Squash is fast and highly competitive. If you rest on your laurels it is easy to be left behind. The same applies for players on the hunt for world ranking points. The game moves so fast, if a player does not compete regularly they slip quickly down the pack.
This is the problem facing Abu Dhabi's Aamir Khan. The talented 17-year-old is battling to raise his international profile by competing in tournaments across Europe for ranking points.
Currently 25th in the junior world rankings, Khan is a proven performer, backed up by an impressive sixth-place finish at the Nordic Junior Open Squash Championship in Malmo, Sweden last week.
Sponsorship is his biggest issue. An official squash federation is yet to grace these shores, leaving players like Khan to find their own path into international competition. "It is very difficult to find the money to send Aamir abroad, and that is really the only way for him to get the competitive experience he needs," said his father Iqbal Khan, a squash coach who finances his son's trips for European tournaments.
AD Box Media and Events stepped in to sponsor Khan's trip to the Swedish championship where his sixth place in a field of 64 competitors came in the men's Under 19 event.
"It was a really tough tournament. I had expected to be in the final, but I had cramps in the final game of my quarter final match and I just couldn't hold out," said Khan, who was fasting for Ramadan during the tournament, "it's OK as I came sixth, which is still good. It was difficult to fast and play.
"I was tired and kept cramping in my knees and hands, but I still did well. It is important to have even a little bit of sponsorship. My dad usually has to pay for everything, which is hard. If anyone can give even a little sponsorship it would help."
The sponsorship of Khan is AD Box's latest step in their attempts to help the development of squash. The company recently helped finance the Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan Squash Championship, where 150 players competed at the Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel from July 28 to August 17.
Khan is aiming for a top 10 world ranking by the end of the year, with three tournaments remaining. He will head to Belgium on November 5, then Scotland from December 28 to 31 before the British Open from January 2 to 6, 2010.
"I want to be ranked in the top 10 by the end of the year," Khan continued, "I'm training hard for my final three tournaments. The British Open is a very tough tournament - it's like playing in a world championship. I'm aiming for a top 10 finish there.
"A big problem is not having enough tournaments in the UAE. It is hard to get experience between European tournaments, which adds pressure when you travel abroad. Hopefully one day we will have more sponsorships and more local tournaments, both would make a big difference."
sports@thenational.ae
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Results
4pm: Maiden (Dirt) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Moshaher, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Handicap (D) Dh165,000 2,200m
Winner: Heraldic, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Maiden (Turf) Dh165,000 1,600m
Winner: Rua Augusta, Harry Bentley, Ahmad bin Harmash.
5.45pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,200m
Winner: Private’s Cove, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
6.20pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 1,600m
Winner: Azmaam, Jim Crowley, Musabah Al Muhairi.
6.55pm: Handicap (D) Dh190,000 1,400m
Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.30pm: Handicap (T) Dh190,000 2,000m
Winner: Rio Tigre, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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TYPES%20OF%20ONLINE%20GIG%20WORK
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Honeymoonish
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013