About 3,000 schoolchildren ran in the Abu Dhabi Educational Council Marathon at Yas Marina Circuit and took part in sports such as jiu jitsu and rock climbing. The event was part of Adec’s Champions of Tomorrow initiative. Christopher Pike / The National
About 3,000 schoolchildren ran in the Abu Dhabi Educational Council Marathon at Yas Marina Circuit and took part in sports such as jiu jitsu and rock climbing. The event was part of Adec’s Champions oShow more

Schoolchildren in race to finish line



ABU DHABI // Thousands of pupils sped down the Yas Marina Circuit on Thursday as schools in the emirate took part in an Abu Dhabi Educational Council Marathon event.

The inaugural day of sports and social activities brought in 3,000 primary and secondary pupils from across the emirate to compete in 3km and 5km races. They also participated in other events, including jiu jitsu, rock climbing and dance aerobics.

The event was part of Adec’s Champions of Tomorrow initiative, which aims to encourage sports activity among the youth and create a generation of talented athletes, said Nasser Khamis, director of Adec’s extra-curricular activities department.

“Participation in the marathon and other sporting activities helps youth discover their talent in a particular sport, while educating them on the overall benefits of sports,” he said.

Mr Khamis urged all parents and pupils to participate in events such as the marathon.

The advancement in sports in the UAE has been impressive but events such as the marathon needed to be more frequent and countrywide, said Mohammed Abdulkareem, a physical education teacher at Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib School.

“These events have to spread to the other emirates because although the facilitates are available students could benefit from more encouragement to participate,” said Mr Abdulkareem, who has been teaching at the 10-12 Grade school in Bani Yas for a year.

Mr Abdulkareem said he was impressed with the Emirati pupils’ participation in the event, saying thay 35 out of 45 children he brought to yesterday’s event were UAE nationals.

“Our students are involved in many sport activities and we hold tournaments for them throughout the school year,” he said.

Marwa Mohammed, a physical education teacher at Al Sumou School in Al Ain, said the fact she was able to bring 27 10-year-old girls from the city showed that support for female sports in UAE society was growing.

“Many families used to not want their daughters to get involved in any of these activities and as you see today we brought close to 30 girls to another city,” she said.

Ms Mohammed said she has seen a steady rise in the support of sport activities for young girls by the Government, school administrations and families.

“Our school’s principal fully supports these extra-curricular activities and you see mothers now pushing their daughters to participate more than the fathers.”

Also making the journey from Al Ain was Ahmed Al Gaithi, 10, of Al Sadara School.

The Emirati fifth grader, who was competing in the 3km race, said he and 45 fellow pupils had made the trip and participated in a range of sports during school, including football, basketball and jiu jitsu.

When asked if he stayed active during the hot summer months, Ahmed said the heat did not slow him down at all.

“We play all summer at indoor clubs, so we have fun all year long,” he said.

Mohammed Yihya, a pupil at Al Seddeeq Private School in Al Ain, said his interest in sport started when he moved to the UAE from Yemen seven years ago.

“In Yemen, the schools did not really focus on sports and activities and it was hard to get into a sport even if you had an interest. Here, you can see they take sports more seriously in school,” the 16-year-old said.

tsubaihi@thenational.ae

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Age: 50

Known as the UAE’s strongest man

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Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry

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Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.

It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.

It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.

The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

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(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)

The Perfect Couple

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Tips for used car buyers
  • Choose cars with GCC specifications
  • Get a service history for cars less than five years old
  • Don’t go cheap on the inspection
  • Check for oil leaks
  • Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
  • Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
  • Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
  • Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
  • If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell

Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Company name: Dharma

Date started: 2018

Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: TravelTech

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs

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Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
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UAE Rugby finals day

Games being played at The Sevens, Dubai

2pm, UAE Conference final

Dubai Tigers v Al Ain Amblers

4pm, UAE Premiership final

Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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