As the Special Olympics IX Mena Games ends, I feel overwhelmed by the determination of the athletes, with the pride I felt with every single score that was made and with the happiness and joy that I felt by seeing the smiles on their faces. Athletes from 32 different countries have come together to demonstrate to us that the impossible becomes possible when you have the courage to try.
Fifty years ago, Eunice Kennedy Shriver had a vision to make society more inclusive to people with intellectual disabilities through sport. Over the years, the movement has transformed into what we see today, involving people from all over the world. They come together to celebrate the endless potential of human determination.
Mrs Shriver said at the first Special Olympics opening ceremony in 1968: "In ancient Rome, the gladiators went into the arena with these words on their lips: 'let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt'. Today, all of you young athletes are in the arena. Many of you will win. But even more important, I know you will be brave and bring credit to your parents and to your country."
The Special Olympics is more than just integrating people of determination in society. It is about spreading hope and pride. It is about having the courage to push yourself, to know that no obstacle cannot be overcome. Families had a chance to feel proud for their son or daughter as they participated in an event of this calibre. Being different comes with its challenges and misconceptions, The games brought us together to raise awareness and break those barriers. It is the sporting event that is the closest to our hearts.
The event beautifully coincided with the Year of Zayed, our Founding Father, whose vision has made it possible for us to host events like the Special Olympics. Sheikh Zayed built this nation on the principles of respect, tolerance, inclusivity and hope, and the Special Olympics remind us of how much he believed in human potential.
Although I feel sad that this amazing week has ended, I am excited and proud because the Special Olympics World Games will be held in Abu Dhabi next year. We were inspired, moved, filled with hope and confidence in the human determination with the regional games, and we look forward to the world games next year. The Special Olympics is not just about sport, it's about hope, pride and love, it's about determination, courage and potential. We must thank the athletes for teaching us these valuable lessons. They had won our hearts even before the competition started.
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
START-UPS IN BATCH 4 OF SANABIL 500'S ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME
Saudi Arabia
Joy: Delivers car services with affordable prices
Karaz: Helps diabetics with gamification, IoT and real-time data
Medicarri: Medical marketplace that connects clinics with suppliers
Mod5r: Makes automated and recurring investments to grow wealth
Stuck: Live, on-demand language support to boost writing
Walzay: Helps in recruitment while reducing hiring time
UAE
Eighty6: Marketplace for restaurant and supplier procurements
FarmUnboxed: Helps digitise international food supply chain
NutriCal: Helps F&B businesses and governments with nutritional analysis
Wellxai: Provides insurance that enables and rewards user habits
Egypt
Amwal: A Shariah-compliant crowd-lending platform
Deben: Helps CFOs manage cash efficiently
Egab: Connects media outlets to journalists in hard-to-reach areas for exclusives
Neqabty: Digitises financial and medical services of labour unions
Oman
Monak: Provides financial inclusion and life services to migrants
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.5L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh129,999 (VX Luxury); from Dh149,999 (VX Black Gold)
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Profile Idealz
Company: Idealz
Founded: January 2018
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Size: (employees): 22
Investors: Co-founders and Venture Partners (9 per cent)
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
