Sebastian Coe, the Olympic gold champion turned sports businessman, believes Dubai could eventually be in a position to stage the Olympic Games if it wins the right to host Expo 2020.
Speaking exclusively to The National, Lord Coe said: "Expo would show Dubai can deliver. There is absolutely no reason why the Olympics should not be an ambition for Dubai going forward."
But he warned that staging the games is a challenge. "Nothing is more complicated than the Olympics. The challenge is to operationally integrate 13 days of competition, effectively putting on 26 simultaneous world championships. It is not a walk in the park.
"The first question you have to ask is why you want to do it. It's not enough just to answer that it's a big sporting event. You have to ask what you leave behind after the games are over," he added.
Lord Coe, who masterminded the campaign to hold the 2012 Olympic Games in London, backed Dubai to win the contest for Expo. "It's an important event to host. It has the ability to show all that's good and vibrant in a community. I wish them [Dubai's Expo team] well in their campaign. It is very important for the city.
"But you can't run before you can walk. It's important to show you have a track record in managing and delivering a big event. The Olympics has a whole other tier of complexity compared with Expo," he added.
As executive chairman of the sports and entertainment group CSM, Lord Coe has travelled to the UAE and other Arabian Gulf countries as the region increasingly flexes its financial muscle on the global sporting stage.
He backed the decision to award the 2022 Fifa World Cup to Qatar, despite criticism of the award process and the country's ability to stage the competition in the summer.
"I'm pleased the World Cup is in Qatar. If we're going to extend global competitive sport, you're going to encounter challenges, be they climatic, cultural or sporting.
"As regards the climatic conditions, it will require global discussions on timetables and events. You cannot just refuse a country because it is the wrong time of year," he said.
"But it's not for me to make the judgement on whether or not there should be a winter World Cup. If you're going to include new parts of the world, you've got to accommodate them, and that's the responsibility of the federations, the media and the sponsors," he added.
Recent years have seen a surge in sporting interest in the Arabian Gulf region. Many big sporting events and organisations have sponsorship or ownership ties with Gulf entities, including Abu Dhabi's ownership of the Manchester City Football Club, Emirates Airline's commercial ties with Arsenal and Real Madrid, and Qatar's ownership of Paris Saint Germain and links with Barcelona.
Lord Coe said: "Sport is global now. I'm not surprised European-based sport has proved an attractive proposition for global investors. I'm a bit of a free marketeer, I believe the market should be allowed to reach its own level, that is the nature of global investment. You cannot artificially manipulate the market, any more than you can stop footballers from asking for so much money."
His company, CSM, offers advice to governments and private enterprises on staging big sporting and entertainment events, concentrating on what he calls the "legacy structures" behind such events.
"What is important is what you leave behind and how it impacts on communities in the future. I've been chairman now for six months and it is very exciting," he said.
fkane@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
