The great strides taken by the UAE in the development of ice hockey can act as a catalyst for an explosion of interest in the sport across the Gulf region, according to the country's top coach.
To help this growth, the Emirates has invited teams from Kuwait, Qatar and Oman to take part in the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Tournament for the Capital Cup, a 12-team competition to coincide with the 40th National Day anniversary celebrations.
"The UAE have a well-funded and well-structured development programme and already have taken the sport to a new level, not only in the region but in Asia," said Matti Fagerstrom, the head of coaching for the Abu Dhabi Ice Sports Club, the official body for the sport in the country.
He doubted other countries in the region can match UAE's development strategy, which is based on the recommendations of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
"I know the national team of Kuwait has the potential to improve, but I am not too sure if they have the same kind of backing the UAE enjoy," said the Finn, who travelled to Kuwait as the UAE coach for the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia in April.
"I am not sure of their junior programme, but they have a strong senior national team. They have got the infrastructure, an Olympic-size rink and a smaller area for skating. So, if they want to develop and popularise the sport, they can.
"I have been to Qatar but there the game is more of an expatriate sport. I travelled with the UAE Under 18 team and their [Qatar's] juniors were under prepared. They were beginners and lacked proper preparation.
"Qatar have also got a problem because their rink is in a mall and the demand for it doesn't provide the ice time for hockey."
Fagerstrom said the Capital Cup, currently underway, was another chance to create awareness and enhance the popularity of the sport. "More competition means more playing opportunities," he said.
"This competition is different to the league and you get to play some unknown teams as well. The format also allows the weaker teams an opportunity to win."
The competition is to be contested in three divisions according to the strengths of the team.
The Union 40 Cup will be for the top four teams in the Emirates Hockey League (EHL) - the Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Al Ain Theebs.
The second division is for the Theyab Awana Cup and the lower division for the Saeed Al Noubi Cup, named after the two young footballers who were killed in car accidents recently.
The Al Ain Vipers, Qatar Qanucks, Dubai Buds and Moosehead of Kuwait are the middle division teams while Godfather, Gensler, Wadi Dogs of Oman and Qatar Qanucks are the four teams in the lower tier competition.
"We have had two similar events staged by a private organisation but this is the first time by us," said Ali Al Hosani of the ADISC.
"We are hopeful this competition will become an annual one in our calendar of events.
"This is a good start, and we would like to see it grow as well.
"And perhaps, someday, draw top flight international teams."
In other newse, the EHL Under 20 season starts on November 26 with four teams in taking part, two from Abu Dhabi, Storms and Shaheen and one each from Al Ain and Dubai, Theebs and Sandstorms.
Fagerstrom said: "The junior league will be worked off in the same format as the seniors with each team playing 18 games in the group stage.
"And since there are only four teams, all four will go into the play-off with the top team playing the bottom team and then the second versus the third."
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The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
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Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETuhoon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYear%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFares%20Ghandour%2C%20Dr%20Naif%20Almutawa%2C%20Aymane%20Sennoussi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ehealth%20care%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E15%20employees%2C%20%24250%2C000%20in%20revenue%0D%3Cbr%3EI%3Cstrong%3Envestment%20stage%3A%20s%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
