• The Spartan World Championship is taking place in Abu Dhabi in December, the first time it has been held outside of the US. Courtesy: Wam
    The Spartan World Championship is taking place in Abu Dhabi in December, the first time it has been held outside of the US. Courtesy: Wam
  • The Spartan World Championship takes place in the Lima Desert from Dec 3-5. Courtesy: Wam
    The Spartan World Championship takes place in the Lima Desert from Dec 3-5. Courtesy: Wam
  • The Spartan World Championship is taking place in Abu Dhabi in December offering a series of challenges that will test the limits of elite athletes from all over the world. Courtesy: Wam
    The Spartan World Championship is taking place in Abu Dhabi in December offering a series of challenges that will test the limits of elite athletes from all over the world. Courtesy: Wam
  • The Spartan World Championship is notorious for being one of the most difficult races in the world. Courtesy: Wam
    The Spartan World Championship is notorious for being one of the most difficult races in the world. Courtesy: Wam

Abu Dhabi to host first Spartan World Championship outside of US


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

Abu Dhabi's first Spartan World Championship will coincide with the 50th anniversary of UAE National Day.

It will take place in the Liwa Desert from December 3 to 5 and comprise three events – the Spartan Kids World Championship, the Elite Spartan World Championship and the Spartan Team World Championship.

The weather in Abu Dhabi in December is perfect

"The Spartan Worlds is a unique and ground-breaking event taking place at the spectacular Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi," said Aref Al Awani, general secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, state news agency Wam reported.

“The championship will be even grander as it also coincides with the UAE's Golden Jubilee celebrations.”

The tournament, held outside the US for the first time, kicks off with the Spartan Kids World Championship race.

This will be followed by the Elite Spartan World Championship. Regarded as the crown jewel of the weekend, competitors take part in a half-marathon mix of high-speed, leg-burning running and steep climbs.

The event was initially scheduled to take place last year but was postponed due to Covid-19.

Spartan's Director of Business Development Cherie Bortnick explained why the UAE's capital was chosen as this year’s venue.

“The terrain of Abu Dhabi is very unique. Most Spartans around the world take on courses in the mountains, farmland, parks, stadiums, and dirt fields," she said.

“It is few and far between that Spartans experience a desert landscape. Abu Dhabi will have exposed, new terrain that is wholly unique to this region of the world."

It is not only the terrain and location that are different from past events.

“The World Championship has historically been held in September, but as new products and championships emerged, we knew it was time to extend the season and ensure that the World Championship became the last race of the season," Ms Bortnick said.

"The weather in Abu Dhabi in December is perfect.”

The emirate is no stranger to global tournaments and is already home to top-tier competitions such as the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)

Alita: Battle Angel

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson

Four stars

Other promotions
  • Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
  • Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
  • Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications) 
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES

 

June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions

Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained

Defined Benefit Plan (DB)

A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.

Defined Contribution Plan (DC) 

A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.

Specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%20turbo%204-cylinder%20%2F%202.0%20turbo%204-cylinder%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20148bhp%20%2F%20328bhp%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20250Nm%20%2F%20420Nm%20(S3)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20TBA%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule

Friday

First practice, 1pm 
Second practice, 5pm

Saturday

Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm

Sunday

Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

THE SPECS

2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE

Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors

Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode

Power: 121hp

Torque: 142Nm

Price: Dh95,900

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

The essentials

What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

When: Friday until March 9

Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City

Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.

Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.

Information: www.emirateslitfest.com