Russia’s Sergei Nikitin in action against Turkey during the U23 World Championship final at Al Nasr in Dubai on Monday. Courtesy FIVB
Russia’s Sergei Nikitin in action against Turkey during the U23 World Championship final at Al Nasr in Dubai on Monday. Courtesy FIVB

Russia’s golden generation makes statement after clinching U23 volleyball world title in Dubai



DUBAI // Russia will have their sights set on their first world title three years from now after winning the FIVB men’s Under 23 World Championship in emphatic style on Monday night, with a 3-1 win over Turkey at Al Nasr Club.

Winners of the past two U-21 World Championships, in 2011 and 2013, Russia have yet to win a world title at the senior level, though they dominated the men’s sport as a part of the former Soviet Union, winning six Men’s World Championships.

As Russia, their best chance came in 2002, when they reached the final in Argentina, but they were edged out 3-2 by Brazil. The performance of this current generation suggests that Russia’s wait for a senior men’s world title could be over soon.

The top-ranked team in Europe, Russia reached the semi-finals with an unbeaten record, beating heavyweights such as Brazil (3-1), Argentina (3-2) and Turkey in the group stages before defeating Italy 3-0 in the semis.

In the final, they managed to defeat Turkey again, winning 26-24, 16-25, 25-18, 26-24 in an exciting encounter.

In the earlier matches, Italy beat Cuba 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-23, 25-21) to take third place, while defending champions Brazil defeated South American rivals Argentina 3-1 (25-19, 25-18, 30-32, 25-22) in the race for fifth spot. Iran, the Asian champions, beat South Korea 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 17-25, 25-15) to finish seventh.

Coming here after winning the Pan-American title in the United States two weeks ago, Brazil had high hopes of defending their title here, but they made some errors that proved costly, coach Roberley Leonaldo said.

“We are, of course, disappointed with our results here,” Leonaldo said. “Two weeks ago, we played really well. The Pan-American Cup was a preparation for this tournament, but one of the problems we faced here was the quality of the competition.

“In a tournament like this, where you are playing five matches in six days, you do not have time to recover. So there is a lot of pressure.

“We had our opportunities, but we made crucial mistakes at crucial times. You cannot afford to make such mistakes at this top level of the sport.”

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Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

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Cryopreservation: A timeline
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  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
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NINE WINLESS GAMES

Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace (Oct 27, PL)

Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal  (Oct 30, EFL)

Arsenal 1-1 Wolves (Nov 02, PL)

Vitoria Guimaraes 1-1 Arsenal  (Nov 6, Europa)

Leicester 2-0 Arsenal (Nov 9, PL)

Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Nov 23, PL)

Arsenal 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt (Nov 28, Europa)

Norwich 2-2 Arsenal (Dec 01, PL)

Arsenal 1-2 Brighton (Dec 05, PL)

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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
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Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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