Ice golf in the Arctic, sand rugby in UAE, cricket at Mount Everest and other unique sports venues - in pictures


Paul Radley
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  • Arabic

Sports fans in the UAE have often had to be resourceful when it comes to pursuing their sporting passions.

Some golfers here pitch to browns instead of greens. Macho rugby players, meanwhile, have been known to have to close their eyes when they are tackled, for fear of sand getting in them.

They are not the only ones in the world of sport who have contended with unique playing conditions.

Sand rugby in Ras Al Khaimah

World Rugby’s regulations state the “surface should be grass but may also be sand, clay, snow or artificial grass”, so long as it is safe to play on.

Playing on sand was standard in UAE from the time expatriate oil workers first played the game in the 1960s. Even the Dubai Rugby Sevens did not have grass until 1995.

At present there are no sand pitches, although Ras Al Khaimah played competitive home matches on the beach at Bin Majid Resort between 2016 and 2018.

RAK Goats, in red and white stripes, playing on their sand pitch at the Bin Majid Beach Resort, Ras Al Khaimah. Courtesy of Roger Harrison
RAK Goats, in red and white stripes, playing on their sand pitch at the Bin Majid Beach Resort, Ras Al Khaimah. Courtesy of Roger Harrison

Ice cricket in St Moritz

Slip fielders approach their craft with trepidation in early season matches in the UK, given how frosty the weather can sometimes be.

So what must the great and good of the international game have made of having to field on a snow-covered lake in the Swiss Alps, in sub-zero temperatures?

Virender Sehwag, Shahid Afridi, Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith all played in the Ice Cricket Challenge in St Moritz in 2018.

A batsman walks back after being dismissed in the game between Winterthur XI and Old Salopians XI during the 19th Cricket Tournament on Ice held on the frozen surface of Lake St Moritz. Getty Images
A batsman walks back after being dismissed in the game between Winterthur XI and Old Salopians XI during the 19th Cricket Tournament on Ice held on the frozen surface of Lake St Moritz. Getty Images

Sand golf at Al Ghazal

Sand golf used to abound in the UAE, with a course at Tarif dating back to early oil exploration in the 1950s, as well as ones on Das Island, at Dubai Country Club, and even Abu Dhabi City.

Most have made way, but Al Ghazal, near Abu Dhabi International Airport, still flies the flag for a niche pastime.

Usually golfers want to avoid sand-traps. At Al Ghazal, that’s all there is.

The fairways are made of it, and players carry a mat of artificial turf to hit to greens that are actually “browns” – slicked down with oil to ensure a smooth putting surface.

Basketball on an aircraft carrier

The “Carrier Classic” was a college basketball match played on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, in 2011.

A crowd of 8,111, including President Barack Obama, watched North Carolina beat Michigan State on Veterans Day.

Temporary seating was installed on the flight deck, and play was paused at sunset while the sailors conducted the retiring the colours ceremony.

Ice golf in the Arctic

Uummannaq, a town of around 1,000 inhabitants in Greenland, has played host to the World Ice Golf Championship since 1999.

It is around 800kms inside the Arctic Circle, so it stands to reason the weather gets a little chilly.

Temperatures can be around -50°C. Players use coloured golf balls, so they are not camouflaged against the snow, and long spikes – or crampons – are advisable.

Chip Thompson of the USA in action during the Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship in Uummannaq, Greenland. Getty Images
Chip Thompson of the USA in action during the Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship in Uummannaq, Greenland. Getty Images

Sand cricket in Abu Dhabi

Another item on this sporting bucket list that is unique to the UAE – or, at least the Middle East. Oman has, after all, reached the T20 World Cup twice despite having just two turf grounds.

Cricket is a much-loved game in this country, but not everybody gets to play on grass.

Many Friday morning games from Abu Dhabi to Ajman are played on concrete wickets inside a sand field.

Unlike in the game’s traditional form, the outfield is rolled flat, rather than the pitch.

Sand cricket pitch at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Courtesy photo
Sand cricket pitch at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Courtesy photo

Singapore floating football stadium

Often used as a football pitch, but The Float at Marina Bay in Singapore has many uses.

It is the world’s largest floating platform, and the stands which look down on it can hold up to 27,000 people.

The area also features in turns 17 and 18 of the Marina Bay Street Circuit where Singapore’s F1 Grand Prix takes place.

Beach cricket in Scotland

Beach cricket is commonly played by holidaymakers, but for a club in Scotland it is far more organised than impromptu pick-up matches.

The Ship Inn are a team who play on Elie Beach, not far from St Andrews, and arrange their matches according to the tide.

Meaning, when the tide is out, they can play, with the central pitch made playable with a light roller.

World’s toughest par three

The Legend Golf Resort in South Africa had 18 renowned international players design a whole each – but it is most famed for its 19th.

Not, as is customary, the clubhouse, but a hole that is claimed to be the “world’s toughest par three”.

It is surely a fair claim, given that the tee box – which is only accessible by helicopter – is 400m metres up, at the top of Hairlip Mountain.

If they can conquer vertigo, the players then tee off to a green shaped like Africa – because, why not? – that is 391 yards away.

So far, in fact, it is said the ball takes nearly 30 seconds to arrive, and spotters have to locate the ball for the players.

A view of the Extreme 19th hole from the tee, Par 3 631m long, where the tee is at the top of Hanglip mountain and the green is the shape of Africa at the Legend Golf Course on the Entabeni Safari Reserve. Getty Images
A view of the Extreme 19th hole from the tee, Par 3 631m long, where the tee is at the top of Hanglip mountain and the green is the shape of Africa at the Legend Golf Course on the Entabeni Safari Reserve. Getty Images

Cricket on Everest

The Everest Premier League is a fully-fledged, T20 franchise competition which international stars like Chris Gayle and Corey Anderson were due to feature in – had the pandemic not hit.

Not that it has anything to do with Everest, per se. The league actually takes place in Kathmandu, around 165kms away from the world’s tallest mountain.

But cricket has been played nearer to the mountain than that – on the Gorakshep plateau 16,945ft up.

Two teams from England played what was, at the time, the highest recorded cricket match – although that has since been bettered, by two teams on Mount Kilimanjaro.

British cricket teams named after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay play a game of Twenty20 cricket at Gorak Shep, a sandy plateau 5,165 metres (17,000 feet) above sea level, near Mount Everest. AFP
British cricket teams named after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay play a game of Twenty20 cricket at Gorak Shep, a sandy plateau 5,165 metres (17,000 feet) above sea level, near Mount Everest. AFP

River football, Bourton on the Water, England

A tradition dating back almost 100 years sees two five-a-side teams play each other on a summer bank holiday on the River Windrush at Bourton on the Water in the west of England.

The water is only ankle deep, so playing a game resembling actual football is just about doable.

Cave cricket in the Lake District

In 2013 teams from nearby towns played the first underground cricket match in a slate mine in the Lake District in the UK.

The pitch was 600 metres inside the mine, the pitch was mesh matting, while pieces of slate were used for the bails.

The fixture took place in December, so well outside the UK’s usual summer window for cricket. It remained unaffected by the weather, luckily …

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The team

Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory 
Videographer: Jear Valasquez 
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory 
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat 
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova 
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi 

 
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LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)

Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)

Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)

Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

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
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier

Saturday results
Qatar beat Kuwait by 26 runs
Bahrain beat Maldives by six wickets
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by seven wickets

Monday fixtures
Maldives v Qatar
Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
Bahrain v UAE

* The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The specs

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Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

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