ABU DHABI // The UAE is ready to lend whatever support Qatar may need when its Gulf neighbour hosts the World Cup for the first time.
Qatar stunned much of the football world last month when it won the right to stage the 2022 tournament and, even though the event is 11 years away, there is a massive amount of work to be done.
This includes building 12 stadiums and 36 training sites while 24 new hotels have been proposed to accommodate thousands of visiting supporters from around the globe.
And the UAE is standing by to help, should Qatar need any.
"It is still a long way from now and it's up to the two federations to discuss any logistical issues and, if a need arises, Abu Dhabi will be ready for any contingency plans," Mohammed Ibrahim al Mahmood, secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), said yesterday. However, al Mahmood ruled out the prospect of the two nations jointly staging the event - as Japan and South Korea did in 2002.
"At this moment, we certainly are not any part of Qatar staging the World Cup. They made a successful bid and we are very happy for them. Qatar will obviously take all the laurels of winning the bid and they deserve it.
"Qatar's success is also a boon to the region and you never know of the opportunities that may come our way while our neighbour and brother will host the biggest sporting extravaganza on Earth."
Al Mahmood was not alone in praising Qatar's successful bid. He was joined by Marcel Desailly, the former France football international and a member of the 1998 World Cup winning team.
"I am on Sepp Blatter's side in providing Russia and Qatar with the opportunities," Desailly said yesterday at a media event at the Emirates Palace hotel to announce the nominees for the 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards.
"I truly believe in taking the game beyond the boundaries of the established nations. The football World Cup is not only a great sporting event but it helps to develop the sport in all continents, and I am sure Russia and Qatar and the entire region will hugely benefit.
"I am sure Qatar will take the game into a new level in terms of technology and facilities. A World Cup in the region will also help the sport grow and teams get stronger with the incentive to play on the big stage."
The ADSC's aim, meanwhile, is to make the capital an international sporting hub as well as developing grass-roots talent.
Al Mahmood believes that in less than four years they have showcased more than their fair share of the sporting glitz and helped create awareness among the country's youth.
"The success we have had during this short period is not for us to talk about, but the international events Abu Dhabi has staged in the past three years speaks by itself," al Mahmood said. "We have a full calendar of international sporting events and I can only think it will keep growing in the next few years. Every single international event attracts the world's media and spotlight on Abu Dhabi as one of the most exciting new sporting venues.
"We have a full agenda of events starting from this January and also a few ideas to be implemented, with plans for cricket, one of the sporting events that has still to come under our purview. There is no rush to take all at once, but we will gradually have all the sports under our organisation, mostly to help growth and development at all levels."
The capital's year started with the Abu Dhabi World Tennis Championship that saw top-seeded players Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer feature in the final.
Next is the Abu Dhabi Championship, golf's European Tour curtain-raiser tournament from January 20 to 23. It will be followed by the Laureus Awards in February.
The ADSC's vision is not just to portray the city as a sporting venue for international events, but also to create a sporting culture among the capital's children.
"We have ventured into community sport and we are helping and supporting the local clubs.
"We have created new facilities, particularly individual medal winning sports. We have set up five training centres for the youth to choose from boxing, judo and fencing.
"These facilities are in full swing and now the athletic federation has made a proposal to set up a centre of excellence for women athletes, and it is under consideration."
Abu Dhabi has been the venue for the Laureus World Sports Awards for two successive years and it is likely the presentation ceremony will remain in the capital.
"We haven't had a better welcome and a better host than Abu Dhabi," Dr Guy Sanan, the Laureus chief executive, said. "There are a few cities interested in hosting this event but we will have a talk with Abu Dhabi before considering the other venues."
apassela@thenational.ae
Company%20profile
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Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Avatar%20(2009)
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Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
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'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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