Sheikh Khalifa bin Sultan bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, who attended the launch of Adventure HQ's new branch in Yas Mall on Monday, talks to The National about the importance of motivating young people to stay active and lead healthy lifestyles. He also applauds projects such as Adventure HQ's Youth Initiative, where the facilities at the seven Adventure HQ spaces in Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be open for schoolchildren during physical education lessons.
Why do you think initiatives to get children more active should be encouraged?
It’s very important for the community to work together to provide support and motivation for our youth to stay active and healthy. Therefore, initiatives like these should be encouraged and supported as they are very important for our society. The benefits of adopting an active lifestyle are endless – the thrill and excitement of outdoor adventurous sports are second to none.
How do you think parents can encourage their children to lead a more healthy lifestyle?
I am a true supporter of things that start from an early age at home. We need to see more parents leading an active life and motivating their children to do the same. It’s not a short-term thing, it is a long-term objective that stays with a person their whole life. We have been given great vision and support from our leaders and we all contribute as a community.
Do you think that activity centres such as Adventure Zone in Adventure HQ make fitness more fun for children?
Of course – not only do they provide a year-round facility, but they also make staying active fun and exciting, which is great. I commend Adventure HQ for investing in the health of our youth; now more than ever it’s imperative that we encourage exercise for the long-term health benefits.
artslife@thenational.ae
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
