Ellecia Saffron has been a resident of Abu Dhabi for 16 years and opted to represent the UAE rather than Australia.
Ellecia Saffron has been a resident of Abu Dhabi for 16 years and opted to represent the UAE rather than Australia.
Ellecia Saffron has been a resident of Abu Dhabi for 16 years and opted to represent the UAE rather than Australia.
Ellecia Saffron has been a resident of Abu Dhabi for 16 years and opted to represent the UAE rather than Australia.

Bronze-medal winning UAE kayaker hails Abu Dhabi as 'paddling world's best kept secret'


Paul Radley
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The first woman to represent the UAE in kayaking hopes she can inspire more female participation in the sport after taking bronze on her international debut for the country.

Ellecia Saffron finished third in the masters’ category of the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in Perth last weekend.

It was the first medal the country has won at an international event since the Emirates Canoe and Rafting Federation started entering competitions in 2022.

Originally from Australia, Saffron opted to represent the UAE having lived in Abu Dhabi for the past 16 years.

“I love the UAE,” Saffron, 40, said. “People have asked, ‘Why did you represent the UAE?’ Australia had around 300 people in their team, and in the UAE, we had three.

“I would really love to help promote the sport, especially for women, and help lift the profile. It is such an amazing sport and has given me so much.

“It has helped me through tough times, and has given me so much joy and so many wonderful times.

“I love being out there doing what we do, but the thing that matters most to me is the community. It gives you purpose first thing in the morning, and 20 or 30 people to have a coffee with afterwards.

“All the efforts that have been made in setting up the Emirates Canoe and Rafting Federation and setting this team up, I want to support that. Hopefully by entering as a UAE competitor, I can do that.”

Saffron is only new to the sport herself. She first took it up during Covid when she was caught in Australia by travel restrictions, as it was one of the few activities still permitted during lockdown.

In less than three years she has become proficient enough to take a podium finish at an international event, having already previously placed at the gruelling 52km Moloka’i to Oahu race in Hawaii.

Ellecia Saffron after finishing third at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championship in Perth. Michele Eray, of the United States, took gold
Ellecia Saffron after finishing third at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championship in Perth. Michele Eray, of the United States, took gold

She juggles training around running her own business advisory firm, Maysaffron, and after returning from Perth she was straight into working with her clients at Cop 28.

“I was just going to the gym a couple of times a week,” Saffron said of how she first came to kayaking.

“I had never raced or done any of this sort of thing. It was new to me. What prompted me was a friend of mine was trying it during Covid, so I used that opportunity to try it as well. I picked it up and became addicted very quickly.

“I can’t believe I only took it up three years ago. I wish I had discovered it sooner. I moved here when I was 24. Think of all those afternoons I could have been paddling.

“There are amazing conditions here. Abu Dhabi is the paddling world’s best kept secret.”

In little time, she began competing in the Shaw and Partners Australian Ocean Racing Series.

Ellecia Saffron only took up kayaking three years ago as it was one of the few sports accessible during Covid
Ellecia Saffron only took up kayaking three years ago as it was one of the few sports accessible during Covid

She also raced in the event which concludes that series the week before she represented the UAE in the World Championships in Perth.

Because the field for that race is international, she had an idea of where to benchmark herself ahead of the competition, and she says she was aiming for third place.

Although she achieved it, she was not aware of doing so at the time, having completed the 22km race in a touch over 1 hour 48 mins.

“I’m not very good into a headwind as some of the girls are heavier than me and my boat combined, and I am not that strong as I am still new to the sport,” she said.

“I fall behind in the 2km headwind, then am trying to catch up when we turn into the downwind, and can reduce the space between me and the others.

Ellecia Saffron on the water during the race in Perth
Ellecia Saffron on the water during the race in Perth

“My goal was to get the bronze as I knew there were two other girls who were probably stronger than me in the category.

“I came in thinking that I probably hadn’t got where I wanted to get, and that is OK. I didn’t have a great exit from my boat, but I still sprinted up and as I crossed the line they announced it.

“I didn’t hear it but all my friends that were there grabbed me and said I had got it. It was an exciting moment.”

The other members of the UAE team in Perth, Dubai-based Balazs Bartfai and Fraser Hallatt, finished 20th and 21st respectively, in the junior race.

Yaser Alkatheri, the president of Emirates Canoe and Rafting Federation, said the performance of the three competitors shows the progress the sport is making in the country.

“Their success is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and the supportive paddling community in the UAE,” Alkatheri said.

“It’s an exciting time for the sport in the nation, and these achievements are sure to inspire a new generation of paddlers.”

yallacompare profile

Date of launch: 2014

Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer

Based: Media City, Dubai 

Sector: Financial services

Size: 120 employees

Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)

Last-16 Europa League fixtures

Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)

FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm

Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm

Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm

Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm 

Thursday

Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm

Sevilla v Roma  (one leg only)  8.55pm

FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm 

Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm 

The stats

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Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

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Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)

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

Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate 

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

Like a Fading Shadow

Antonio Muñoz Molina

Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez

Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)

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Remaining Fixtures

Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final

Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

Updated: December 07, 2023, 1:02 PM