PHUKET, THAILAND // The UAE jiu-jitsu contestants will be in the spotlight on the opening day of the fourth Asian Beach Games at the Patong Beach in the popular tourist resort.
The Emirates are well-represented with 10 men and one woman competing in the sport, which is making a debut.
Faisal Al Ketbi, the only Emirati jiu-jitsu black belt, is confident the UAE will have success for a country that has taken a lead role in promoting the sport in Asia.
Having arrived a week early and continuing their preparation at a local gymnasium in Patong Beach, Al Ketbi said he believes the entire team was focused on winning many medals. “We are still not sure of the kind of opponents we will meet but we are ready for the challenge,” he said.
“Everyone in the team is quite experienced and they have trained very hard for the UAE to make a good impression at the Games, which sees jiu-jitsu for the first time.
“I will do everything within my capacity to win and would expect all my teammates to do the same. We want to win as many medals as possible for the UAE.”
Ali Salem was another member of the team who attended a training camp in New York after which he won a bronze medal in the purple belt 70 kilograms at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships in April.
“I travelled with the national team to Brazil for a camp in January and February, and then took part in last month’s Dubai Open, so the preparation has been more than ideal for me,” he said.
“Like me, I would like to think everyone in the team has a good chance of finishing as medallists. The fights at any level are not going to be easy. It is all about how well one can tackle the situations during a fight.”
Shafaa Hassan is the sole flag bearer in the women’s competition but she, too, is confident after having trained for two years.
“I feel this is a great opportunity for me to win a medal for my country in my first time competing abroad,” she said. “Obviously I expect tough competition but I am prepared for the task ahead.
“I want to portray the Emirati women in sports and, hopefully, see my country’s flag fly high at the Games.”
Polyana Lago, her coach, said: “Shafaa has been training under a different coach but she has impressed me in the two weeks I have worked with her.
“She has been doing everything that is required at this stage.”
The UAE has the third highest number of entries after Pakistan (19) and Iran (12) among the 128 entries for the jiu-jitsu competition from 16 countries.
The UAE jiu-jitsu team
Faisal Fahad Al Ketbi (Black belt) 90kg
Ahmed Ghuloom Mazmi (brown) 65kg
Taleb Saleh Al Karbi (brown) 74kg
Saud Abdullah Al Hammadi (blue) 78kg
Khalfan Humaid Bilhual (blue) 82kg
Ali Salem (purple) 70kg
Zayed Rashid Obaid Al Kaabi (purple) 90kg
Eid Salem (purple) 120kg
Saeed Ali Humaid Al Shamsi (white) 60kg
Mohammed Darwish Al Nuaimi (white) 113kg
Shafaa Hassan (white) 74kg
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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
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
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Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
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