stage in a “parade of nations”, while the ceremony also included performances from a 100-member choir, made up of local and international residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), along with a dance performance portraying the role skills have had in the development of the UAE, and an appearance from gymnastic group and Britain’s Got Talent winners Spelbound.
WorldSkills stories
Formally opening the competition, Simon Bartley, president of WorldSkills International, said: “WorldSkills is fast becoming the ‘must-be-at event’ to debate and shape skills around the world.” He also urged competitors to remember the help of their families and experts that got them to this level, and that they “are all champions” who should share their WorldSkills story with others in their home nations.
“The next four days are going to be tough. Don’t forget to enjoy it,” Mubarak al-Shamsi, director general of the Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Actvet) told competitors. They all “deserve to be recognised and celebrated”, he added.
During the coming days, organisers are expecting almost 1,300 competitors, along with 10,000 international visitors and 100,000 visitors from the region. Team UK’s 34 members will challenge themselves against the rest of the world in 30 skills - from painting and decorating to mechatronics and cooking. The team arrived on Wednesday, and has since prepared for a competition many of them have spent over two years preparing for. However, the competitors have also had a chance to gain an insight into life in Abu Dhabi.
‘Itching to get going’
IT network system administration competitor Shane Carpenter said the run-up to the opening ceremony had been “an amazing experience”, but he was now ready to put his skills to the test. “We have been so focused on preparing for the competition for the last two years that now we are here it’s been great that we have also been able to see some of Abu Dhabi and learn about the UAE. Visiting the local school and seeing the children show their support for team Uk was really special. But as a team we are fired up and ready to go, bring on the first day of competition!”
And Kaiya Swain, who will compete in beauty therapy, added: “Like the rest of my teammates, we are itching to get going and start the competition. My family have travelled out to support me and it is such a boost to know they are here as they have been supporting me for the last two years, pushing me on when the training became really tough. I’m here to do my best. The competition is tough, but I know I couldn’t have done any more.”
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