It is a golden moment in UAE sporting history.
The sight of Sheikh Ahmed Hasher Al Maktoum at the top of the podium in 2004, with the Athens Olympic Games’ double trap shooting gold medal around his neck, his eyes welling with emotion and pride as the UAE national anthem played in the background, is hard to forget.
On his return, Al Maktoum received a welcome befitting the young country’s first Olympic gold medal winner. To date, though, that is the only medal, of any hue, UAE has won in eight visits to the Olympic Games since Los Angeles 1984.
This summer in Rio, however, the country could make an addition to their Olympic collection and, unsurprisingly, their biggest hopes are the three shooters in the 13-member UAE squad — Khaled Al Kaabi, Saif Bin Futtais, and the veteran Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum.
More from Rio 2016:
• Meet the team: Profiles on all 13 athletes representing the UAE at the Rio Olympic Games
• TV schedule: Full Olympic schedule and channel listing in UAE time
• Yousif Mirza: UAE's cycling star: Ready to fulfil his Olympic dream and carry the flag for UAE cycling
Two of them — Sheikh Saeed and Bin Futtais — have won medals at World Cup level. Sheikh Saeed, who will be making his fifth consecutive appearance at the Olympics, won the skeet gold at the 2011 World Cup in Al Ain and a silver in Seoul in 2001, while Bin Futtais, winner of the skeet bronze in Acapulco in 2013, took gold two years later in Larnaca, Cyprus, to clinch a spot for the UAE at the Olympic Games.
Bin Futtais also won skeet gold at the Asia Olympic Qualifying Competition in New Delhi earlier this year, and at the same tournament, Al Kaabi took gold in the double trap event, defeating Kuwaiti veteran Fehaid Al Deehani — a bronze medal winner at the 2010 and 2012 Olympics — in the final.
The UAE shooting trio, then, are a proven lot and under the guidance of Sheikh Ahmed, the UAE’s lone Olympic champion, their credentials of winning an Olympic medal seem even better.
At the 2012 London Olympic Games, Sheikh Ahmed’s protégé Peter Wilson won the double trap gold and Al Kaabi, who took up the sport less than three years ago, is hoping to keep that trend going in the same double trap event.
“This is my first Olympic Games,” said the Abu Dhabi Police First Warrant Officer, who has been training in Brazil along with his two UAE teammates since July 24 in a bid to get acclimatised to the conditions in Rio. “I believe there is no pressure on me as I am not expected to win a medal on my debut.
“So my focus will be on performance, and not on winning a medal or finishing on the podium. If I can keep it simple, focus on just my performance and not on the performance of those around me, stay calm and keep the nerves away, I think I can put up a good show.”
A good show could mean a medal, and not many people will be surprised if Al Kaabi does eventually end up on the podium. For, as Bin Futtais said, shooting is probably the only sport where the UAE are on the same level as the world’s best.
“We have sacrificed a lot in this journey to the Rio Olympics,” said Bin Futtais, who was an ace jet ski pilot before he switched to shooting, with Sheikh Saeed being his mentor. “We spent long periods of time away from our families, travelling for tournaments and camps.
“Now, our focus is doing the best we can to make the country proud. Of course, nobody can promise a medal because winning an Olympic medal depends on so many things. But what I can promise the UAE sports fans is I will do my best in Rio, represent my country to the fullest of my abilities, irrespective of whether I win a medal or not.
“The most important thing for me will be to make sure I return from Rio knowing I have done by best as a representative of the UAE. I hope to make the fans proud.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5