Paris in summer is the place to be. More so this time as elite athletes from all over the world will gather for the Olympic Games.
The last Olympics was played in the shadows of the pandemic. This time there will be no constraints as the Summer Games return to the French capital for the third time after 1900 and 1924.
The Games will comprise 329 events in 32 disciplines. While the 'core' Olympic sports will be held as usual, fans will get a chance to witness some extraordinary newcomers such as breaking – competitive dance sport – and kitesurfing.
That will not be the only unique aspect of these Games. The event, which runs from July 26 to August 11, has mainly been scheduled around existing venues to keep costs down, which routinely runs into billions of dollars and causes the host nation financial pain for many years.
More than 90 per cent of the Olympic venues are facilities that either already exist or have been assembled just for the event and will be dismantled later.
The Olympic Village has been designed to be turned into a new residential neighbourhood, with more than 2,800 apartments. A quarter of these will become public housing, while the rest will become affordable flats for low-income individuals.
Even the Opening Ceremony is unique. About 10,000 athletes are set to be paraded on more than 90 boats on the Seine river for six kilometers in an open-air ceremony to be held during sunset and last nearly four hours.
Here is everything you need to know.
How many venues are there?
The Olympics will be held in at 35 venues across France, mainly in and around Paris.
Apart from the more traditional and existing venues, athletes will get to compete at some unique locales – like beach volleyball beneath the Eiffel Tower and equestrian events at the Palace of Versailles.
The idea of this Olympics is to utilise or redevelop existing infrastructure and make it as accessible as possible; nearly all venues in the Paris area are within 10 kilometres of the city centre.
How to watch the Olympics in UAE?
The Paris Olympics will be shown live on beIN Sports across the Mena region.
Prize money
Another reason that makes this Olympics unique is that track and field will become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Games.
World Athletics announced it will pay $50,000 to gold medalists in Paris – a symbolic break with the amateur past of the Games.
The governing body of athletics said it has set aside $2.4 million to pay the gold medalists across the 48 men’s, women’s and mixed events on the track and field programme. Relay teams will split the winner's cheque. Silver and bronze medalists will receive rewards from the 2028 LA Olympics onwards.
Security concerns
Safety remains a big concern though. Extremists pose an ever-present danger and French President Emmanuel Macron has said the Opening Ceremony could be shifted to a more traditional venue like the Stade de France if the security threat is deemed too high.
However, organisers are moving forward with their open-air ceremony plans. About 45,000 security personnel will be deployed. Also, the airspace and all airports within a 150km radius around Paris will be closed for the ceremony.
Athletes
At the end of the day, the spotlight will be on athletes. American gymnast Simon Biles and track star Sha'Carri Richardson will be some of the biggest names on the field. Tennis greats Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be seen together for possibly the last time at Roland Garros, aiming for glory among a vast pool of over 10,000 athletes.
The Arab world will be well represented across various disciplines.
In track and field, three-time high jump world champion and reigning Olympic gold medallist Mutaz Barshim of Qatar will look to continue his reign in the discipline.
Saudi Arabian taekwondo standout Donia Abu Taleb has realistic medal hopes in the women's event, as does Jordan's Julyana Al Sadeq.
In tennis, Egypt's Mayar Sherif and Tunisia's Moez Echargui will be going for glory at Roland Garros.
The UAE will be there at the games as well, having qualified for equestrian showjumping and judo.
Safiya Al Sayegh, 22, sealed a historic qualification for the Paris Games. The 22-year-old is the first Emirati woman, and just the second rider from the country, to qualify for the road race at the Olympics.
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%0D5pm%3A%20Deerfields%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(Turf)%202%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Taajer%2C%20Richard%20Mullen%20(jockey)%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Ketbi%20(trainer)%0D%3Cbr%3E5.30pm%3A%20The%20Galleria%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Zafaranah%2C%20Antonio%20Fresu%2C%20Musabah%20Al%20Muhairi%0D%3Cbr%3E6pm%3A%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(T)%201%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Ifahat%20Du%20Loup%2C%20Abdul%20Aziz%20Al%20Balushi%2C%20Sulaiman%20Al%20Ghunaimi%0D%3Cbr%3E6.30pm%3A%20Mazyad%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Majalis%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%0D%3Cbr%3E7pm%3A%20Dalma%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Bassam%20Al%20Wathba%2C%20Bernardi%20Pinheiro%2C%20Majed%20Al%20Jahouri%0D%3Cbr%3E7.30pm%3A%20World%20Trade%20Centre%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Fawaareq%2C%20Dane%20O%E2%80%99Neill%2C%20Doug%20Watson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (PA) Group 1 | US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) Listed | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) Conditions | $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
