Rugby is set for a return to The Sevens Stadium in Dubai with Olympic gold medallists and defending series champions Fiji the team to beat. Here is the lowdown:
Back with a bang
Following the sport’s debut in Rio de Janeiro last month at the Olympics, fans can take in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series first round, when it kicks off on December 1.
Tasty clashes
The draw for Round 1 of the men’s series took place live on World Rugby Sevens’ Facebook channel yesterday and it looks set to be a thriller, with the announcement of some intriguing match-ups at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens.
Pool A: Fiji, Argentina, Canada, Wales
Fresh from claiming their country’s first Olympic gold medal, 2015/16 series champions Fiji will return to The Sevens as they seek to defend their Dubai title. The Pacific Islanders will enter the competition with a new head coach after Ben Ryan’s decision to bow out after Rio, but they will still be hot favourites to come away with silverware following back-to-back series wins.
Pool B: South Africa, USA, Scotland, 16th team
Olympic bronze medallists, series runners-up in 2015/16 and plate winners in Dubai last year, South Africa will have plenty of motivation heading into the opening round of the series. USA will also be keen to improve on their third-place finish in Dubai last December. Scotland, winners of their first tournament back in May when they beat South Africa at the London Sevens, promise to be a force to be reckoned with in Dubai, especially now that they have tasted victory. An invitational 16th team will be added in due course.
Pool C: New Zealand, England, Samoa, Russia
With Gordon Tietjens no longer at the helm, New Zealand will have a new look in Dubai, and off the back of a disappointing Olympics campaign, motivation will not be in short supply.
Pool D: Australia, Kenya, France, Japan
Finishing eighth in Rio was disappointing for Australia’s men and they will hope to get a good start in Dubai as they look to get back to winning ways. Kenya will be hoping to replicate their winning form shown last year at the Singapore tournament, but they too had a disappointing Olympics.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
