The UAE earned seven medals, including three gold, from their seven-member contingent at the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union (JJAU) South and Central Asia qualifier in Bangalore on Sunday.
Taleb Al Karbi, Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Ahmed Ghuloom emerged winners of their weight divisions, at 69, 75 and 65 kilograms, respectively.
Nasser Rashid (70kg), Saif Al Qubaisi (77kg) and Hamdan Al Balooshi (86kg) took silver, while Mohammed Darwish (94kg) settled for a bronze after a shoulder injury ruled him out of a semi-final bout.
“The results of our team weren’t a surprise as we were by far the most experienced among the countries we competed against,” said Al Karbi, in his first competition since he was elevated to black belt after his triumph at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Championships Masters 1 division in April.
“Still, it was very tough as we could only win three gold medals from our seven entries. It only goes to show how fast the others are catching up, and my guess is that the bar will be raised at the inaugural JJAU Asia Cup in Jakarta in October.”
The UAE have taken the lead in promoting the sport throughout Asia and putting forward jiu-jitsu for inclusion at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
It is a remarkable achievement, considering that the JJAU was established only in January 2014. It is headed by the Emiratis Abdulmunem Al Hashmi and Fahad Ali Al Shamsi as president and general secretary.
“Our primary task is to promote and develop jiu-jitsu throughout the continent, and we are achieving our objectives by staging competitions in front of new audiences,” Al Shamsi said.
“It is the first time the union organised a competition in India and had Sri Lanka and Bangladesh taking part for the first time.
“Our objective is to see all 37 member countries taking part at the inaugural Asian Championships in October, which will be a forerunner for the Asian Games in Jakarta.”
Jasur Nematov, the president of the Uzbekistan Jiu-Jitsu Federation, who was attending the event, said he believes the Central Asian nation will eventually become a powerhouse in jiu-jitsu.
“The sport has a lot of similarities to the traditional sports in the country, like wrestling, and I would like to think of an imminent transformation to jiu-jitsu, now that the sport is a medal prospect at the Asian Games,” he said.
“We have a population of over 30 million, of which 60 per cent are young people who are very active and love to be involved in sports. We are very hopeful we can attract around a million youngsters for jiu-jitsu.”
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
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Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
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Source: American Paediatric Association
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
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Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
