Street cricket in Al Sufouh, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
Street cricket in Al Sufouh, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
Street cricket in Al Sufouh, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
Street cricket in Al Sufouh, Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Claims that sport is elitist are absurd – just ask any cricketer practising on a sandpit in the UAE


  • English
  • Arabic

On Sunday it was April 1, widely known and marked as April Fool's Day, a day for playing pranks or circulating them via the media.

I remember one occasion many years ago when a friend of mine managed to trick a local newspaper – not this one – into printing a story about the discovery of a massive hoard of gold coins somewhere in the Liwa. It was a joke, of course, although it created considerable excitement.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a story in a British newspaper that, had it been published on Sunday, I would have immediately taken to be an April Fool's Day joke.

It wasn’t, though – it was the latest in a long line of examples of the idiocy of political correctness, something of which I am not a great fan.

The headline of the story read "PE lessons are ‘racist and celebrate white privilege'." The story reported that a study by academics at Leeds Beckett University and the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences had come to the conclusion that "traditional school sports uphold elitist ideas that were an extension of nationalism and the British empire".

The report went on to say that the academics involved "claim that giving advice about fitness could be racist by imposing cultural norms".

A former chairman of the UK’s Commission for Racial Equality was quoted as saying that the study was "crazy". I might have used rather different terms but the term "cobblers" comes to mind.

_______________

Read more:

_______________

I have not had the dubious pleasure of reading the full report. If these, though, are the key conclusions of the study, which no doubt consumed a considerable amount of British and Norwegian taxpayers’ money, then I can’t help thinking those funds might have been better spent promoting physical education in schools.

Are great British Olympic athletes like Somali-born Sir Mo Farah endorsing white privilege and racism by inspiring thousands of youngsters of varied ethnic origins to take up competitive sport?

Are Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan cricketing stars of today and yesteryear promoting the ancient concepts of the British empire by enthralling crowds?

When the anti-apartheid movement in Britain, in which I was involved, was campaigning against a 1970 tour by the South African cricket team because it was all white, were we inspired by an opposition to nationalism? No – we opposed the apartheid regime because it excluded great non-white players like Basil D’Oliviera from selection to represent their country.

While sports like rugby, soccer and tennis may have had their birth in Britain and have spread from there to the rest of the world, their adoption by people from other lands, both within and outside the former British empire, surely suggests they were not simply adjuncts to a UK-centric nationalism.

And those south Asian cricket players in the UAE who make good use of car parks, sandpits and other open spaces at the weekend to knock a ball about would surely be surprised to hear that the sport they play is somehow "elitist".

I was never a great fan of PE lessons at school – although I, like others, can derive considerable pleasure from watching top gymnasts. I recognise the real value for children of PE lessons as part of their education.

If that means they also learn about competitiveness, about striving to do their best, as well as being more healthy, so much the better. Yes, there can be ugly overtones to the nationalism expressed by supporters of a nation’s sport teams but that has little to do with the sport concerned, while the idea that promoting fitness is somehow "racist by imposing cultural norms" is, surely, utterly preposterous.

I wish I could convince myself that the study was meant to be a joke. As it is, though, I’ll just have to take it as ignorant codswallop.

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Masters%20of%20the%20Air
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cary%20Joji%20Fukunaga%2C%20Dee%20Rees%2C%20Anna%20Boden%2C%20Ryan%20Fleck%2C%20Tim%20Van%20Patten%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Austin%20Butler%2C%20Callum%20Turner%2C%20Anthony%20Boyle%2C%20Barry%20Keoghan%2C%20Sawyer%20Spielberg%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog

Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981

Profession: Driver

Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)

Favourite drink: chai karak

Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”

Star%20Wars%3A%20Ahsoka%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

While you're here
Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SupplyVan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2029%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MRO%20and%20e-commerce%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

The biog

Name: Salem Alkarbi

Age: 32

Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira

First started supporting Al Wasl: 7

Biggest rival: Al Nasr

All or Nothing

Amazon Prime

Four stars

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20Mandalorian%20season%203%20episode%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERick%20Famuyiwa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPedro%20Pascal%20and%20Katee%20Sackhoff%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199

The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

The lowdown

Badla

Rating: 2.5/5

Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment 

Director: Sujoy Ghosh

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5