Dubai, UAE – 13 July, 2025: Hayat‑backed squad of recipients and donors aims to boost organ‑donation awareness across the Middle East
When the 25th World Transplant Games (WTG) open in Dresden, Germany, on 17 August 2025, the United Arab Emirates will march into the stadium for the first time. The seven‑strong contingent, competing under the banner of Hayat, the National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, marks a milestone in the country’s drive to normalise organ donation and celebrate life after transplant.
The biennial Games, running until 24 August 2025, are expected to draw about 2,000 transplant athletes from 60 nations. They showcase the resilience and athleticism of people who have survived life‑saving surgery and of the donors who made that possible. World Transplant Games Dresden 2025World Transplant Games Federation 
“Worldwide, only ten percent of patients who need an organ receive one,” notes Dr Ali Al Obaidli, chair of the UAE National Transplant Committee. “Our goal is to build integrated systems that allow everyone to exercise the right to donate and to save lives.”
Hayat has united federal agencies, private hospitals and community groups since 2020. The programme’s latest partners include Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, whose chief executive Dr Georges‑Pascal Haber says the team “embodies medical innovation and the boundless potential of the UAE.”
Meet Team UAE
- Hind Juma: living kidney donor who gave her mother a second chance at life in 2022 and now returns to the sprint track.
- Katie Larkins: liver‑transplant recipient and team manager; saved through the first organ exchange between the UAE and Kuwait in 2021.
- Omar “OT” Tom: Sudanese‑Ugandan creative entrepreneur and two‑time kidney recipient, entered in the 100 m and 200 m.
- Fatima Rashid: kidney recipient turned road‑runner and field athlete.
- Justin Anthony: South African double‑lung recipient who overcame pulmonary hypertension.
- Husena Beguwala: double‑lung recipient focused on raising mental‑health awareness.
- James Larkins: living‑donor supporter travelling with the squad.
For African expats in the Gulf, Tom and Anthony are familiar names: both have spoken publicly about transplant journeys within the diaspora community. Their inclusion underscores the UAE’s multicultural health story, where expatriates make up almost 90 per cent of residents.
More than medals; from transplants to triumphs
While the squad hopes to bring home hardware in athletics, tennis and cycling, the main objective is visibility. “We want to show the next patient on a waiting list that a full, active life is possible,” says Larkins. The Games’ global television and social‑media reach will give Hayat an opportunity to direct viewers to the UAE’s digital donor registry via the MOHAP app and UAE Pass.
Regional surveys show organ‑donation rates in the Middle East remain well below European averages. Awareness campaigns such as the WTGF’s global Fit for Life! initiative have begun to shift perceptions. The programme encourages transplant recipients worldwide to adopt regular exercise as part of holistic recovery. World Transplant Games Federation The UAE team’s debut, says Dr Al Obaidli, “is the logical next step.”
Training camps are split between Dubai Sports City and indoor facilities in Abu Dhabi to beat the summer heat, with dietitians tailoring plans around immunosuppressant medication. Juma jokes that the group chat “has more protein‑shake photos than Instagram,” but the commitment is serious: all athletes have undergone cardiac screening and renal function tests to secure medical clearance.
Spotlight on the heroes behind the heartbeats
In a country where expatriates account for the majority of transplants, and of potential donors; Team UAE’s presence in Dresden serves as a rallying point. “Transplant surgery is the ultimate act of solidarity,” says Anthony. “If our stories convince even one person to tick the donor box, that’s a gold medal for someone still waiting.”
The delegation will fly out on 14 August and return a week later. Win or lose, their journey adds a powerful chapter to the UAE’s health narrative and offers a timely reminder to African expats that second chances often depend on a stranger’s courage, a courage ordinary residents can demonstrate by registering today.
As Dresden prepares to welcome the world, the UAE athletes carry not only their nation’s flag but the hopes of patients and donors from Johannesburg to Jeddah.
For more information, visit: www.wtgf.org
