UAE Sports Stars

Making Waves

Sultan Hareb is a youngster making waves in a sport that has only seen ripples from UAE competitors in the past. Despite being a nation of traditionally seafaring folk, little impact has been made in the field of modern sailing, which is a fast-growing global sport. Nineteen-year-old Hareb is an ambitious young sailor hoping to change that, and he chose the biggest sporting arena possible to be seen for the first time by the world's sporting eye. Dubai International Marine Club recently hosted the ISAF World Sailing Championship which included a team from the UAE for the first time. Little was expected from the competitive rookies who were rubbing shoulders with the world's best, but Hareb stood out as an exceptional talent in the making in the championship's blue chip event - the single-handed Laser class. Competing against Olympic and World champions, Hareb secured some impressive finishes over the nine-day event, which culminated in Britain's Olympic silver medallist Ben Ainslee grabbing the title. Hareb climbed through the field to mid-table as the event progressed, not bad considering he took up the sport just one year ago. "Previously, I had only competed in races with 10 or 11 other boats so to suddenly be at the starting line with 75 competitors was a big challenge," he said. "The World Championship was very tough for me but it was a good learning experience." The man responsible for bringing the locals up to standard is Barrie Harmsworth. He is well aware of the tough challenge, given the head start other countries have had on the likes of Hareb. "The World Championships showed that the talent is here and these boys are keen to learn and improve," he said. "Hareb did exceptionally well and is a huge prospect for the future." Despite the summer heat, Hareb can be seen at Dubai International Marine Club most days striving to improve his sailing skills. All this despite being a full time student studying graphic design at the American University. That sort of dedication is usually rewarded and only time will tell whether he will sink or swim in the world of international competitive sailing. "I want to be number one in the Gulf for Laser boats," he said. "I am not the best in the UAE yet because there are some very good sailors but I will keep trying to get better."

Karama to the Crucible

The Dubai suburb of Karama is a long way from England's top snooker venue, the Crucible Theatre, but it is where one aspiring cueist is bidding to fulfil a dream of reaching the hallowed halls of world snooker. Mohammed Al Joker is unquestionably the United Arab Emirates' number one player with a host of titles tucked inside his waistcoat. He also heads the Arab world's hopes of making an impact on the world snooker stage. Joker's natural flair for the game has been nurtured by snooker guru Doug Mountjoy, former Benson and Hedges champion and now coach of the national side. Joker's impeccable potting ability has helped him monopolise the local scene in recent years, despite a speedy improvement in the overall standard of the game. "Compared to six or seven years ago, it is much improved," said the 25-year-old policeman. "There are a lot of good players here now and the standard is getting better all the time." However, Joker is the first to admit he is a big fish in a small pond but is ambitious enough to try and prove himself at the highest level. "I want to become a professional snooker player," he said: "I would like to one day play Stephen Hendry in the final of the World Championship at the Crucible." That last claim may mislead many into thinking Joker is living up to his name, but the dedicated hours he spends training could well lead to him having the last laugh.

Braking New Ground

No focus on UAE sportsmen would be complete without a mention of the indomitable, and seemingly invincible, Mohammed bin Sulayem. Undoubtedly the greatest Arab rally driver ever, Sulayem is to the UAE as Michael Jordan is to America or Sachin Tendulkar to India. He is not just a sportsman but a phenomenon on four wheels who has swept all before him with mind-blowing regularity. Last year he recorded an amazing ninth FIA Middle East Championship triumph by scoring his 10th victory in 13 years in the Dubai International Rally, the final round of the 1997 series. And this year he is favourite to push his championship crowns into double figures after barnstorming his way to victories in the season's opening four events in Jordan, Oman, Abu Dhabi and, most recently, Lebanon. Much of his success has been achieved in partnership with Irishman Ronan Morgan, his co-driver for the last 10 years, who has navigated his way to seven Middle East Championship co-drivers' titles in the process. Sulayem has won an unrivalled 39 Middle East races in a career which has brought him 44 international wins overall, including two in the Group N World Championship. Now the speedster is set to underline his stature as the Arab world's top driver by entering the Guinness Book of Records for his achievements in winning the greatest number of official FIA rally championship titles, and the greatest number of individual international rallies included in official FIA rally championships. It would easy for Sulayem to sit back and revel in his glory, but he is chief organiser of the UAE Marlboro Desert Challenge in a bid to put something back into a sport he has gained so much out of. His co-driver, Morgan, is event director. Raced in early December, the event attracts some of the best cross country rally drivers to the barren deserts surrounding Dubai for three days of thrilling races. It is highly competitive as it makes up the final round of the FIA World Cross Country Rally Championship. To say Sulayem is a sporting icon in this part of the world is probably an understatement but, judging by his unbeaten start to this season, there's plenty of juice left in the tank to ensure the legend lives on for a few miles yet.

Drop Zone

Ask one of the UAE's most accomplished teams to drop in at your next function and they will probably do just that...literally! The sky is not just the limit for UAE military parachuting display team, it is their place of work, and they have jumped into recognition as one of the finest in the profession to be found anywhere in the world. With a background of military personnel who have undergone the best training, the 15-man team has been galvanized into a superb entertainment outfit as well as being one of the best in competitive events. They made the huge audience at last year's Dubai Rugby Sevens gasp in amazement at the speeds they reached as they dropped from the skies in a blaze of colour, before landing with precision and expertise one by one on the centre circle of the pitch. Gripping stuff to the untrained eye, but a way of life for the men of the skies who are currently in Croatia, as Al Shindagah went to press, looking to capture the 24th World parachuting championship for formations and target accuracy. The team has spent the past year preparing for this event and put the finishing touches to their display at a three-week training camp in Austria last month. Preparations for the event have gone well. In a warm-up tournament, also held in Croatia, they captured first in the target accuracy event while three-time world champion Eissa Mohammed clinched the singles, and was placed second in circling. Youngsters are coming through the ranks too, with Ali Hassan finishing second in the youth category and Ahmed Khalfan achieving the same in the circling section. Looking to the future, and ensuring the UAE remain as one of the world's elite parachute display teams, the team's leader, Mohammed Yousuf Abdul Rahman of Abu Dhabi, is hoping to set up a reserve team. Coached by Croatian Zlatco Burg, the team ranks strongly in the world top 10, while it is rated among the top five parachute teams by the International Military Sports Association.

Aces Wild

You may not realise it, but there is a striking similarity between Wimbledon and the Dubai Tennis Open. For decades, Wimbledon, which is regarded as the world's premier tennis event, has been dominated by foreign competitors due to a complete dearth in homegrown British talent. Of course, that has all changed recently with the rise to prominence of Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, but the problem has struck the Dubai Tennis Open which is one of the biggest events on the ATP tour. No local player has come remotely close to achieving the standards necessary to play, but one rising star is striving to change all that. Omar Behroozian has so far served up a delightful tennis career which appears to be getting better through maturity, and the Dubai 16-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest Arab prospects. He is the UAE's number one national player and looks set for glory in a game that his father, Khalid, introduced him to at the age of six. Behroozian captured the headlines back in May when he swept all before him to capture both the under-18 and the men's titles at the Marbella Resort championship to catapult him to the top of the UAE rankings. Surprisingly, the modest youngster doesn't consider that as his greatest triumph. That came the previous year when he was only 15. "I won the GCC youth title in Kuwait and I think that is my biggest win so far," said Behroozian, who will begin studies at the Etisalat College next month. The youngster's style of play is similar to his hero Andre Agassi, who dominates from the backline and patiently waits for winners. As for the future, Behroozian says the Dubai Tennis Open is high on his list of targets. "With it being held in Dubai, I hope that one day I will be good enough to receive a wild card entry, but there is a long way to go yet and a lot of improvements need to be made to my game." The summer has seen him practicing hard and included a three-week course at a top tennis clinic in the USA.

Fair Play

The UAE football team may not have been at the France '98 World Cup finals, but the country was represented in the next best possible way. While not actually being a sports player, tribute should rightfully be paid to Ali Mohammed Bujasim who was rated as one of the best referees in the month-long football festival. That was quite some recognition considering that the high standard of refereeing was one of the main talking points of France '98. Few came out of the tournament with any credit at all but the UAE star put many officials from so called 'recognised footballing nations' to shame. Bujasim, who showed that referees can still officiate with common sense rather than strictly adhere to the ridiculous guidelines laid down by FIFA, was in charge of the dramatic semi-final between Holland and Brazil which was decided by a penalty shoot-out. He appeared to be the coolest man on the pitch in a high-pressure situation that could have exploded at any moment. Earlier in the tournament, he took charge of Scotland's crucial clash with Morocco and it was his splendid performance in that encounter that saw him rewarded with the semi-final clash. It was the second time Bujasim has officiated at the World Cup finals, following his appearance in World Cup 92 in America. Accolades have been heaped on the Dubai official since the tournament finished, but one of the strangest came from the Dubai Civil Defence who awarded Bujasim with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers! Keeping some of the world's best players in check must have been quite a task for Bujasim, but his training as a lieutenant colonel stood him in good stead. He has also been awarded with a first degree military honorary medal by Major General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, under secretary of the Interior Ministry. Bujasim took a well-needed break after the pressure of the World Cup but is currently preparing for the rapidly approaching UAE national league which gets underway in October. He is also likely to take charge of matches in the upcoming Pan Arab tournament to be hosted by Qatar, and the Gulf Cup in Bahrain.