In pictures: Meet the UAE Olympic athletes

Mubarak Salem: Discipline Swimming Age 24 From Dubai Beat his long-term friend and rival Obaid Al Jasmi, who was hoping to make it to a third Olympics, to the one wild card place afforded to the UAE in swimming. Success at the Aquatics Centre would be for the breaststroke specialist to better his personal best times.

Humaid Al Derei, Discipline Judo – 66kg Age 21 From Abu Dhabi The diminutive judoka was unaware he had qualified to compete at London 2012 by way of a victory in a match at a competition in France during Ramadan last year. Given that competing in Greenwich was already a surprise, any further success will be a bonus.

Mohammed Abbas Darwish. Discipline Triple jump Age 26 From Dubai With just three years of triple jump experience to his name, Darwish will be unencumbered by expectations – either external or from himself – when he takes to the runway at the Olympic Stadium. He is already planning for greater things for the Rio Games in four years’ time.

Bethlem Desaleyn Discipline 1,500 metres running Age 20 From Addis Ababa, Ethiopia The versatile distance runner, who rarely returns to her native UAE as she prefers to reap the benefits of training at altitude in Ethiopia, attempted to qualify at 5,000m first, but eventually made it in 1,500m instead earlier this year. The Emirati will have outside hopes of a place in the final.

Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum Discipline Shooting – skeet Age 36 From Dubai The country’s flag bearer and its main medal hope. Sheikh Saeed will look to bring to bear the experience of three previous Olympics, as well as an intensive training camp in Italy, as he seeks to become just the second Emirati Olympian to return home with a medal.

Dhaher Al Aryani Discipline Shooting – trap Age 39 From Ras Al Khaimah Al Aryani’s qualification for the trap competition in London means the UAE will have shooters in three separate disciplines for the first time at a Games. He has less expectation on him than his national team colleagues, but his coach thinks he can make the final.

Khadija Mohammed Discipline Weightlifting – 75kg Age 17 From Dubai The Dubai schoolgirl has stated she will be representing all aspiring female athletes in the Gulf, as well as her country, when she becomes the UAE’s first Olympian weightlifter. She learnt she had been selected for the Games while she was leaving an end-of-term Arabic exam.

The UAE men’s football team The squad 1. Ali Kasheif , 2. Saad Suroor, 3. Abdulaziz Hussain Hussain, 4. Mohammed Ahmed, 5. Amer Abdulrahman, 6. Ali Al Ameri, 7. Ismail Al Hammadi , 8. Hamdan Al Kamali, 9. Ahmed Ali, 10. Ismail Matar , 11. Ahmed Khalil, 12. Habib Fardan, 13. Khamis Esmail, 14. Abdulaziz Sanquor, 15. Omar Abdulrahman, 16. Rashid Essa, 17. Mohammed Fawzi, 18. Khalid Essa. Standby 19. Ali Mabhkout, 20. Haboush Saleh, 21. Saoud Saeed, 22. Dawoud Suleiman.

Sheikh Juma bin Dalmouk Al Maktoum Discipline Shooting – double trap Age 27 From Dubai Another Emirati with genuine medal aspirations. Sheikh Juma won gold in the Asian Shooting Championships in Doha in January, and has an inspiration role model with him in London – namely Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher, who won the double trap event in Athens in 2004.