Mubadala, an Abu Dhabi based investment and development company, in partnership with Aldar Academies and Zayed University, organised a series of activities encouraging children and young adults to adopt healthy and active lifestyles.

Mubadala also partnered with Inspire Sports Management to host a series of health and wellbeing activities featuring former world number one tennis champion, Monica Seles.

Over 1,000 students from six Aldar Academies schools participated in a day of activities including friendly matches with Seles and a variety of fun activities designed to improve their tennis skills.

Seles engaged hundreds of Emirati female students in an inspiring talk at Zayed University where she spoke about the importance of prioritising healthy lifestyles, her experience as a professional tennis player and the hardships that influenced her life decisions.

Nadine Saleh, head of Social Development and Partnerships at Mubadala said “Mubadala is committed to encouraging young people across the nation to understand the importance of wellbeing and keeping fit and active.

“We are proud to have developed a unique program in partnership with Aldar Academies that allows us to leverage visits by inspiring sporting personalities to motivate students to lead healthy lifestyles. This is a natural extension of existing initiatives such as the Mubadala Football Tournament and Mubadala Tennis in Schools.”

Seles is in Abu Dhabi for the Inspirational Women of Fitness event, which is organised by Inspire Sports Management and sponsored by Mubadala to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8.

Nilay Ozral, chief executive officer of Aldar Academies said: “At Aldar Academies we place great emphasis on sports and encouraging our students to embrace the opportunities they afford. This is reflected throughout our six B and A Rated schools.

“We are thrilled that our partnership with Mubadala enables them to meet one of the world’s greatest sportswomen. Monica Seles is a role model for all, not only for her prowess as a tennis champion but also as someone who has faced up to, and conquered, great adversity.”

Last year, Mubadala hosted a session with Laila Ali, the four-time boxing world champion who spoke to Emirati students about following their career dreams and fitting exercise into their daily routines.

Aldar Academies is a leading provider of private world-class education in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. – TradeArabia News Service