Imagine a cross between surfing and skateboarding taking place on a swiftly-moving sheet of water being pumped out over a curved surface. If you can picture this, you've just envisaged flowboarding.
While the sport may be relatively unknown, its popularity is rising fast. Now, the people at Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi are hoping that the UAE will produce a new crop of homegrown world class flowboarders.
They’ve just hired the world's best flowboarder, Clayton Barker, to work full-time at the water park to help train future champions.
The aim is to enter the most promising talent into the World Flowboarding Championship, which are scheduled in to take place at Yas Waterworld on October 26.
"We’re breeding a community of like-minded individuals who will push each other to progress their skill levels in the sport of flowboarding,” says the park's marketing manager, Ryan Watkins.
Training sessions will take place at Yas Waterworld every Wednesday from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and Saturdays from 8am to 11am.
For more information, visit www.yaswaterworld.com
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
German plea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the German parliament that. Russia had erected a new wall across Europe.
"It's not a Berlin Wall -- it is a Wall in central Europe between freedom and bondage and this Wall is growing bigger with every bomb" dropped on Ukraine, Zelenskyy told MPs.
Mr Zelenskyy was applauded by MPs in the Bundestag as he addressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz directly.
"Dear Mr Scholz, tear down this Wall," he said, evoking US President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
