Dubai Rugby Sevens will add 16-team netball tournament to schedule in December

DUBAI // The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens is one of the most popular and eagerly anticipated events on the Dubai sporting calendar, and this year promises to be even bigger and better with the announcement that for the first time ever the event will also feature a netball tournament.

The three-day annual sporting extravaganza, being held this year from December 3-5, is now in its 46th year and attracts the world’s best players vying for honours in the Men’s and Women’s Sevens World Series, as well as over three thousand players in 250 teams in the Invitation Tournament.

In a decision which reflects the growth and diversity of the event, joining them at the Sevens this year will be over 16 netball teams playing for the inaugural netball trophy.

“The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens is not just about the rugby, although of course that is the centrepiece of this iconic event,” Emirates Group spokesperson Gary Chapman said.

“This event is significant in that it showcases Dubai, and brings the city together like no other event on the sporting calendar. It is a celebration of sport and plays an important role in attracting visitors from around the region and around the world, and the addition of the netball tournament will increase the appeal and reach of the event even further.

“We are very proud of our reputation as a great event for families and for those who are not necessarily die-hard rugby supporters. Embracing the whole community and providing exciting and innovative entertainment and services for all the family has always been of paramount importance to us.

“We are pleased to announce the inclusion of the netball tournament which we believe is an important step in providing even more opportunities for involvement in this wonderful event.”

Invitation Tournament manager Jill Conlon said: “The Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens is unique in that it is the only event on the Sevens World Series which hosts multiple tournaments concurrently, the Men’s Sevens World Series, the Women’s Sevens World Series and the Invitation Tournament, which now includes the Netball tournament, all at the one location.

“The Invitation Tournament is one of the most prestigious in the world and last year we had a record 223 teams competing across 15 divisions, and we anticipate that the netball tournament will also be extremely popular, both locally and internationally.

“We will be releasing application details on the website shortly, so interested teams can lodge their entries.”

Orders can be placed now on the tournament website for Corporate Hospitality and reserved seating for the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, with general admission tickets available from early August.

In excess of 100,000 visitors are again expected to attend the event and enjoy one of the region’s favourite sporting and social occasions.

For information about the event, visit them online at dubairugby7s.com.

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liverpool youngsters

Ki-Jana Hoever

The only one of this squad to have scored for Liverpool, the versatile Dutchman impressed on his debut at Wolves in January. He can play right-back, centre-back or in midfield.

Herbie Kane

Not the most prominent H Kane in English football but a 21-year-old Bristolian who had a fine season on loan at Doncaster last year. He is an all-action midfielder.

Luis Longstaff

Signed from Newcastle but no relation to United’s brothers Sean and Matty, Luis is a winger. An England Under-16 international, he helped Liverpool win the FA Youth Cup last season.

Yasser Larouci

An 18-year-old Algerian-born winger who can also play as a left-back, Larouci did well on Liverpool’s pre-season tour until an awful tackle by a Sevilla player injured him.

Adam Lewis

Steven Gerrard is a fan of his fellow Scouser, who has been on Liverpool’s books since he was in the Under-6s, Lewis was a midfielder, but has been converted into a left-back.

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Anxiety and work stress major factors

Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.

A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.

Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.

One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.

It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."

Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.

“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.

“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."

Daniel Bardsley

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.”

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