Game on: UAE Sports Day kicks off in Abu Dhabi this week

UAE National Sports Day will swing into action this Thursday - and the sky is the limit when it comes to the entertainment on show.

Good sports of all ages will be able to try their hand at everything from roller hockey through to archery, while they will also need to have their eyes on the skies as thrill-seekers from Skydive Dubai will be dropping in at Zayed Cricket Stadium in style.

A grand total of 47 free sporting activities will be on offer at the Abu Dhabi venue from 9am until 11pm.

A UAE Walk of Tolerance will take place at 9.30am, with people invited to step up and take part in a 2.5km stroll around the stadium to kick off proceedings.

The fun and games will include a human chess challenge organised by Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club, ladies' running sessions organised by Fatima bint Mubarak Academy and fitness classes led by Abu Dhabi Ladies Club.

The UAE Women’s National Team will be inviting people to learn how to play table football while the Future Falcons will also be driving up interest in golf.

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School uniforms report

UAE parents angry at rising cost of 'poor quality' school uniforms

On Women's Day

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The biog

Name: Sari Al Zubaidi

Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati

Age: 42

Marital status: single

Favourite drink: drip coffee V60

Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia

Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude

How to invest in gold

Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.

A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.

Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”

Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”

Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”

By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.

You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.

You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.

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