The next two years are crucial for the Gulf region in its bid to fulfil the lofty ambition of staging a future Rugby World Cup, either in 2035 or 2039, according to the head of Asia Rugby.
The region has already staged a number of top sporting events, including the Fifa World Cup, while major boxing title fights, Formula One grands prix and international cricket tournaments are near annual events.
Qais Al Dhalai boldly claimed that the Gulf is capable of staging “the most successful event in the history of rugby” and believes the time is right for rugby union's showpiece event to be held on these shores
The Emirati is the driving force preparing a joint bid from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to host the Rugby World Cup for only the second time in Asia, after Japan in 2019.
Al Dhalai, who is also vice president of the UAE Rugby Federation, believes it’s time for the quadrennial championship to return to the continent, spreading the sport beyond its traditional heartlands of Europe and the southern hemisphere and provide teams and fans with a new experience.
“The sport should travel around and I feel Western Asia and South America are two deserving host for the Rugby World Cup at some point of time,” Al Dhalai told The National after returning from a private meeting with World Rugby in Hong Kong last week.
“The Gulf joint bid [works] because of the infrastructure and the best facilities for an event of this calibre. Obviously there is a lot of work to be done, particularly over the next two years, if we want to be successful in our bid.
“People forget South America. Argentina is the fifth-ranked team in the world and they had Uruguay and Chile from that part of the world in the 2023 World Cup. And imagine, Chile went into that World Cup having beaten USA and Canada.”
With the next two World Cup hosts already decided – Australia will stage the 2027 event and the USA in 2031 – Al Dhalai believes the Middle East should be the next stop in 2035 or 2039.
“The Rugby World Cup needs to evolve as a global show, and I believe the joint bid by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar has the experience, expertise and the means of staging several world-class events should be considered,” he said.
“Qatar were hosts of the 2022 Fifa World Cup and they are bidding for the 2036 Olympics, while Saudi Arabia has successfully won the bid to stage the 2034 Fifa World Cup. The UAE is a hotspot for several world-class sporting events.
“They will have all those infrastructure and everything that you need to host a Rugby World Cup either in 2035 or 2039.”
For the bid to be successful, World Rugby would most likely need to change its rules on allowing UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to play at the World Cup as hosts. None of the three prospective hosts have ever participated at a Rugby World Cup. At 48, the UAE are the highest-ranked side of the three. Qatar are 87th while Saudi Arabia are unranked.
Every World Cup host has played at the Rugby World Cup since the first edition in 1987.
I’m in favour of co-hosting that allows fans to visit two or three match venues in different countries
Qais Al Dhalai
Al Dhalai is hoping to prepare a bid to impress all member nations.
“It’s too early to reveal many details as we are still in a very early stage but we’ll have a presentation bid prepared to befit our actions,” he added.
The Rugby World Cup has a history of joint hosts with Australia and New Zealand co-hosting the inaugural event in 1987 followed by France, England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland in the next edition.
“I’m in favour of co-hosting that allows fans to visit two or three match venues in different countries and a change of environment for the participating nations,” Al Dhalai added.
“So, we’ll seek the support of the world governing body for the sport and member countries to garner the support for this exciting project. Hopefully, we’ll achieve our objective.”
SPEC%20SHEET
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Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
THREE
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Honeymoonish
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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
MADAME%20WEB
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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.
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 285bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: TBA
On sale: Q2, 2020
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Not Dark Yet
Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer
Four stars
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