Having lifted her personal best of 95kg in the snatch, Mahassen Hala Fattouh, Lebanon’s first internationally competitive female weightlifter, needed a successful clean and jerk to take a step towards Tokyo.
Hala’s coach had managed to buy her some time. Despite failing the first two lifts of 116kg, he requested an extra kilogram be added to the bar just to give her some breathing space before having to go again.
“At that point, I had to make it or I was out,” she recalls.
As she had done so many times, she got into her setup, finding her grip, straightened her back, and looked forward.
It was a good lift. Relieved, Hala smiled as she dropped the bar, stepped back, and gave a wave to the applauding crowd. Her work was done.
“It was so intense, but so much fun once it was over,” Hala told The National.
That was March 2020, and Hala had just successfully competed in the fifth out of six different meets she needed to be in with a shot of going to the Olympics in the summer. Her final qualifying competition was just one month away.
However, within days of the competition in Cuba, the Covid-19 pandemic arrived, and just over two weeks later on March 24, the Tokyo Games were postponed.
Like the many thousands of athletes, Hala was left with unanswered questions. All qualifying competitions were cancelled as international travel became prohibited.
Months went by and qualifying criteria was revised and updated, as organisers tried to keep up with the changing circumstances and travel regulations. Meanwhile Hala kept up with her training, setting up a makeshift gym in her garage, where she could send video updates of her progress to her coach.
It wasn’t until May 2021 shortly after the (postponed) 2020 Asian Championship that Hala found out that she had done enough to earn her place in Tokyo.
“I was actually sitting on the floor in my room folding laundry,” Hala recalls.
It was only when her husband read through the latest article released by the IWF with new criteria, he realised that she had met the qualifying standards for her 76kg weight category.
Now with the Games just days away, Hala is excited to be on the big stage. Although being in the limelight is not something that has come naturally to her. As a teenager growing up in Florida, she wasn’t particularly sporty or competitive.
“I was always terrified of being in front of people, and having them looking at me."
It was when she discovered weightlifting at the age of 15, that started to slowly change.
“Initially I just did it for fun, I never really expected anything out of it, I just enjoyed it.”
Success in weightlifting is progressive and gradual, building more strength and honing technique. She was fortunate enough to be at a school which had a renowned weightlifting programme, surrounded by a supportive peer group.
"During a time when people were body-conscious, our goal was to be strong and celebrate that strength," she remembers.
After competing in school and in university, Hala took a short break from the sport to focus on her studies. It was when she was looking to get in shape for her wedding that she took it up again, and once more surprised herself with her strength.
“I was getting stronger than I was before. I thought, ‘let’s see where we can take this'.”
It wasn’t long before Hala started looking at bigger competitions and at international meets. After some research, she realised that despite an enthusiasm for strength sports in Lebanon, the country had never produced an internationally competing female in weightlifting.
Seizing the opportunity, Hala made history when she competed in the 2014 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
“It was an opportunity both to do something positive for Lebanon and be proud of my accomplishments.
“I realised I deserved it; I knew then I was good enough to compete at these events.”
She never looked back. Hala went on to compete in numerous regional, continental and world championships, and in 2017 she partnered with world renowned weightlifting coach Ray Jones.
In 2018 she won the first ever international medal for Lebanon in women’s weightlifting, a silver at the Mediterranean games. In 2019, she became the first female Arab Champion for Lebanon at the Arab Championship held in Amman, Jordan.
Looking ahead to the Games, Hala has been tapering down to rest and recover - ensuring that she will be at her peak when she grips the bar on August 1. Hala will be the only representative from the Middle East lifting in the women’s 76kg weight category.
She hopes her participation will set a positive example for Lebanese women. Having spent some of her childhood in Lebanon, she knows that she had a privilege not afforded to many, and looks forward to finding ways to nurture talent in her native home.
“When that time comes, it would be great to set up some camps, and bring in some kids to get involved and figure out a way that if they like the sport, will enable them to keep doing it. To make it so that they too can compete.”
In the meantime, Hala remains focussed on the goal at hand. “It is so hard to put into words, I have been working towards [the Olympics] for so long, that the fact that it is here, it doesn't always seem real. But it’s very exciting and overwhelming in a good way.”
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
More from Neighbourhood Watch
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if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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