Dubai Cameluscious, in purple, lost 5-4 to their younger rivals, Abu Dhabi Storms, in the first official women's game. Silvia Razgova / The National
Dubai Cameluscious, in purple, lost 5-4 to their younger rivals, Abu Dhabi Storms, in the first official women's game. Silvia Razgova / The National

Sport

Warm reception on the ice for hockey women

The game in the UAE has 'taken off like a storm' and many young Emiratis enrolling after the first official match, a ladies league is in the pipeline

Amith Passela
Amith Passela

December 08, 2011

ABU DHABI // Ice hockey in the Emirates has been on an upwards trend since the UAE team's triumph in the Challenge Cup of Asia, which they hosted in 2009.

Following that success, the Abu Dhabi Ice Sports Club (ADISC) was established to oversee the overall development of the sport in the country.

And working on the recommendations of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), it founded the Emirates Hockey League (EHL), which is in its third year, and introduced an Under 20 league that gets underway from Saturday. It also started various age-group competitions in Under nines, 12s, 16s and 18s.

Last week, they broke new ice with the first official women's game between the Dubai Cameluscious and the Abu Dhabi Storms, a team in which the majority of the players are Emiratis, at the Abu Dhabi Ice Rink.

There are more than 50 players in the Storms squad, and the number is growing with several young prospects waiting for their turn to be enrolled, according to Alia Al Alawi, the Storms's goalkeeper. "The game was introduced to us last year, and it took off like a storm, literally," said the 16 year old.

"Almost all of the Emirati players in the team were skating for recreation, and when we were told if we would be interested in playing hockey, most of us liked the idea, and now we really enjoy and look forward for the training we do twice a week."

It was not the Storms' first competitive game, though. They took part in the Asian Cup in Hong Kong last year.

"We were thrown into the deep end straightaway," said Al Alawi. "We didn't win any games and naturally we were not expected to, having never played any competitive matches.

"Yet it was a good experience and, more importantly, it has opened the doors for us to pursue in the sport."

Mariam Al Mazrouie, 15, said she was enjoying the switch from skating for fun to playing hockey, and hopes for opportunities to play more games.

"It's a very exciting time for the Emirati girls with the prospect of playing for the national team," she said.

Kelly Jones, the Cameluscious coach, said the women's game is now on the right track.

"We have around 25 players in training and this number could grow with the prospects of more competitive games. The players are young, keen and looking forward for more competitive matches, and this is the best way forward for any game."

According to Khaled Al Qubaisi, the Storms's manager, a women's league is in the pipeline with the Al Ain Theebs, who play in the EHL, set to form a women's team.

"We are working closely with the IIHF, and to start the women's league is one of their recommendations," said Al Qubaisi.

"We have enough players to have at least four teams. It is a matter of time before we start the women's league."

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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