Longboard surfers make waves in historic first Gulf contest

0 seconds of 2 minutes, 50 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
02:50
02:50
 
Short Url
Updated 01 October 2024
Follow

Longboard surfers make waves in historic first Gulf contest

Longboard surfers make waves in historic first Gulf contest
  • Steven Sawyer, Alice Lemoigne win maiden competition
  • Abu Dhabi hosts surfers at the world’s biggest wave pool

ABU DHABI: Steven Sawyer and Alice Lemoigne etched their names in the history books as the first champions of the Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic on Sunday, marking a special milestone for the sport and the UAE as the World Surf League celebrated its maiden venture in the Gulf.

Abu Dhabi is no stranger to hosting elite-level professional sporting events which includes the participation of stars from the NBA, Formula 1, UFC, World Tennis Association and FIFA. But not many would have predicted that surfing would be the next big thing to land on Emirati shores.

The lack of surfable natural waves on the country’s coastlines has made way for the establishment of Surf Abu Dhabi, a spectacular venue that is home to the world’s biggest wave pool.

Situated on Hudayriyat Island in the UAE capital, the wave pool spans 75,000 sq. meters, with a basin that can accommodate 30 surfers. It is powered by Kelly Slater Wave Co. technology, which produces the longest, open-barrel, high-performance, human-made wave on the planet.

The pool is 3 meters deep and features saltwater waves that range from mellow beach-break whitewash to perfect barrels and high-performance sections. That makes it suitable for surfers of all levels, while also being fit to host competitive WSL action.

 

 

Over the weekend, the world’s best longboard surfers competed at Surf Abu Dhabi, which hosted the third stop of the WSL’s Longboard Tour.

It gave sports fans in the country an early taste of what is to come, with the WSL set to return to the UAE capital in February 2025, for the second stop of the Championship Tour, bringing together 60 of the world’s best shortboarders.

“This is incredible. This is really such a unique experience. I’ve been on tour for a long time and this takes the cake. It’s something new and unique and state-of-the-art, it’s pretty amazing to be a part of,” world No. 1 longboard surfer Taylor Jensen told Arab News of Surf Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of last weekend’s competition.

From the very beginning, the wave pool was constructed by property group Modon with the idea of hosting high-performance surfing events.

“This here was part of the initial negotiations for when we decided to build the pool, it was in tandem,” explained Ryan Watkins, the general manager of Surf Abu Dhabi.

“While we approached Kelly Slater Wave Co. to say we want the technology, we also went to the World Surf League to say: ‘If we build it, will you come?’

“And the answer was: ‘Absolutely, we’d love to bring surfing to the Middle East, we want to raise the profile of surfing and breed a whole new group of surfers that have never even thought about it.’”

The idea quickly materialized as a win-win for everyone involved.

Abu Dhabi has created an opportunity to place itself on the global surfing map, while the sport has entered a new market in a region that lacks natural waves.

“I think until not too long ago, surfing has really been limited just to those coastal towns and where the oceans and waves break,” said world No. 2 longboard surfer Rachael Tilly.

“So the fact that surfing is now getting to go beyond just the coastlines and go into countries that don’t have natural waves coming to them, I think it’s really special.

“It’s able to immerse people into the sport that we love so much. It’s a sport that has given me so much, beyond competition, just in my life. So for people here to get that experience, to ride a wave and touch that, I think it’s the best ever. It’s so special that it’s now here.”

 

 

Jensen echoed Tilly’s sentiments and was thrilled to be a part of this inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Longboard Classic. “The whole environment around the wave, getting to stand up on the deck and look out and watch people surf is something you don’t get in the ocean.

“Normally on the beach you’re really far away, this is up close and personal and just a really cool experience from a spectator point of view,” Jensen noted.

The surfing purists are not big fans of wave pools and prefer to see the sport stick to its roots. But there are many advantages to staging a competition in a wave pool, and it is a trend that will continue to grow.

Ocean surfing competitions rely heavily on weather and wind conditions. A surfing event on the WSL’s Championship Tour has a 10-day window for four days of competition.

And if conditions are not suitable for surfing, action is canceled and everyone has to wait for a more favorable setting. That makes it hard for spectators to attend and broadcast partners to plan their coverage.

“The great thing about a wave pool and surfing is you can actually schedule it so you can have crowds and they can come and even though it’s new to them as a sport, it’s a lot easier to consume it as a fan if you know when it’s going to be on,” said Andrew Stark, president of the WSL Asia Pacific.

“I think surfers are always going to love the waves in the ocean, there’s no question about that, and the iconic waves like Pipeline and Jeffreys Bay and Tahiti … but there’s a place for wave pools, and particularly of this quality, at the Championship Tour level; a wave of this length and of this quality,” Stark added.

“You’re never going to replace all those ocean waves with multiple wave pool events, but having an iconic wave pool event on tour like this in this part of the world, I think, is really important.”

 

 

Watkins says a wave pool offers a level playing field for the surfers, unlike ocean surfing, where the elements play a huge part and luck can be a factor.

“Wave pools are springing up absolutely everywhere. And thousands and thousands of people are giving it a try and are saying, my goodness, this thing is the ultimate, this is absolutely incredible,” he said.

“We take a lot of the elements out of it. So a lot of the dangers disappear. So from currents to big waves to sharks and all the things that we love about surfing in the ocean, we eliminate those, and we create a really safe, just a professional environment that everybody can get a taste of it.

“In the ocean you’re sitting in different locations, because the ocean is alive and moving, different tides, different winds, different types of waves. So from an athlete perspective, it’s whoever gets the best wave, whoever gets the biggest wave has got a better shot of winning.

“Here we level the playing field. Everybody gets the exact same wave. It’s perfect. We’ve got the timing. We tell the surfers this is where to sit, and your wave is coming every X minutes, and they paddle in, and they get the exact same opportunity, which we love. We think it makes it really fair.”

Stark says one of the biggest takeaways from the WSL’s first event in Abu Dhabi was how excited the surfers were to be there and the experience as a whole.

“They’re so thrilled to be a part of it,” he said.

“And the other part is just how wonderful the city is. I’ve actually went myself to the Presidential Palace today, and the Grand Mosque. And you see some of the amazing tourist attractions and the diversity in this city, and to have a wave pool surrounded by all these different tourism activities and the culture that this part of the world offers, it’s amazing.

“And I think also the Hudayriyat Island, what’s happening here with the velodrome and the other sporting venues, this is going to become an international sporting precinct. And this is one of the flagship assets within it.”

Stark believes the Championship Tour event coming to Abu Dhabi next February will bring more of the surfing culture to the emirate and create an even bigger atmosphere for spectators.

“We’ll have live music here and big bands, and so it creates a real festival space as well. You know, like people go to the Formula 1, they want to go and watch motor racing, but they’re seeing like music and they’re part of a sort of culture.

“That’s what surfing is. You’ll come watch the surfing, meet the athletes, enjoy the entertainment, be a part of the waves and the culture and really enjoy that atmosphere of surfing,” he explained.

 

 

Beyond competitive surfing, what the wave pool offers for the local UAE community is an opportunity to learn how to surf, whether recreationally, or more seriously, in a perfect setting.

Watkins says the UAE has “some phenomenal surfers” and Surf Abu Dhabi provides a place for them to hone their craft.

“One of my goals is to get an Emirati team to feature and perform and do well in the 2028 Olympics, 100 percent it’s a goal that we’ve set ourselves here,” said Watkins.

“I’ve hired Olympic surf coaches as part of my team. I’ve got (an) ex-No. 1 surfer on the world qualifying series as part of my surf operations team. These guys are here and are dedicated to get people surfing. And I truly believe we can have an Emirati team in the 2028 Olympics.”


Cavaliers hold off Grizzlies for seventh straight NBA win

Cavaliers hold off Grizzlies for seventh straight NBA win
Updated 12 sec ago
Follow

Cavaliers hold off Grizzlies for seventh straight NBA win

Cavaliers hold off Grizzlies for seventh straight NBA win
  • Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 129-123 victory
  • Their seventh straight win improves their NBA league-best record to 47-10
LOS ANGELES, United States: Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 129-123 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in a testy cross-conference NBA clash on Sunday.
Ty Jerome scored 26 points off the bench, Evan Mobley added 25 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists and Jarrett Allen scored 13 points with 10 rebounds for Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland.
Their seventh straight win improved their league-best record to 47-10.
The Grizzlies, second in the Western Conference and coming off a come-from-behind victory in Orlando on Friday, were led by Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 22 points.
Ja Morant added 21 points and 10 assists for Memphis, who trailed 62-56 at half time but briefly seized a one-point lead early in the third quarter.
Cleveland were back on top and both coaches had already received technical fouls when a scuffle erupted midway through the third quarter, where Mitchell and Desmond Bane got into a scuffle chasing a loose ball and ended up wrestling on the court.
Players from each team got involved with both Mitchell and Bane receiving technical fouls along with Morant and Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he was only sorry that multiple players got involved.
“Stay out of the way and let the two guys tussle, everybody else stay out of it,” he said.
The Grizzlies kept clawing until the end, slicing an 11-point deficit with 5:54 to play to three with 42.4 seconds on the clock, but the Cavs closed it out at the free-throw line.
Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City also had to battle, finally beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-123 in a game that featured 18 lead changes.
League scoring leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 37 points with eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocked shots for the Thunder, who improved to 46-10.
The reigning champion Boston Celtics, fueled by a near-triple-double from Jayson Tatum, cruised to a 118-105 victory over the New York Knicks.
Tatum scored 25 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists and the Celtics, who led by as many as 27, thwarted a Knicks comeback bid to post a fifth straight victory.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Knicks, who trailed 77-50 early in the third quarter but cut the deficit to four points early in the fourth.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Derrick White launched a Celtics surge, with the Knicks’ cause further hurt by a right leg injury to Towns, who limped to the bench after a drive to the basket and appeared to be hindered when he returned to the game.
“Second half of the season, we all know it’s time to lock in,” Tatum said.
In San Francisco, Stephen Curry poured in 30 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 126-102 victory over Dallas.
Jimmy Butler, acquired at the trade deadline, scored 18 points for the Warriors in his home debut.
The win was part of a celebratory afternoon on which the Warriors retired the jersey of Andre Iguodala, a four-time champion with the team.
The Detroit Pistons pushed their winning streak to six games with a 148-143 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta.
Cade Cunningham scored 38 points with 12 assists and seven rebounds and the Pistons turned back a Hawks rally that saw Atlanta take a one-point lead with 1:38 remaining.
Dennis Schroder scored 16 points, including a driving layup that put the Pistons up for good with 33.2 seconds left.
Elsewhere, Damian Lillard scored 28 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 23 points with 16 rebounds and seven assists for the Milwaukee Bucks in a 120-113 victory over the Miami Heat.
Six Bucks players scored in double figures as Milwaukee withstood a 40-point performance from Miami’s Tyler Herro.

Pakistan’s Rizwan admits Champions Trophy dream ‘ended’ by India

Pakistan’s Rizwan admits Champions Trophy dream ‘ended’ by India
Updated 24 February 2025
Follow

Pakistan’s Rizwan admits Champions Trophy dream ‘ended’ by India

Pakistan’s Rizwan admits Champions Trophy dream ‘ended’ by India
  • Hosts Pakistan went down by six wickets in Dubai for second consecutive defeat in Champions Trophy tournament 
  • Pakistan’s fate in Champions Trophy tournament will be sealed if New Zealand beat Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday 

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan admitted Sunday that his team’s Champions Trophy dreams had “ended” after a shattering loss to bitter rivals India.

Hosts Pakistan went down by six wickets in Dubai for their second defeat in the 50-over tournament to all but bow out of the semifinal race.

If New Zealand beat Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday, then Pakistan’s fate will be sealed.

“Yes, I would say it has ended, that’s the truth,” Rizwan told reporters when asked if his side had reached the end of the road.

“The next match, what Bangladesh does with New Zealand and what New Zealand does with India. What we do? It’s a long journey. Our Champions Trophy depends on others and I as a captain I don’t like this.”

“If we could have done something on our own then it would have been different. We admit to our losses against New Zealand and India but don’t want to sit eyeing other results.”

Pakistan is hosting an ICC tournament for the first time in nearly three decades since the 1996 ODI World Cup, which they co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka.

India, however, refused to tour Pakistan due to political reasons and are playing all their matches at the Dubai International Stadium.

Pakistan elected to bat first in the crunch game but were bowled out for 241 in 49.4 overs despite a 104-run partnership between Saud Shakeel and Rizwan.

India rode on Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100 to chase down the target with 45 balls to spare on a sluggish pitch where stroke-making was difficult.

Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed returned figures of 1-28 from his 10 overs but other bowlers leaked runs.

“We are disappointed, yes, because a defeat brings a tough day, facing difficult things and lots of questions,” said Rizwan. “Abrar Ahmed’s bowling was a positive but we made mistakes in all three departments.”

After Saud, who hit 62, and Rizwan, who made 46, departed the middle-order stuttered with only Khushdil Shah hitting a late cameo with his 38.

“Our middle-order has performed before and 270-280 would have been good on this pitch,” said Rizwan.

“I tried to build a partnership and took some time as well, we lost wickets and our shot selection was poor. In turn our middle-order crumbled.”

Pakistan lost the tournament opener to New Zealand and Rizwan said mistakes are being repeated.

“Honestly we made the same mistakes that we have been doing since the last three-four matches,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said.

“We are working on them but we are mortals and falling short. India probably worked harder than us and were brave. We lacked being brave and fell short in the field.”

Pakistan, who won the last edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017 after beating India in the final, next play Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Thursday.


Didn’t see Pakistan making any effort against India in crucial Champions Trophy match, Azeem Rafiq says

Didn’t see Pakistan making any effort against India in crucial Champions Trophy match, Azeem Rafiq says
Updated 24 February 2025
Follow

Didn’t see Pakistan making any effort against India in crucial Champions Trophy match, Azeem Rafiq says

Didn’t see Pakistan making any effort against India in crucial Champions Trophy match, Azeem Rafiq says
  • Pakistan suffered an embarrassing six-wicket loss to India in Dubai on Sunday, which has pushed the Mohammad Rizwan’s side to the Champions Trophy exit
  • Pakistan have lost two matches and will need Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to have any chance of staying in contention for a last-four spot 

ISLAMABAD: Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq has said that he did not see Pakistan making any effort against India in their crucial Champions Trophy match in Dubai on Sunday.

India secured a six-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan and pushed the title-holders to the brink of elimination from the tournament, with Virat Kohli hitting an unbeaten 100 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan have lost both their matches and will need Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to have any chance of staying in contention for a spot among last four teams in the tournament.

Pakistan-born Rafiq, who went public with allegations of racism and bullying against Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 2020, said Pakistan had long been disappointing fans with their dismal performances, particularly in significant matches.

“I don’t say this lightly. I didn’t see an effort [by Pakistan]. I didn’t see the, you know, the wanting to be out there and putting themselves in the fire line, you know, I didn’t see that,” he said in Arab News-hosted Instagram live after Sunday’s match.

“And it’s been too long now, you know, it’s been, it’s been far too long.”

Pakistan chased down a record 353 against South Africa this month in a tri-nation tournament at home but crashed in the final to 242 all out in a defeat to New Zealand.

Pakistan hammered India in the final of the previous Champions Trophy in 2017. That was India’s last defeat to Pakistan in a one-day international (ODI) match and Rohit Sharma’s men have since won five of the last six games against their greatest rivals, with one rained off.

Pakistan have been knocked out in the group stage at the last two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups and suffered the same fate at last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after losing to co-hosts USA.

Rafiq said the consistent poor performances had been embarrassing for Pakistani cricket fans, and someone needs to take responsibility to fix things.

“You know, you can’t keep expecting your fans to just forget what’s going on. That was embarrassing, and I don’t think there’s any other words for it,” he said.

“I think the coaching staff, I don’t even know who is the selector [of Pakistani team] because there’s been so many. Someone, somewhere needs to really fix up.”

He pointed out that Dubai stadium was not filled to its 25000-seat capacity despite the India-Pakistan contest, which was not a good omen for the world cricket.

“I think that today should be a warning [to] not just Pakistan cricket, but to world cricket, you know, that ground [Dubai stadium] was not full. Honestly, that ground was not full. And, and at different times people were, it was pretty empty. But Pakistani fans were hardly there,” he said.

“This is you take advantage of this game, which is what world cricket does and expects that this is going to commercialize always. Be very, very careful... there were people that didn’t want to go and watch [the match].”


Salah-inspired Liverpool beat Man City to open up 11-point Premier League lead

Salah-inspired Liverpool beat Man City to open up 11-point Premier League lead
Updated 23 February 2025
Follow

Salah-inspired Liverpool beat Man City to open up 11-point Premier League lead

Salah-inspired Liverpool beat Man City to open up 11-point Premier League lead
  • Just days after exiting the Champions League to Real Madrid, this was another sobering defeat for the dethroned English champions, who are now 20 points adrift of the leaders

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Liverpool took a giant stride toward the Premier League title on Sunday as a 2-0 win over Manchester City opened up an 11-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the table.
Mohamed Salah was again Liverpool’s star performer as he opened the scoring with his 30th goal of the season before setting up Dominik Szoboszlai to double the lead before half-time.
“It is special. Especially when you are in the title race, it is incredible,” said Salah after Liverpool’s first league win at the Etihad for a decade.
“Me and the big guys in the team, we need another title.”
Just days after exiting the Champions League to Real Madrid, this was another sobering defeat for the dethroned English champions, who are now 20 points adrift of the leaders.
So often during Pep Guardiola’s glorious reign, Liverpool have come up just short in English football’s great rivalry of recent years.
However, their time to match Manchester United’s record of 20 English top-flight titles now appears just months away in Arne Slot’s first season in charge.
“We work every single day to achieve this and it is three months of very hard work (ahead) to maintain this,” said Slot.
“It is important to understand why we are where we are.”
Arsenal’s shock 1-0 home defeat to West Ham on Saturday had eased the pressure on Liverpool, that had built after dropping points in two of their last three games at Everton and Aston Villa.
A trip to the Etihad has for so long been the stiffest test of all, but City’s defensive frailties were easily exposed and they also badly missed the presence of the injured Erling Haaland in attack.
Liverpool, by contrast, had their talisman fit and firing as Salah took his staggering tally this season to 25 goals and 16 assists in 27 Premier League appearances.
The Egyptian fired the visitors in front on 14 minutes thanks to a brilliantly executed set-piece routine.
Alexis Mac Allister’s corner was flicked by Szoboszlai into Salah’s path and his shot deflected off Nathan Ake past the despairing dive of Ederson.
At the other end, City’s own Egyptian international showed his ability to finish, but Omar Marmoush had strayed offside before being played in by Phil Foden.
City winger Jeremy Doku was skipping past Trent Alexander-Arnold at will, yet the Belgian consistently failed to deliver a telling cross or shot.
Salah was not so forgiving as he raced onto a long ball over the top and teed up Szoboszlai to wrong-foot Ederson.
The final outcome could have been much more humiliating for City had Liverpool had been as accurate on the counter-attack after the break.
Curtis Jones had a third goal ruled out by a VAR review for offside after Szoboszlai just failed to time his run through the heart of the City defense.
Ederson was forced into a stunning save from Luis Diaz and only a brilliant last-ditch tackle from Abdukodir Khusanov denied Szoboszlai a second.
Marmoush scored a hat-trick in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Newcastle and remained a lively threat as he flashed another effort across the front of Alisson Becker’s goal.
But City lacked the end product to make nearly 70 percent possession count.
Despite an eighth league defeat of the season, Guardiola’s men remain in fourth and will be confident of securing their place in the Champions League next season with a top-five finish likely to be enough.
However, after an unprecedented run of four consecutive titles, City look like yesterday’s team with Liverpool now champions in waiting.


Impressive Bayern beats Frankfurt 4-0 to stay eight points clear of Leverkusen in Bundesliga

Impressive Bayern beats Frankfurt 4-0 to stay eight points clear of Leverkusen in Bundesliga
Updated 23 February 2025
Follow

Impressive Bayern beats Frankfurt 4-0 to stay eight points clear of Leverkusen in Bundesliga

Impressive Bayern beats Frankfurt 4-0 to stay eight points clear of Leverkusen in Bundesliga

BERLIN: Bayern Munich substitute Serge Gnabry grabbed a late goal to cap a 4-0 win over third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt that consolidated the Bavarian powerhouse’s Bundesliga lead on Sunday.
Gnabry fired the ball through Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp’s legs in the second minute of stoppage time, almost 10 minutes after Jamal Musiala ran past a host of defenders and got a fortunate bounce of the ball before firing it past Trapp for Bayern’s third goal.
Without top scorer Harry Kane, who only played the final half hour or so, Bayern stayed eight points clear of defending champion Bayer Leverkusen with 11 rounds remaining.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany opted against starting Kane, who sustained a facial injury in the draw against Leverkusen last weekend. Altogether he made six changes to the team that drew with Celtic 1-1 in the Champions League playoffs on Tuesday, with Bayern veteran Thomas Müller leading the attack.
Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitiké had the best chance early on after a mistake from Hiroki Ito, before Musiala had Bayern’s first opportunity cleared off the line.
The home team dominated proceedings and duly took the lead through Michael Olize before the break.
Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich had to go off injured just before the goal, after clutching the back of his left thigh.
Ito was left free at a corner to score the second goal in the 61st. It was the Japan defender’s first goal for Bayern.
Leipzig’s Champions League qualification hopes were dealt a blow earlier Sunday in a 2-2 draw against relegation-threatened Heidenheim.
It left Freiburg fourth in the last place for Champions League qualification, followed by Mainz, ahead of Leipzig on goal difference.
Stuttgart had the chance to move above Leipzig with a win at Hoffenheim in the late game Sunday.