A senior China Open tennis official said matches would not be stopped for air pollution unless it was so bad that players could not see the ball, following renewed concerns over Beijing’s notorious haze.
Tournament co-director Charles Hsiung said there were no specific measures, such as breathing apparatus, in place for the players despite pollution which is often so high that authorities warn against outdoor exertion.
Smog reached “hazardous” levels at this year’s tournament before clearing during the final days, and one player complained that he vomited after a match because of the haze.
“Compared to many days in the previous years you can see a remarkable improvement in terms of our weather conditions,” Hsiung told a press conference.
“Is there a rule that says (you can play) to a certain level of pollution? Well there should exist some sort of a rule but definitely we did not hit that rule in any way whatsoever.”
When pressed about when play might be halted, Hsiung said: “If the sight of the balls, to the extent that you can’t see the ball, obviously you can’t play. But we are far from that level of pollution.”
Pollution is a chronic problem in Beijing. In 2010 Novak Djokovic said players should have oxygen tanks on court, and two years ago Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt called it “the city that cuts off days from your life”.
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Fans in face masks were again a common sight this year, and world No 42 Martin Klizan said the “extreme smog” made him “cough uncontrollably after every point and I had to vomit after the match”.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was one of three players to fall victim to dizzy spells in the first round, when the haze was high, although one of them, Eugenie Bouchard, was concussed in recent weeks, and Petra Kvitova blamed the glandular fever she suffered earlier this year.
“I don’t know. You know, nothing in me can calculate if it’s enough oxygen for me or not. I just play tennis,” said Tsonga, when asked if he thought it was the pollution that had made him feel faint.
Klizan later deleted his comments, made on Facebook. Most competitors have politely played down concerns over air quality or say that, after several years visiting China, they are used to it.
Hsiung did not detail any special medical facilities for the players but said there were spaces indoors where they can go when the pollution is high.
“We have a lot of indoor facilities which include (a new) gym, so players can really enjoy themselves and do stretching etc indoors, should the weather get so bad,” he said.
“But honestly it’s not really a lot of pollution this year as compared to previous years.”
China hosts a rising number of top sports events, especially tennis, with eight WTA and three ATP tournaments this year.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
