It's the final day of action at the Tokyo Olympics, and the last opportunity for athletes to go for glory.
Below is the list of athletes from the Mena region who will be competing on Sunday.
Athletics
Sapporo Odori Park
The men’s marathon at Sappori Odori Park will mark the start of the final day of the Olympic Games in Tokyo. All eyes will be on Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge, who is the reigning gold medalist and world record holder. Kipchoge aspires to set a new world record in Tokyo but will face stiff competition.
El Hassan El Abbassi, representing Bahrain, could find himself in medal contention. With a personal best only 13 seconds off Kipchoge’s season best time, El Hassan may have a place on the podium.
El Hassan’s compatriots Alemu Beleke and Shumi Dechasa will also toe the line at the marathon. They will be joined by other regional athletes including Moroccan Othmane El Goumri, Israeli Maru Teferi, and Israeli resident and refugee athlete Tachlowini Gabriyesos. While these athletes will have a difficult route to the podium, the brutal heat and humidity in Tokyo could make it any man’s race.
Cycling
Izu Velodrome
Egyptian cyclist Ebtissam Zayed Ahmed will represent his country in the omnium event, which consists of four types of races to be held throughout the day.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Ariake Gymnastics Centre
A team of five Israeli women will compete for a podium in the rhythmic gymnastics all-around final. They will seek to improve on a sixth place finish in Rio and secure Israel’s third gymnastics medal of the games. A strong performance by Israel would establish a new dominance in rhythmic gymnastics following yesterday’s gold medal in the individual event for Linoy Ashram, who will not compete in the all around event.
Closing Ceremony
Tokyo Olympic Stadium
After the final event of the day, the men’s gold medal match in water polo, it's time for the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Stadium. In a nod to the empty stadiums at this year’s games, the concept of the closing ceremony will be “World We Share,” which conveys the idea that even if we cannot all be together, we can all share a moment.
As athletes are asked to return home 24 to 48 hours after their participation at the games is over, much smaller delegations will be present for each country than at previous closing ceremonies.
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The specs
'O'
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China |
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UAE |
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Japan |
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Norway |
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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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The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
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Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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