The Abu Dhabi Sports Council unveiled a long-term wellness programme on Monday, featuring health and fitness-related activities, as well as a mobile application.
Called the Abu Dhabi 360, the initiative aims to promote a holistic approach to wellness among the capital’s residents, covering aspects such as physical, mental and social well-being.
“Our hope is for Abu Dhabi 360 to spark a movement towards improved wellness — for themselves, their families and the community,” Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of the Sports Council, said.
“It is an inclusive programme that will inspire everyone, regardless of size, shape, age or skill level, to pursue personal wellness and balance, whatever that looks like for them.”
The launch, which took place at the Abu Dhabi Cricket and Sports Hub, marks the start of a host of future events that will engage various communities in Abu Dhabi.
“This is just the beginning, and we are excited to reveal more in the coming months,” said Al Awani.
Wellness pop-up at the cricket stadium
The Sports Council kicked off the emirate-wide programme at the cricket stadium in Khalifa City, giving residents a taste of what's to come as part of the initiative.
Several wellness zones are setup across the stadium, including an open-air gym, a yoga dome, an obstacle course, and a recipe wall, among many other health-related activities.
Physical fitness activities aside, the venue also has two make-shift domes that serve as booths for one-on-one life coaching — an element to wellness that the Sports Council also wants to highlight. There are also games, including a massive chessboard, as well as a modern twist on hopscotch.
Forging a strong community spirit is important to the programme, which the council said is not only about nutrition and fitness, “but also mental health and social connection”.
Finding 'what makes you happy'
The emphasis on a 360-degree approach is echoed by Amna Raisi, who has worked for years in the field of wellness as a yoga instructor, and more recently a certified life coach.
When asked how people could be effectively encouraged to live healthier, she tells The National: "Number one would be finding the right thing for that person. For example, when it comes to physical health, not everybody wants to go to the gym."
"Find that thing that makes you move and makes you happy at the same time," adds Raisi, who owns her own yoga studio in Abu Dhabi.
Aside from a calendar of community events, the council also launched a mobile application to support its mission.
Anyone can download the free app, which will provide users with a resource on how to participate in Abu Dhabi 360 — from a list of fitness challenges to healthy recipes. Users can redeem points whenever they win a challenge and exchange them for prizes.
The app also features a movement tracker, which can be integrated with wearable devices.
The Sports Council hired John Bromley, a British public health consultant and the director of UK's National Social Marketing Centre, to help them design the programme.
“This multipronged, evidence-based programme is designed to help people change their behaviour by providing personalised tools that will empower them to improve their own health,” he said.
“Our aim is to ensure that everyone feels as though they have the capability, motivation and opportunity to be more active in their everyday lives.”
Bromley has previously worked with the Abu Dhabi government on its national healthy eating strategy, which specifically targeted the problem of obesity in the capital.
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Stage result
1. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 3:29.09
2. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto-Soudal
3. Rudy Barbier (FRA) Israel Start-Up Nation
4. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Luka Mezgec (SLO) Mitchelton-Scott
6. Alberto Dainese (ITA) Sunweb
7. Jakub Mareczko (ITA) CCC
8. Max Walscheid (GER) NTT
9. José Rojas (ESP) Movistar
10. Andrea Vendrame (ITA) Ag2r La Mondiale, all at same time
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.”
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