Ons Jabeur opens Dubai academy to Special Olympics UAE athletes
Ons Jabeur is helping create more opportunities for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities to play tennis through a new partnership between her Dubai academy and Special Olympics UAE.
“This is our new family,” the Tunisian tennis star told The National, describing a collaboration intended to help athletes enjoy the game, develop their skills and work towards international competition.
The agreement was signed on 11 November at the Ons Jabeur Tennis Academy, based at the Higher Colleges of Technology’s Dubai Academic City campus. Athletes joined Jabeur and the academy’s coaches on court as the two organisations began their collaboration.
Building a more inclusive training environment
The partnership combines tennis expertise with specialist knowledge of working with athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its priorities include developing coaches’ skills, identifying sporting talent and expanding access to ongoing training.
Academy coaches and staff took part in a Special Olympics UAE workshop covering communication, individual learning needs and ways to adapt coaching methods. Practical exercises and case discussions explored how to create supportive environments where athletes can participate and progress.
Talal Al Hashemi, National Director of Special Olympics UAE, said partnerships with specialist academies can help athletes develop their abilities and pursue their ambitions. Jabeur’s involvement will also support community initiatives encouraging more people of determination to take up sport.
For the former world No 2, enjoyment remains central. She said she wanted to share her love of tennis and help players make the most of their time on court.
Playing together through Unified Sports
The collaboration will also introduce the principles of Unified Sports, which brings people with and without intellectual disabilities together as teammates.
The approach uses shared training and competition to build relationships and understanding. In its competitive model, participants are matched by similar age and sporting ability so that everyone can contribute meaningfully.
Special Olympics UAE promotes this approach as a way to expand participation and challenge assumptions about disability. The emphasis is on athletes learning and playing alongside one another, with coaches supporting their involvement.
A world champion among the players
Among those attending was Clari Lehmkuhl, a South African UAE resident who won the women’s singles tennis title in her category at the 2026 BAUHAUS Down Syndrome World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Lehmkuhl also earned silver and bronze tennis medals at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin in 2023. The UAE’s tennis athletes collected three medals at those Games.
Speaking about the opportunity to practise with Jabeur, Lehmkuhl recalled learning to play with her grandfather when she was young. “I feel really proud, I’m grateful to be here,” she told The National.
She also welcomed the prospect of more opportunities to train with specialist coaches, describing tennis as a way to develop confidence, demonstrate ability and enjoy competition.
Looking towards the World Games in Chile
Amr Badawi, Head of Sports and Training at Special Olympics UAE, said the collaboration would support tennis preparation for the 2027 Special Olympics World Games in Chile.
Scheduled for 16–24 October 2027, the Santiago Games are expected to welcome more than 6,000 athletes and Unified partners from over 170 countries across 23 sports. It will be the first edition held in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere.
Alongside that international goal, the UAE partnership aims to bring more athletes into tennis nationwide, connecting opportunities to discover the sport with sustained coaching and development.
