Fahima Falaknaz, 36, made history last year when she became the first Emirati female boxer to represent the UAE in the Asian Boxing Confederation Championship.
But she is not one to rest on her laurels.
Falaknaz has recently been recruited by Real Boxing Only Gym in Al Quoz to coach a ladies-only boxing and fitness class. Her aim? To break the stereotype that boxing is a "male" sport.
"Anyone can box," she says. "When it comes to sports, there's no such thing as 'male sports' and 'female sports'. Everyone has the ability, the body structure. As a human being, if you are able to freely move your body around, you can box. So, I don't see why some people think it is something a woman cannot do."
As the eldest girl, and the second among eight children in her family, she admits that it took some convincing to get into it herself.
Falaknaz had a keen interest in sports from a young age, taking part in a number of activities – from volleyball or basketball – that were available in her school curriculum. "I also enjoyed boxing and martial arts, but because of cultural restrictions, did not take it any further."
However, in 2016, a fitness company she was involved with introduced an outdoor "Boxfit" class, which she signed up for. For Falaknaz, it was love at first jab. "I enjoyed it so much," she says. "From there, I started improving so fast. Even my boxing partners told me that they couldn't keep up, and advised me to go for personal training sessions instead. I started practising with a trainer, and later discovered Real Boxing Only Gym."
Today, Falaknaz credits boxing with changing her life. Not only has the sport kept her physically fit, it has also had numerous mental benefits including helping her stay focused and improving concentration. “It has made me more dedicated and taught me discipline,” she explains. “In the past, I used to take a long time to make the simplest decisions, but boxing has actually helped me learn to make decisions faster.”
As someone who works a full-time job in customer care, her work can also get stressful at times, and there’s nothing like throwing punches after a long day to release all that tension, she says. “When I get out of the office and into the boxing class, I forget everything. The sessions take all the tension out and make me feel stronger.”
And now she wants other women to reap the same mental and physical benefits of the sport. Falaknaz is aware that some parents – hers included – are not always happy about their daughters joining mixed exercise classes, and that some women may feel uncomfortable participating in sports around men they don't know. It's why she was delighted to hear that Real Boxing Only Gym would be starting ladies-only classes. "I'm really grateful to Michelle Kuehn, the director of the gym, for providing this opportunity for women in the region," says Falaknaz.
While the sessions are open to all women, she especially wants to call upon other Emiratis to step out of their comfort zones, and take up the sport. The classes focus on teaching women the basics, and helping them stay active. “Even if you’ve not done any other sport in your life, you can still start with boxing – it exercises the whole body."
The classes now average about five to 12 women per session, with 50 per cent of the participants being Emirati women. For Falaknaz, it is a sign that times are changing. “Nothing stays the same for long. In the beginning, my family was cautious about me getting into it, but I will continue to work on my journey and do what I have to do, without upsetting them. I don’t want to stay behind as more women get into boxing and achieve their goals.”
Ladies-only boxing classes take place on Saturdays at 4pm and must be booked online per the gym’s Covid-19 precautions. More information on class timings is available at www.realboxingonly.com and 04 272 7774.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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.”
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
