SOMALIA’s Akram Afif and Yusuf Abdirisaq propelled Qatar to Asian Cup success

Somali-origin players Afif and Abdirisaq play pivotal roles in leading Qatar to victory in the AFC Asian Cup.

On Saturday, February 11, 2024, the football world turned its eyes towards a historic clash that would etch the names of Akram Hassan Afif and Yusuf Abdirisaq into the records of the AFC Asian Cup lore.

In a match that was anything but ordinary, Qatar’s national team, buoyed by the exceptional talent of its Somali-origin stars clinched their second successive victory in the tournament by overcoming Jordan with a decisive 3-1 win.

Qatar’s triumph was heralded by the remarkable performances of Akram Afif and Yusuf Abdirisaq, whose origins trace back to Somalia, showcasing the diverse and rich talent pool contributing to Qatar’s footballing success.

Akram Hassan Afif emerged as the tournament’s top scorer, remarkably netting three penalty goals in the final match. 

His prowess on the field and his unique celebration, holding up a letter ‘S’ in honor of his Kuwaiti wife watching from the stands, captured the hearts of fans and ignited discussions across social media platforms. 

Afif’s journey from the streets of Doha to becoming a footballing icon is a narrative of determination, skill, and the love for the game.

Yusuf Abdirisaq, on the other hand, fortified Qatar’s defense with his agility and keen sense of play. 

Born in Hargeisa, Yusuf’s path to footballing stardom is a tale of resilience and adaptation. Representing Qatar on the international stage, Yusuf’s performance in the Asian Cup final was a clear demonstration of his defensive prowess and his significant role in the team’s success.

The match itself was a rollercoaster of emotions as three penalties were awarded, leading Qatar to victory. 

Despite the debates, the focus remained on the skillful play and strategic acumen displayed by the Qatari team, particularly its Somali stars.

The Arab media and international press were lavish in their praise for Qatar’s achievement, with special emphasis on Afif’s scoring feat and Abdirisaq’s defensive mastery. 

Their stories of personal and professional triumph resonated well beyond the football pitch, inspiring many young athletes around the world.

Off the field, both players have faced their share of challenges and controversies, such as Abdirisaq’s alleged racial abuse incident, which he and the Qatar Football Association strongly refuted. 

Akram Afif, the son of a former Somali national team player, has football in his blood. His journey from Qatar’s youth leagues to becoming a key player for Al Sadd, and on loan from Villarreal, is a beacon of hope and inspiration for many aspiring footballers in the Arab world and beyond.

Yusuf Abdirisaq’s story is equally compelling, showcasing the potential for football to change lives and transcend borders. From his early days at Al Sadd SC to his loan at Al-Arabi SC and back, Yusuf’s career trajectory highlights the opportunities and challenges faced by players of diverse backgrounds in the world of professional football.

As Qatar celebrates its second consecutive AFC Asian Cup victory, the contributions of Akram Afif and Yusuf Abdirisaq will be remembered as pivotal to this historic achievement. 

Their talent, perseverance, and dedication have not only led their team to glory but have also served as a powerful reminder of the unifying power of sport.

source/content: pulsesports.co.ke (headline edited)

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SOMALIA

YEMEN / EGYPT: Amir El Masry to Star in Biopic of British Yemeni Boxer Prince Naseem aka Naz aka Naseem Hamed

The ‘Limbo’ star will be acting alongside Pierce Brosnan as they follow the story of famed boxer Prince Naseem.

Egyptian actor Amir El Masry is set to star in a biopic of legendary British Yemeni boxer Naseem Hamed, titled ‘Giant’. The movie will tell the story of Hamed’s humble beginnings in the English city of Sheffield, and his meteoric rise to becoming a world champion. Throughout his career, he is coached by former steel worker Brendan Ingle, who is played by Irish actor and ‘James Bond’ star Pierce Brosnan.

Also known as Prince Naseem or ‘Naz’, Hamed also became an icon of showmanship, with his inimitable southpaw boxing style and quick feet, his high rate of knock-out victories, and his elaborate ring entries, arriving on a ‘flying carpet’ suspended from the ceiling and often somersaulting over the ropes.

The casting of El Masry to play Hamed marks his first starring role in a major film production, though he has already landed several major parts in acclaimed series such as ‘The Night Manager’, BAFTA-nominated ‘The State’, and the fifth season of ‘The Crown’, in which he played a young Mohamed Al Fayed. He is also known for his award-winning role in ‘Limbo’, as well as his appearances in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ and Egyptian series ‘El-Brinseesa Beesa’.

source/content: cairoscene.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT / YEMEN

TUNISIA : Jonathan Lourimi on historic Bobsleigh Medal run for Tunisia: “I never thought this was possible”- Gangwon 2024

Final event of bobsleigh competition at 2024 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) sees slider from North African nation pick up silver.

The smile on Jonathan Lourimi’s face said it all.

“It’s history, my friend,” the Tunisian said to Olympics.com after winning men’s monobob silver at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG)  on Tuesday (23 January). It is his country’s first ever medal at the winter edition of the Youth Olympics.

“I never thought this was possible when I started with this sport one year ago. And now I’m here with a silver medal. It’s crazy. And yeah, I’m just going to enjoy the moment,” he added.

Tunisia had never sent athletes to a Winter Youth Olympics previously, and their small band of fans and officials in the Republic of Korea certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves when his second place finish was confirmed at the Alpensia Sliding Centre,

“It never happened before, so they are very happy. I’m very happy and yeah, just unbelievable.”

Lourimi finished 1.33 seconds behind winner So Kaehwan from the host nation, with Chi Xiangyu (People’s Republic of China) taking bronze.

“Today, just the race, I just didn’t focus on any medals or any times. I just wanted to enjoy the time, as I have been doing in training. Enjoy the runs,” Lourimi told us. “I’ve really had fun. Of course, I’ve been focusing a lot on this race, but meeting a lot of new people from different countries and [got the chance to] enjoy with them.”

The historic first medal for Tunisia came a day after Thailand also made history in the women’s race, with Agnese Campeol taking silver for the Asian nation.

For Tunisia’s Lourimi, the next step in his career is clear: “My goal is to be in the real Olympics, so I’m going to work hard for that, now just enjoy the moment, some weeks, and then keep on the hard work and yeah, hopefully I’m there in the real Olympics.”

source/content: olympics.com (headline edited)

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(Handout image supplied by OIS/IOC. Olympic Information Services OIS.)

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TUNISIA

QATAR: Bader Mubarak Al Marri, the Qatari Sportsman reviving the ancient tradition of Horseback Archery

SCENES shines a spotlight on youth around the world who are breaking down barriers and creating change. The character-driven short films will inspire and amaze, as these young change-makers tell their remarkable stories.

Horseback archery stands out among the many equestrian disciplines that combine modern riding techniques and ancient tradition. The sport combines the skill of riding with the precision of archery, and it holds a special place in Arabian heritage.

Archery is difficult enough when stationary, but try doing it while riding a horse travelling more than 30 miles per hour. Qatari horseback archery gold medalist, Bader Mubarak Al Marri, is well accustomed to this.

A life-altering call

Bader took six lessons of horseback riding before giving it up. “What kept me from horseback riding in 2018 was a lack of time, an unfavourable atmosphere and the scarcity of people in the field,” Bader explains.

Bader’s surprising journey to becoming a champion began when he received a surprise call from Fuad Almudahka, the founder of the Equestrian Sport Centre in Qatar.

The life-changing phone call happened in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bader found himself at home with a lot of spare time on his hands at this time, so he decided to take up Fuad’s offer.

“Coach Fuad contacted me saying, ‘Bader, I have workshops in horseback archery. If you’d like to take part, we welcome you at the Horseback Archery Equestrian Centre,'” Bader recalls.

Not good enough

After completing Fuad’s workshop, Bader wanted to enter Qatar’s ‘Al Nashab’ crossbow event. Coach Fuad was against it and advised him to develop his riding skills first.

Undeterred, Bader converted Fuad’s feedback into inspiration and vowed to do his best to improve his skills. “Let me train these two months,” he said to Fuad. “I’ll enter the contest if I improve my horseback riding skills. If I can’t, I won’t,” Bader promised Fuad.

Man on a mission

Bader was a man on a mission. He spent the next two months at AlSamriya Riding School , training in archery once a week and horseback riding for the rest of the week.

With so much training Bader found he had the speed, and precision needed for target archery, also known as Qabak archery. According to the World Horseback Archery Federation , Qabak is a category where the competitor rides the horse at speed and fires an arrow at a circular target at the top of a poll.

Despite being prepared for the tournament, Bader was surprised to have won first place after three rounds. “No way, that’s impossible,” Bader said to himself. “There are more experienced and skilled players in the sport than myself,” he said.

Local to international gold

Bader travelled to Turkey for his first international competition. He didn’t win that time around, but his confidence grew. He aimed to get acquainted with other international archers and gain skills.

“Bader returned to Qatar motivated, and he worked hard for the World Cup qualifiers in South Africa,” recalls Azeez Al Qahtani, a fellow rider and mentor.

Undeterred, Bader used that experience in Turkey to his advantage at the horse archery World Championship qualifiers. “On January 20, 2023, I got first place in the Qabak track held in South Africa,” Bader tells SCENES about his most significant accomplishment to date.

“The gold medal he got was well deserved,” AbdelAzeez says. “Bader winning that medal really makes people wonder, ‘What is this sport?’ Practice makes everything perfect, and Bader is a demonstration of that,” he adds.

‘Arabs were particularly skilled at it’

Various cultures around the world have practised horseback archery for centuries. In Arab history, its roots run deep, and many wish to preserve a connection to an exciting bygone era.

“Previously, it wasn’t a sport. It was for hunting and battle. Arabs were particularly skilled at it,” explains Abdel Aziz. “Today, all the international players who made the sport alive again go back to a specific old Arabic book called ‘Arab Archery’,” he adds.

Even though it has a long history, horseback archery is now considered a modern sport. And Bader hopes his recent success will lead to more riders emerging from Qatar.

source/content: euronews.com / euronews.culture (headline edited)

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QATAR

ALGERIA: Kaylia Nemour, the 17-year-old Algerian World Champion Gymnast

Who is Kaylia Nemour, the 17-year-old Algerian world champion gymnast?

Kaylia Nemour, the 17-year-old Algerian gymnast, won gold on the women’s uneven bars at the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany, marking a milestone in her career.


Evolving within the Avoine-Beaumont club, the Algerian gymnast has established herself as a promising star in the discipline and aims to maintain her status at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Nemour’s participation towards the Paris 2024 Olympics was secured on October 2, 2023, when she earned her place at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, with a silver medal on the uneven bars.

Arriving at the World Cup Final in Germany 2024 as the favorite, Nemour lived up to expectations by scoring 15.433 on the uneven bars, mirroring her qualifying score. Her performance on Saturday not only secured her first place on the podium, but also highlighted her formidable competitiveness on her favorite apparatus.

“Qualifying was particularly successful. One of her best performances ever, a cut above the World or African Championships. She’s matured and grown, which makes the movement even prettier and more pleasing to watch,” explained her coach Marc Chirilcenco to La Nouvelle République.

More competitions to come


In addition to her uneven bars triumph, Nemour is also preparing for upcoming competitions, including the World Cup stops in Baku, Azerbaijan March 7-10, and Doha, Qatar, April 17-20, followed by the African Championships in Marrakech, Morocco April 30-May 7.

source/content: kawa-news.com (headline edited)

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ALGERIA

MOROCCO’s Ilias Akhomach Ranks Among Top 3 Arab Dribblers in Europe

The new Atlas Lion played in Morocco’s first friendly game against Angola and is expected to be present in the second friendly against Mauritania on March 26.

Moroccan international footballer Ilias Akhomach is one of the top 3 most successful Arab dribblers in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season, according to the sports statistics website Sofascore.

The Villarreal CF’s right-winger has no fewer than 39 successful dribbles and comes after Algeria’s Rayan Ait-Nouri with 45 successful dribbles and Jordan’s Mousa Al-Taamari with 40 dribbles.

For the young Moroccan, who is participating in his debut season with the Spanish club, this is a huge honor. His coach Marcelino Garcia Toral has confidence in him because of his rapid rise to the starting lineup.

The 19-year-old player was recently called up by  Walid Regragui, the Moroccan national football team’s coach, to take part in the Atlas Lions’ training camp. 

On his official Instagram account, Akhomach expressed his joy over his selection to defend the Moroccan colors, saying: “Thanks God the dream has come true. I am proud of wearing the national jersey.”

Speaking to the media, the Moroccan player stated: “I always give my all when I play football … Since I was a child, I have always dreamt of being here and the opportunity has come now.” 

Akhomach made his debut in the friendly match against Angola, replacing Eliesse Ben Seghir in the 88th minute.

The game ended with a 1-0 victory in favor of Morocco with Angola’s defender David Carmo scoring an own-goal in the 72nd minute.

Akhomach is also expected to be back in the second friendly game against Mauritania on March 26, which will take place at the Adrar stadium in Agadir at 10 p.m.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com (headline edited)

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Ilias Akhomach during the Morocco-Angola match

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MOROCCO

EGYPT : The record-breaking Freedivers of Egypt

Masters of relaxation: The record-breaking freedivers of Egypt.

When the countdown began, Khaled Elgammal took one final, deep breath before descending without any breathing equipment into the ocean. One minute and 29 seconds later, still holding his breath, the Egyptian athlete had free-fallen to 102 metres (335 feet) – a national record.

But for it to count, he had to reach the surface again. He turned at the bottom of the line and began his ascent – focusing on deep relaxation and the feelings of the surrounding water. In all, he had held his breath for two minutes and 50 seconds.

Elgammal is Egypt’s deepest freediver, and his remarkable achievement set a new national record at the Sharm el-Sheikh competition in October 2023.

“When I came to the surface, it was bliss. It felt amazing,” Elgammal recalls.

Freedivers like Elgammal rely solely on the ability to hold their breath while diving underwater. Through training, these divers master relaxation to slow down their heart rate, allowing them to stay beneath the surface without breathing equipment for minutes at a time. Very deep dives like the one he did recently usually require divers to hold their breath for around three minutes at a time.

The practice of freediving can be traced back to traditional fishing in communities like Asia’s Bajau people, where coastal groups have used freediving to hunt underwater for 200 years. As a sport, freediving is now undergoing record growth, attracting people looking to connect with the ocean and better understand their body’s abilities.

As for Elgammal, he says he was captivated by the unique sensations of diving with a single breath.

“I always say that scuba diving is everything in slow motion; you’re moving slow, breathing slow, and the sound of the bubbles is hypnotising, so everything is in slow motion. Freediving is like you’ve paused… and are the only thing moving down there. So you give yourself the chance to sink within.”

The sport is now growing in popularity around the world. According to AIDA International rankings, 2,889 freedivers registered to compete in competitions in 2023, more than twice the number a decade earlier.

The freediving organisation told Al Jazeera that around 20,000 people have become certified freedivers in recent years. Scuba Schools International (SSI) has similarly seen a steady 10 percent annual rise in the number of people earning their first freediving certification.

Many of these certifications are awarded in Dahab, a bohemian enclave on Egypt’s Red Sea coastline which has become home to numerous freediving schools and elite instructors. Dahab featured a shoreline of palm trees and traditional Bedouin homes just a few decades ago. While still considered a small town today, it boasts a thriving beachfront of Egyptian and international restaurants and attracts a growing crowd from Cairo, Europe and Asia. A handful of luxury hotels have emerged but Dahab still maintains an authentic charm – with herds of goats freely roaming the streets.

It’s also one of the world’s best-known freediving hotspots due to its year-round water conditions and proximity to Egypt’s Blue Hole. Just 20 minutes away by car, the Blue Hole is a famous reef-lined sinkhole accessible from the shore.

Here, divers can descend to around 90 metres (295 feet) – almost the height of the Statue of Liberty.

A heightened state of self-awareness

But what has contributed to the rise of freediving?

The sport is linked to several mental and therapeutic benefits. A 2013 study by academics at ​​Atilim University in Turkey, found that freedivers tend to exhibit lower stress and anxiety levels than non-freedivers.

Carlos Diezel, the manager of Dahab Freedivers, a school that trains divers, explained that much of this is down to “breathwork”.

“The fact that we have to pay attention to our breath, our mind and relaxation when we go down teaches us awareness,” he says. “I believe that part of the problem, statistically speaking, for mental health issues is related to the lifestyle in modern society, that’s leading people to forget or block any kind of self-awareness.”

This heightened state of self-awareness is something that dedicated freedivers like Elgammal strive for. “I’m always aware now of what I’m feeling, what I’m sensing,” he says. “Freediving helped me to connect with myself.”

Freediving’s connection with nature and immersion in water may also contribute to its mental health benefits. Diezel says the most common reasons people sign up for freediving courses are a fascination with the ocean and learning more about themselves.

“They grasp this connection with themselves when you hold your breath and go deep,” he said, adding that students consider it “a ‘deep’ experience – sorry for the pun”.

Social media equally plays a role in bringing freediving to the forefront. Many freediving pictures allude to a sense of freedom, featuring divers among marine life and colourful reefs. The hashtag #freediving has amassed more than 3.5 million mentions on Instagram so far. “It’s getting a lot of attention as it’s quite photographic. Some videos are just mesmerising,” Diezel adds.

Diving safely

Within the existing freediving community, the sport’s surge in popularity brings added responsibility. Considered an “extreme sport”, freediving can be risky if safety protocols aren’t followed, or divers push themselves beyond their physical limits. They can experience oxygen deficiency symptoms like hypoxia and blackouts, as well as pressure-related risks like a ruptured eardrum, an example of a barotrauma.

Contrary to portrayals such as Netflix’s The Deepest Breath, divers losing consciousness – known as blackouts – are relatively uncommon, particularly in recreational diving at shallower depths.

Freedivers are also trained to rescue a fellow diver safely as part of their earliest training, learning to monitor each dive, spot signs of distress and how to react. Under the buddy system, which helps to ensure freedivers remain safe, divers never dive alone.

Tamsyn Signe is a professional freediver who champions safety whenever she enters the water. She has worked as a safety freediver in multiple competitions, and it’s her role to ensure the competing divers make it to the surface safely. Last year, she saved a diver’s life 30 metres (98 feet) underwater in a rare example of a deep rescue.

“As he got in front of me, the lights went out,” Signe recalls, describing the moment the ascending freediver just stopped moving after losing consciousness. At 30 metres below the surface, Signe was also holding her breath. However, she wasn’t thinking about the carbon dioxide building in her body – she had a job to do.

“Everything really slowed down,” she says. “I knew I was his best shot at being ok.” As she’s trained to do, Signe closed his airways with her hands and started finning (swimming up with flippers) with him toward the surface – a tricky job with the added weight of another diver. The competitor regained consciousness after reaching the surface, partly thanks to Signe’s quick thinking and supportive team. He would later reach out and thank her for saving his life.

Signe says the rescue changed her life too, making her more observant and prepared for unexpected risks, but it’s part of the job. Most freedivers believe that practising safety in freediving, such as never diving alone and being trained for rescue, is crucial to the sport’s survival.

But this is not just a tick-box exercise; safety also forges close bonds within the community. “When you go through an experience with people where you could potentially die, there’s some sort of connection that happens that is way deeper and intimate than normal. And those friendships do last a lifetime,” Signe adds.

Responsibilities beyond the breath-hold

Alongside valuing safety, Zahraa El-Husseiny, a freediving instructor and Egyptian national record holder, believes that protecting our oceans is also an important responsibility which comes with freediving. Many freedivers collect plastic they find floating in the water; others, like Diezel, stopped eating seafood after learning about the human impact of overfishing.

As Earth’s oceans face increasing pressures from pollution and global warming, those who rely on the sea will play a vital role in future conservation. First drawn to freediving because she was fascinated with marine life, El-Husseiny tries to teach others about respecting the ocean through her sport.

“We are very connected to the ocean, and we owe it to this to protect it. We know how essential it is to move freely underwater, so… we need to protect it,” she says.

For many, freediving offers a path for self-discovery and a deeper connection to the natural world. As a sport, it’s poised for continued growth in the future.

Freediving isn’t reserved for a select few either, and freediving communities are expanding in many coastal locations. “Everyone can learn how to hold their breath,” El-Husseiny adds.

“Everyone can learn how to enjoy the ocean and the peacefulness of diving. I would like people to know that this is something they can do, learn and progress in”, she says.

Passing on the love of this sport is something many freedivers take seriously. When Elgammal isn’t training for record-breaking dives, he’s working as an instructor and coach. He similarly urges those interested in the sport to “be curious”.

“Relax, enjoy, trust. Think about what you like and try to visualise that feeling.”

source/content: aljazeera.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT

BAHRAIN Grand Prix Wins F1 Award for Innovation

• 2023 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix wins Event Innovation Award at F1 Promoter Awards in London, which recognises exceptional achievements of Formula 1 venues across the world.

• Award recognized several key innovations at Bahrain International Circuit, including the establishment of an industry-leading solar facility.

The 2023 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix has won The Event Innovation Award at the F1 Promoter Awards in London. The ceremony recognizes key achievements of F1 venues across the world, with Bahrain picking up the award for a number of industry-leading innovations over the last twelve months. These included key sustainability initiatives as well as technology developments in areas including race control and traffic management.

The awards themselves are arranged and judged by Formula 1, the commercial rights holder of the sport. Categories are open to all Formula 1 venues from across the world, with a shortlist of three circuits announced in advance of the awards ceremony. Arif Rahimi, Chairman of Bahrain International Circuit, collected the award on behalf of BIC, which was presented by F1’s Chief Commercial Officer, Emily Prazer. The awards ceremony was attended by other senior BIC management, as well as Formula 1 promoters and partners from around the world.

The Event Innovation award was presented to the F1 venue which demonstrated the most significant innovation in their event delivery, commercial product offering or infrastructure. Announcing The 2023 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix as the overall winner, the judges recognized several key innovations at BIC, including:

• BIC’s industry-leading solar production facility: In its first year of operation the solar park at BIC produced over 5 million KWH of clean energy, enough renewable energy to cover all the usage for F1 with significant capacity to spare, the equivalent of offsetting 3,108 tonnes of carbon.

• Innovative energy saving measures: In 2023, BIC undertook a number of measures to reduce energy consumption. This has included a new building management system that efficiently monitors and manages light and air conditioning provision, an upgrade to more efficient air conditioning chillers and the replacement of all street and building lighting to LED lights. BIC’s combined energy saving measures saved over 30% in energy use over the year.

• Innovative technology in race control: In 2023, BIC installed a first of a kind system in the world that links flag digital panels on track to cameras in race control – with the specific camera automatically highlighting the relevant flagged area of the circuit. This saves officials in race control crucial time when looking into incidents.

• Digitalization: BIC introduced digitalized directional signage for fans coming into the circuit, enabling better proactive and efficient management of traffic, which reduced overall traffic queues and alleviated the need for printing materials for temporary signs.

source/content: bahraingp.com (headline edited)

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Promoter Awards

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BAHRAIN

EGYPTIAN-BRITISH: Deena Rahman: Bahrain’s record-breaking trailblazer

Rahman was one of the first women to be paid to play football in Europe – and set a host of records!

  • Deena Rahman owns five Guinness World Records
  • She was one of the players who got contracts when Fulham became professional in 2000
  • Rahman represented Bahrain in 40 matches, and scored 23 goals

In 2000, almost a decade before the English Football Association awarded the first central contracts to women, Fulham Ladies, at the insistence of club chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed, turned fully professional. It was a watershed moment in the history of women’s football. One of the 16 players paid to play professional football, a first in Europe, was Deena Rahman.

Deena Rahman’s career has since become one of football’s enduring legacies. She has played for the England women’s age group teams, then Bahrain national team. A midfielder during her playing days, the 39-year-old now works to promote gender equality in football while also creating a host of world records. The former Fulham midfielder currently holds five Guinness World Records!

Born to an Egyptian father, Deena Rahman rose through Fulham’s youth ranks, then joined the Arsenal Academy. But she returned to Fulham, and became a member of the team which completed a treble of Premier League National Division, FA Cup and League Cup in 2003. The club became semi-professional soon enough, after three years.

At 15, Rahman made her England U-18 debut. She also represented the country of her birth in two UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championships. However, she retired as a Bahraini player, having scored 23 goals in 40 matches after making her debut in 2011. She is regarded as one of the greatest to have played for the Reds, the nickname for the team from the small Western Asian kingdom.

In her journey – from Fulham to Manama with a brief stoppage in Cairo – Deena Rahman has witnessed a whole gamut of human experience. As a prodigious talent in England, she was a regular at the all-conquering Fulham. But injury and the disbandment of the Cottagers in 2006 forced her to move to Egypt, where she played for Wadi Degla for a brief spell. Another injury sidelined her, and she was back in England.

Then Bahrain came calling, thanks to her association with Arsenal. In 2010, Rahman arrived in the Gulf to work as a coach at Arsenal Soccer School at Soccer City in Janabiya. After five years there, she and her husband Paul Shipwright established their own academy, Tekkers Academy.

Meanwhile, Rahman was also busy creating her own legacy. In 2017, she, along with 32 women from 20 countries, set the Guinness World Record for the highest game of football ever played. And the setting was 18,760 feet above sea level, atop Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania – the highest mountain in Africa.

The following year, Deena Rahman played her part in setting another Guinness World Record, this time for a game of football at the lowest point in the world, the Dead Sea in the Jordan Rift Valley, at 1,412 ft below sea level.

In 2019, Rahman clocked two more Guinness World Records by taking part in a match featuring 822 players during the biggest five-a-side game at Olympic Lyonnaise Training Academy in Meyzieu, Lyon. Then in an exhibition match on the sidelines of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, she got her fourth Guinness World Record as a part of the match with the most nationalities – 114 participants, representing 53 nationalities. In 2020, Rahman secured her fifth record by hammering 7,876 penalties in 24 hours at the Kick Off Academy in Saar.

source//content: fifa.com (headline edited) / Jayanta Oinam

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BRITISH / EGYPTIAN / BAHRAIN

Dubai, U.A.E : Dubai’s Wasl sets new Guinness World Records™ title for ‘Highest Running Track on a Building’

Wasl, one of the largest real estate development and management companies in the region, has set a new Guinness World Records™ title for the ‘Highest Running Track on a Building’. Wasl’s Sky Track, located on the 43rd floor of 1 Residences, the luxury residential tower within the Wasl1 master development, exemplifies Dubai’s commitment to promoting fitness and healthy living and encouraging residents to pursue an active lifestyle.

Situated 157m above the ground, Sky Track is a 335m rooftop track where fitness enthusiasts can enjoy a unique experience surpassing a traditional gym workout. Walkers and runners alike are able to enjoy unrivalled views of Dubai that include Burj Khalifa, Zabeel Park, The Dubai Frame, Sheikh Zayed Road, old Dubai, and the Arabian Gulf.

The global fitness industry has seen significant growth in recent years aligned with increased awareness of the importance of physical activity. Community events organised in Dubai such as the 30-day Dubai Fitness Challenge have succeeded in inspiring residents to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Responding to this societal shift, Wasl prioritised health and well-being in its innovative development process by building the most iconic running track in the world. 

His Excellency Hesham Al Qassim, CEO of Wasl, said: “We are delighted to achieve another Guinness World Records title for Dubai. We are humbled that Sky Track has achieved a world record, and happy that it will enhance residents’ daily lives. 1 Residences is a unique development that reflects the vision of our wise leadership in striving for excellence in all spheres. We remain steadfast in our commitment to creating projects that inspire and improve the well-being of residents and communities.” 

Talal Omar, VP – MENA & Türkiye, Guinness World Records™ said: “We are consistently delighted by the ingenuity and ambition of record holders around the world. The achievement of constructing the highest running track on a building is not just a testament to architectural prowess but also to human aspiration. It’s remarkable how boundaries are continually pushed to redefine what’s possible.

This track isn’t just a feat of engineering, but a symbol of Dubai’s commitment reaching for the skies—both literally and metaphorically. We congratulate everyone involved in this monumental accomplishment.”

This is the second time that Wasl has been recognised by Guinness World Records following its ‘Largest Aerial Projection Screen’ record, which took to the skies in celebration of ‘Year of Zayed’ in 2018 to commemorate the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE.

1 Residences is a mixed-use development comprising 753 ready-to-move-in units. Residents can enjoy an array of exceptional dining, leisure, and entertainment facilities within the project, which also features two swimming pools, two state-of-the-art gymnasiums, a podium courtyard, children’s play areas, and BBQ pits, among many others. 

source/content: mediaoffice.ae (headline edited)

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)