The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani after winning gold in the 50m Rifle 3P SH1 final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani after winning gold in the 50m Rifle 3P SH1 final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani after winning gold in the 50m Rifle 3P SH1 final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani after winning gold in the 50m Rifle 3P SH1 final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

UAE shooter Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani aims for gold at Paralympics in Paris


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The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani is one of the most successful athletes in Paralympics shooting history – and he has his sights set on adding a third gold medal to his collection in Paris.

The four-time Paralympian has won five medals in three different shooting events at the past three Games, including golds at Tokyo 2020 and London 2012 as well as three silvers at the Rio Games in 2016. His first Games were in Beijing in 2008.

Now he is aiming to add to his tally by taking victory at the Games in Paris, which start on August 28.

In an interview with Paralympic.org, Al Aryani said: "I will participate in 10-metre standing shooting and 50-metre shooting, both in rifle, and my goal is to achieve golds, God willing.

"The greatest motivation over the years is that I am a representative of my country, which gave me everything and supported me in every way. Therefore, I can never let my country down and I will do everything I can to raise the flag on the podium.

"One of the best moments an athlete can remember is carrying his country’s flag during the Opening Ceremony. I did this in Beijing, and it is something I will not forget. Also, being the only Arab shooter in that tournament was a great honour and a history that is rarely enjoyed by many."

The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani competes in the R1 men's 10m AR Standing SH1 at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in 2021. Getty Images
The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani competes in the R1 men's 10m AR Standing SH1 at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in 2021. Getty Images

Al Aryani was a member of the UAE shooting team before injuries he sustained in a car accident in 2001 led him to switch to Para shooting.

"Shooting had a major role in overcoming the accident. When you find that what happened did not take away your ability to do what you love, then you have the ability to continue and forget the pain," he told Paralympic.org.

"Shooting is what helps me achieve self-fulfillment and is a source of pride. A lot can be said during this eventful journey, but what I can say is that my determination did not diminish my love for the sport of shooting and my passion for practising it.

"On the contrary, my determination increased and my ability to face the challenges increased, especially with the great support that I found from everyone everywhere."

On his preparations for these Games, he said: "I have been preparing for Paris for a long time through local, international, and regional tournaments, which gave me the opportunity to interact with high-level players from all over the world.

"Now that the event is approaching, I am training regularly and trying to improve my numbers with the help of my coach.

The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani with his gold medal from the men's 50m rifle final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
The UAE's Abdullah Sultan Al Aryani with his gold medal from the men's 50m rifle final at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

"All my achievements make me proud. But of course, receiving a gold medal at such a high level makes me the most proud. It is an indescribable feeling. The Tokyo medal was the most difficult to win. It is natural for competitors to make special calculations for a player who has previously won a gold medal, and thus the competition was much more fierce.

"The whole world during the Covid-19 pandemic was not as we know it. Therefore, the stadiums were not the stadiums that we were accustomed to, not to mention the many precautionary measures that we were taking.

"The lack of fans certainly affected us, as fans in all sports give momentum and motivation. Fans are the only element that do not win titles or awards but continue to provide encouragement and support – that stems from true love for sports and athletes.

"Before Tokyo, the circumstances that occurred throughout the world as a result of the pandemic were difficult for everyone, and this was reflected in the difficulty of competitions and adapting to the special procedures that were followed.

"The lack of fans makes it as if you are in training and not in competition and overcoming that was a big challenge. I am very excited to compete in Paris in front of the crowds again."

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
What is a robo-adviser?

Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.

These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.

Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.

Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

Jewel of the Expo 2020

252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome

13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas

550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome

724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses

Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa

Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site

The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants

Al Wasl means connection in Arabic

World’s largest 360-degree projection surface

WITHIN%20SAND
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Updated: January 08, 2025, 12:58 PM`