The UAE came through the final day on the mats to retain their Ju-Jitsu World Championship title for a second year in Abu Dhabi.
Heading the medal table heading into Thursday’s final day, the host team’s adult athletes grabbed two silvers and two bronze medals, taking their medal tally to 53 across five days of competition in the men and women U16, U18 and U21 divisions.
Faisal Al Ketbi finished second in the men’s 85-kilogram weight and Hamdah Al Shkeili in the women’s 45kg. Wadima Al Yafei (women’s 45kg) and Saif Al Hemani (men’s 85kg) bagged a bronze each to round off the host team’s medal haul.
Al Ketbi, the UAE’s most decorated jiu-jitsu fighter, had to settle for silver after narrowly losing out to Australia’s William Diaz in the final.
The UAE ended the championship with 18 golds, 16 silvers and 19 bronze, one medal better than their previous best.
The Russian Jiu-Jitsu Federation picked up 15 golds, 15 silvers and 14 bronze, and Kazakhstan returned with 8 golds, 6 silver and 23 bronze, to finish in second and third spots respectively.
The record-breaking performance provided the UAE's fighters with the ideal preparation for next week's 13th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship at the same Jiu-Jitsu Arena from November 14-19.
“As the defending champions the pressure was on our athletes to perform this week and match the performance of previous years,” Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, general secretary of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said.
“They showed great heart, desire and commitment to not only match previous editions but set a record for the number of medals.
“There are always ways to learn and develop in our sport and this is another fantastic learning experience for our athletes. Winning four more medals on the final day, against some of the very best athletes in the world, is something to be very proud of.
“I congratulate all of the UAE’s athletes and all other athletes from around the world, who travelled to Abu Dhabi and made this one of the most exciting championships in recent memories.
“The hard work of us as a federation and as a team cannot stop now and we look forward to welcoming the world once again for the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship next week.”
The championship saw the emergence of Hamda Al Shkeili, who won a gold and silver medal.
“I couldn’t have wished for this. It was great experience just representing the UAE on this stage. To win a gold and a silver really is a dream come true,” she said.
“This is just the beginning. I must keep on learning, keep improving and I look forward to doing my country proud in future competitions.”
The UAE will host the 27th Ju-Jitsu World Championship in 2022.
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Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
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Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
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Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
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