UAE Robotics: Unified League Begins and National Team Wins Silver

What happened

• The 2026 Unified Robotics League has started its qualifying rounds in the UAE [1].
• At least 50 per cent of students on each of the 279 competing teams must have intellectual and developmental disabilities [1].
• The league involves 1,007 students from 254 schools across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Dhafra, Dubai, and Sharjah [1].
• Qualifying rounds are scheduled as follows: 54 teams in Al Ain on October 26 and 27; 18 teams in Al Dhafra on October 29; 80 teams in Dubai on November 1 and 2; 25 teams in Sharjah on November 3; and 102 teams in Abu Dhabi from November 4 to 6 [1].
• The league is part of the Special Olympics UAE Unified Champion Schools programme [1].
• ADNOC is the strategic partner supporting the league [1].
• A 14-member UAE robotics team won silver in the Winning Alliance finals at the First Global Challenge 2026 in Incheon, South Korea, competing against teams from 187 countries [2].
• The silver-winning team members include Shreya Binoy Nair, Hriday Pritam Garud, Arjun Sandesh Potkar, Aryav Karmakar, Maahi Gera, and Liam Fernandes from GEMS Modern Academy; Ryan Rony Richard from GEMS Founders School Dubai; Fazil Tafseer from Dubai British School Jumeirah Park; Rayaan Kadernani and Asiru Asiru from Dubai College; Sandra Nair and Zaki Hashim Thottathikulam from DPS Dubai; Mohamed Aamir Nazaif from GEMS Cambridge International School, Abu Dhabi; and Yuvaan Amit Deshpande from Raffles World Academy [2].

Who is affected

Students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities are participating in the Unified Robotics League to work together on robot design, coding, and technological solutions [1]. Talal Al Hashemi, the national director of Special Olympics UAE, stated that the league builds self-confidence, strengthens teamwork, and helps build school communities [1].

According to organizers, the league has grown from 142 teams from 142 schools in the 2023–24 season to 202 teams from 165 schools in 2025 [1]. Last year, the competition attracted more than 1,600 participants [1]. Teams in the current league are assessed on technical performance, innovation, collaboration, presentation, and communication across different age groups [1].

In the international competition, the 14 students mentioned above represented the UAE in South Korea [2]. Unique World Robotics provided training and mentorship for these young talents [2].