ABU DHABI // The country's first sports-management degree will be launched in September to bring young Emiratis into the growing sector.
Experts say that with the high-profile sporting events here, including the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Dubai Rugby Sevens and several major golf and tennis tournaments, the UAE is crying out for local talent.
The four-year undergraduate degree is being run by the Higher Colleges of Technology in partnership with the Ulster Sports Academy at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.
It will be the country's first such course. The Ras Al Khaimah campus of the UK's University of Bolton was due to begin its own sports degree last year but it has yet to start.
The HCT course is supported by Emirati former champion rally driver Mohammed ben Sulayem.
It will be invaluable for former sportspeople, said Mr ben Sulayem, also head of the UAE's Automobile and Touring Club (ATC).
"At the time you're famous and everyone wants you, it's fine," he said. "But how long does a sporting career span? Ten years?
"Sportsmen are rewarded but imagine if they had the academic background. This is when they should be embarking on their academic career."
Mr ben Sulayem is calling on the likes of Etihad Airways and Emirates airline, both of which are heavily involved in sports sponsorship, to back the course. He is also looking for participation from sports councils and government entities.
"We have to educate the young Emiratis and encourage them to do this," he said.
"For us to take the next step forward in this global sporting industry, we need qualified Emiratis."
The course, which covers areas such as the social science and economics of sport, and sports management, will be taught by visiting staff from Ulster and HCT staff.
Students are already lined up to join the first intake, said Prof Marie Murphy, head of the Ulster Sports Academy.
The academy has been working with the ATC UAE for the past two years on research projects including hydration of race marshals and identifying talent in young drivers.
It is now looking at how schoolchildren develop obesity and type two diabetes.
This research work led to the initial discussions on a sports-management course.
Prof Richard Barnett, vice chancellor of the University of Ulster, said sport was a key economic driver for the UAE, and training Emiratis to run the industry was crucial.
"This [degree] is enabling Emiratis to take up leading management positions," Prof Barnett said.
As in Northern Ireland, the course will have a vocational emphasis "so our graduates can enter the workforce and contribute to economic and social development".
Having trained Emiratis will help the next generation to contribute to the further development of the sector.
At last week's opening address at Abu Dhabi Men's College, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, HCT chancellor and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said students had a big responsibility.
"We expect great things of them," Sheikh Nahyan said.
But sporting venues and events wanting to employ the course's graduates will have to wait.
"I will be needing the first graduates for motorsports," said Mr ben Sulayem.
mswan@thenational.ae
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.
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
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Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
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