ABU DHABI // Residents seeking an adrenaline rush went head to head yesterday to be crowned winner of Yas Waterworld's Survival of the Fittest challenge.
Contests included jousting, competitive cake eating, paddling and puzzle.
Nineteen four-member teams from UAE colleges, universities and clubs, plus entrants from radio competitions and Facebook fans, took part.
Joanne Warburton, 32, of Dubai, was part of the Radio One team.
"We have not done much preparation but we hope we are fit enough anyway," the Briton said. "It should be a good event."
Her daughter Lily, 6, bellowed support from the sidelines.
"I came to cheer my mum on," she said, having saved her biggest cheers for the jousting event.
American Kristin McGehee, 29, a teacher at the Institute of Applied Technology in Abu Dhabi, was part of Team Periodically. "We are really excited - we came here to win."
Fellow team member Michelle Bresloff, 38, a nursery teacher at Sheikh Zayed Private Academy, said the team had been training for the event.
"We are all fit anyway but I thought it would be a fun way to challenge myself," she said.
The elimination rounds began with teams having to throw as many balls as they could into rubber rings.
Entrants then took part in a paddling race on a two-man tube before jousting on a paddle board.
But it was not all about physical prowess. Entrants in the semi-final had to prove they had a strong stomach by taking on a cheesecake-eating and giant slushie-slurping competition.
Billy Graham, of Team Bokiwi, braved the cheesecake challenge - eating three huge slices against the clock before passing on the baton to teammate Jeremy Manning for the slushie challenge.
Together they helped get their team to the final.
"It was awful by the time I had got to the third piece," Mr Graham said. "But we got to the final so I am reasonably pleased."
As the sun beat down on the water park, cheering crowds gathered to offer their support. "I have never seen anything like this before," said Emirati Mohammed Zem, 27, who watched the event with his friends."It is amazing."
The final task involved swimmers racing to retrieve clams from the bottom of a pool that fitted together to form a puzzle.
Teammates then worked together to solve the puzzle, with those that were able to put all the pieces together quickest walking away with the title.
The Come Alive team of accountants claimed first prize.
Team members Chris Fraser, 28, Sean Hutchinson, 30, Moose Miller, 32, and David Prokopiak, 28, were delighted with the win.
"We're very happy," Mr Fraser said. "It was harder than we thought."
Prizes included annual membership to Yas Waterworld, a night stay at Yas Viceroy, passes to Ferrari World, and golf passes for Yas Links.
"We are obviously a fitness-orientated destination so we wanted to encourage the community to get active in a fun and challenging way," said Tim Mow, Yas Waterworld park manager.
jbell@thenational.ae
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
