Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan dominated the Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championships at the Le Meridien in Dubai.
The championship for the first time had a prize fund of $600,000 up for grabs in the youth and juniors, and the two Central Asian nations shared a big slice of that by racking up 36 golds from the available 51 in the two categories.
Kazakhstan won eight golds in the male and three in the female youth category while Uzbekistan bagged three in the male and five in the female.
The Uzbek juniors took six golds in the male and three in the female, while Kazakhstan four each in both the male and female.
Fifteen nations sent their boxers to the championships hosted by the UAE Boxing Federation.
“It was a difficult task to organise this championship due to the Covid restrictions but we are happy with the smooth running of this event,” Anas Al Otaiba, president of both the Asian and local federation, said.
“We considered that we should use this opportunity and give boxers the possibility to compete and practice in a very safe environment. The venue was at the same hotel where all the athletes lived.
“Everybody said that it was good competition and we hope everybody has gained something from this event.
“We see how AIBA supports these championships. They offered cash prizes for the medallists and this means a lot because it encourages the boxer to give their best on the ring. The bouts were very competitive and it was really hard to determine the winner sometimes.”
The 25 youth finals in 13 weight divisions took place on Sunday after the 26 junior finals on Saturday.
It was the very first time in the Asian boxing history, two age groups, the juniors and the youths, participated in one championship.
The 10-day championship drew 293 male and female pugilists, including 17 from the host nation.
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
