Latest news with #DCT
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Al Ain to host Abu Dhabi World Grappling Championship
International Vision Sports Management (IVSM) has announced that the inaugural Abu Dhabi World Grappling Championship 2025 will take place from August 1 to 3, 2025, at ADNEC Centre Al Ain. This initiative is held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) and under the banner of Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP). The event aims to cater to the surging global demand for combat sports, particularly grappling, one of the world's fastest-growing disciplines. The championship will feature hundreds of male and female athletes from over 20 countries, welcoming participants of all skill levels from youth and amateurs to masters and professionals. Across three action-packed days, the event will showcase elite competition, further cementing Al Ain Region's status as a premier destination for world-class combat sports. Saeed AL Dhaheri, Destination Management Department Director at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: 'As Abu Dhabi grows in prominence as a hub for major global sporting events, combat sports have emerged as an increasingly important pillar of our sport and entertainment vision for the emirate. Joining such IPs as Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, UFC Fight Nights, and the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, we are proud to welcome the Abu Dhabi World Grappling Championship to our portfolio of leading events. We look forward to new audiences in Al Ain Region and across Abu Dhabi being introduced to this exciting and increasingly popular sport.' Tareq Al Bahri, General Manager of International Vision Sports Management, said: 'We are proud to launch the Abu Dhabi World Grappling Championship, the first of its kind globally, in Al Ain Region, Abu Dhabi. This event underscores the UAE's leadership in hosting elite combat sports, offering a platform for athletes worldwide to excel. 'With the support of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, we aim to deliver unparalleled competition and establish a lasting legacy for grappling in the region.' As part of the AJP Tour, the championship will adhere to the highest international standards. Competitors of all nationalities can participate across age divisions (U14, U16, U18, 18+, and 35+) in both amateur and professional categories. Winners will earn 2,000 ranking points and substantial cash prizes, ensuring fierce competition and top-tier performances. The event's opening day will focus on professional bouts up to the semi-finals, followed by youth and amateur competitions on the second day. The championship will conclude with third-place playoffs and thrilling finals.
Mid East Info
2 days ago
- Sport
- Mid East Info
Ukraine Leads as Intensity Rises on Day Six of IMMAF Youth World Championships in Al Ain Region - Middle East Business News and Information
Al Ain, July, 2025: Day six of the IMMAF Youth World Championships featured more high-level action in the Youth A 16–17 years category, as the competition heads into its final stretch. The championship is taking place in the Al Ain Region under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. This initiative is held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) and will run until July 27 at ADNEC Centre Al Ain. With the championship nearing its conclusion, Saturday's bouts saw a clear rise in intensity as national teams battled for top spots on the leaderboard. Defending champions Ukraine held their lead and remain favourites to retain the title. England delivered another strong showing to stay close behind, while Tajikistan rounded out the top three. Mohammed Jasem Al Hosani, Member of the MMA Committee at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, said, 'The sixth edition of this championship reflects the UAE's growing stature on the global mixed martial arts map. It sets a benchmark in professional organisation, community engagement, and international participation. The strong turnout and competitive spirit we've seen over the past week highlight the success of the Federation's strategy to grow the sport and prepare new generations to represent their nations in elite competitions.' Gillian Pensavalle, mother of Valentina Pensavalles, who won gold in the Youth A bantamweight (61kg) division, said: 'We came all the way from England to take part in this important championship. We're thrilled with the result and proud of the gold medal. It took a lot of preparation and hard work. We've really enjoyed the experience. Al Ain Region is a beautiful place, and the atmosphere at the event has been incredible. We're already looking forward to coming back next year.' The IMMAF Youth World Championships will conclude tomorrow (Sunday) with the final bouts in the Youth A category. These decisive matches will determine the final medal standings, with teams and spectators closely watching the race for the top positions.
Web Release
2 days ago
- Sport
- Web Release
Ukraine Leads as Intensity Rises on Day Six of IMMAF Youth World Championships in Al Ain Region
Day six of the IMMAF Youth World Championships featured more high-level action in the Youth A (16–17 years) category, as the competition heads into its final stretch. The championship is taking place in the Al Ain Region under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. This initiative is held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) and will run until July 27 at ADNEC Centre Al Ain. With the championship nearing its conclusion, Saturday's bouts saw a clear rise in intensity as national teams battled for top spots on the leaderboard. Defending champions Ukraine held their lead and remain favourites to retain the title. England delivered another strong showing to stay close behind, while Tajikistan rounded out the top three. Mohammed Jasem Al Hosani, Member of the MMA Committee at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, said, 'The sixth edition of this championship reflects the UAE's growing stature on the global mixed martial arts map. It sets a benchmark in professional organisation, community engagement, and international participation. The strong turnout and competitive spirit we've seen over the past week highlight the success of the Federation's strategy to grow the sport and prepare new generations to represent their nations in elite competitions.' Gillian Pensavalle, mother of Valentina Pensavalles, who won gold in the Youth A bantamweight (61kg) division, said: 'We came all the way from England to take part in this important championship. We're thrilled with the result and proud of the gold medal. It took a lot of preparation and hard work. We've really enjoyed the experience. Al Ain Region is a beautiful place, and the atmosphere at the event has been incredible. We're already looking forward to coming back next year.' The IMMAF Youth World Championships will conclude tomorrow (Sunday) with the final bouts in the Youth A category. These decisive matches will determine the final medal standings, with teams and spectators closely watching the race for the top positions.
The National
5 days ago
- Science
- The National
Settlers in ancient Abu Dhabi forced to abandon island home due to climate change, archaeologists reveal
Excavations on an Abu Dhabi island have revealed that Neolithic people were forced to abandon a cluster of stone buildings when the environment turned arid more than 8,000 years ago – only for the site to be reoccupied centuries later to support fishing activities. The work on Ghagha Island off the far west coast of the UAE also revealed unexpected cultural links between the emirate's Neolithic island communities. Dr Kevin Lidour, a research archaeologist in the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), said that when the site was discovered as a mound in November 2023, expectations of what it might contain were not high. 'At that time the site was not expected to be really substantial; it was just a low mound visible on the landscape of the island. Obviously human made,' Dr Lidour said. 'We were not expecting necessarily to have a very ancient site at the beginning.' New insight into the past Named GHG0088, the site was excavated by three archaeologists and two assistants over a three-week period early last year. The findings have recently been published in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed academic journal. Despite appearing modest, it has, Dr Lidour said, 'significantly refined our understanding of the early Neolithic period in the Arabian Gulf, particularly in the UAE'. Dating back 8,400 years, it has the second set of stone-built structures discovered on Ghagha Island, highlighting the importance of Abu Dhabi's islands as Neolithic settlements. The island's first-described set of stone buildings, at the neighbouring site of GHG0014, revealed by the DCT in 2022, are thought to be houses and, being 8,500 years old, are the Gulf region's earliest known stone architecture. 'Both sites point to year-round habitation by fishing communities who used stone and shell tools but also produced plaster vessels – a distinctive cultural feature of Abu Dhabi's Neolithic period,' Dr Lidour said. What makes the more recently excavated GHG0088 site particularly noteworthy, Dr Lidour said, is a human grave located within a smaller chamber. This mirrors burial practices on Marawah Island, which lies further east off the Abu Dhabi coast, indicating cultural continuity between Abu Dhabi's islands during the Neolithic period. The newly revealed site on Ghagha Island showed evidence of several phases of occupation, something not seen at other locations, allowing archaeologists to build up a detailed picture of how Neolithic life evolved. Also known as the New Stone Age, the Neolithic lasted from about 6500 BC to 3300 BC in the UAE and surrounding areas and, in other locations, saw the development of farming and herding as a settled lifestyle developed. The people who created the stone buildings at GHG0088 and lived there first were a fishing community with a sedentary lifestyle and there is evidence of wider domestic activity on the site. Possibly only a single family lived at the site. Winds of change Early in the Neolithic, about 8,200 years ago, a severe cooling episode in the Northern Hemisphere caused various changes to weather patterns and ecosystems in other areas, including on Ghagha Island. Strong winds brought large amounts of sand into the stone structure, Dr Lidour said, there was less rainfall, and fewer plants and animals were available to eat. One of the study's authors, Dr Remy Crassard, of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), said that the changes were reflected in the archaeological record, with thick sand deposits separating the two Neolithic phases of occupation, possibly indicating desertification. 'It's likely that changing coastal conditions – perhaps a drop in sea level or the desiccation of nearby lagoons – made the site temporarily uninhabitable,' he said. 'The abandonment lasted roughly 300 to 400 years. When people returned, the environment had shifted, and so had their way of life.' Beginning at around 5800 BC to 5400 BC, the second phase of occupation involved people living on top of a sand and stone mound formed from the collapse of the previous buildings, some stones from which were used to consolidate the mound. The people did not build stone walls, but probably used a mix of stone and plant fibres to create structures resembling the barasti or arish-style palm frond constructions traditional to the Gulf region. Communities from the same period on Marawah Island built more elaborate structures. During this second phase of occupation, communities lived from fishing, Dr Lidour said, with the site seemingly used as a 'logistic' station to support this. 'Maritime culture flourished, with marine shells used for adornment and items exchanged over long distances,' he added. Among the items exchanged were shells used as beads, including those from a species called Engina mendicaria, which is not found in the Arabian Gulf and instead lives in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea at least 500km away. 'In prehistoric times, human populations were already highly mobile, particularly hunter-gatherer groups,' Dr Lidour said. 'Interactions between groups targeting similar resources were likely frequent, providing opportunities for various exchanges, including objects of prestige. 'These items could have held intrinsic or social value, reflecting the complex trade networks and cultural interactions.' Shells were collected from the shore and knapped – struck so that a piece breaks off to leave a sharp edge – and used for purposes such as cleaning animal skins, cutting plant fibres and preparing fish, which had probably been speared in shallow waters around the island. The artefacts on Ghagha Island from the second occupation have similarities to those from Marawah Island from the same time, Dr Lidour said, so by the sixth millennium BC 'a unified regional Neolithic culture' had emerged locally. As well as shells, stone arrowheads were discovered. In the 15th century, about 7,000 years after the second phase of occupation of GHG0088 ended, a third phase began during what is termed the Middle Islamic period. This probably involved another fishing community and was probably 'very brief', similar to the second phase of occupation, Dr Lidour said. 'A community of fishermen appears to have reoccupied the site and its surroundings,' he added. 'We have scatters of shells and Islamic pottery all across the coastal plateau. It was likely a single or multi-event, [possibly] seasonal occupation, focused on fishing and collecting sea snails.' These people may have been the ancestors of traditional tribes of the coastal Al Dhafra region, which forms the western part of Abu Dhabi emirate. There were probably, Dr Lidour said, only several visits over a few years during the 15th century. With excavation work at GHG0088 concluded, the site has been 'backfilled' to protect it, said another of the paper's authors, Noura Hamad Al Hameli, head of DCT's archaeological research unit for Al Dhafra and Abu Dhabi. Archaeologists have excavated another Ghagha Island site, GHG0063, which although it did not have stone buildings, contained artefacts similar to those found elsewhere on the island. Details of this site are set to be revealed soon. The latest results add to previously discovered archaeological finds in Abu Dhabi emirate, including 300,000-year-old stone tools from the Jebel Hafit area, an ancient monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island, a 3,000-year-old falaj irrigation system in Al Ain and, from about the same time and also in Al Ain, a fortress.
The National
6 days ago
- Science
- The National
Ancient climate change forced community to abandon an Abu Dhabi island site, archaeologists reveal
Excavations on an Abu Dhabi island have revealed that Neolithic people were forced to abandon a cluster of stone buildings when the environment turned arid more than 8,000 years ago – only for the site to be reoccupied centuries later to support fishing activities. The work on Ghagha Island off the far west coast of the UAE also revealed unexpected cultural links between the emirate's Neolithic island communities. Dr Kevin Lidour, a research archaeologist in the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), said that when the site was discovered as a mound in November 2023, expectations of what it might contain were not high. 'At that time the site was not expected to be really substantial; it was just a low mound visible on the landscape of the island. Obviously human made,' Dr Lidour said. 'We were not expecting necessarily to have a very ancient site at the beginning.' New insight into the past Named GHG0088, the site was excavated by three archaeologists and two assistants over a three-week period early last year. The findings have recently been published in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed academic journal. Despite appearing modest, it has, Dr Lidour said, 'significantly refined our understanding of the early Neolithic period in the Arabian Gulf, particularly in the UAE'. Dating back 8,400 years, it has the second set of stone-built structures discovered on Ghagha Island, highlighting the importance of Abu Dhabi's islands as Neolithic settlements. The island's first-described set of stone buildings, at the neighbouring site of GHG0014, revealed by the DCT in 2022, are thought to be houses and, being 8,500 years old, are the Gulf region's earliest known stone architecture. 'Both sites point to year-round habitation by fishing communities who used stone and shell tools but also produced plaster vessels – a distinctive cultural feature of Abu Dhabi's Neolithic period,' Dr Lidour said. What makes the more recently excavated GHG0088 site particularly noteworthy, Dr Lidour said, is a human grave located within a smaller chamber. This mirrors burial practices on Marawah Island, which lies further east off the Abu Dhabi coast, indicating cultural continuity between Abu Dhabi's islands during the Neolithic period. The newly revealed site on Ghagha Island showed evidence of several phases of occupation, something not seen at other locations, allowing archaeologists to build up a detailed picture of how Neolithic life evolved. Also known as the New Stone Age, the Neolithic lasted from about 6500 BC to 3300 BC in the UAE and surrounding areas and, in other locations, saw the development of farming and herding as a settled lifestyle developed. The people who created the stone buildings at GHG0088 and lived there first were a fishing community with a sedentary lifestyle and there is evidence of wider domestic activity on the site. Possibly only a single family lived at the site. Winds of change Early in the Neolithic, about 8,200 years ago, a severe cooling episode in the Northern Hemisphere caused various changes to weather patterns and ecosystems in other areas, including on Ghagha Island. Strong winds brought large amounts of sand into the stone structure, Dr Lidour said, there was less rainfall, and fewer plants and animals were available to eat. One of the study's authors, Dr Remy Crassard, of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), said that the changes were reflected in the archaeological record, with thick sand deposits separating the two Neolithic phases of occupation, possibly indicating desertification. 'It's likely that changing coastal conditions – perhaps a drop in sea level or the desiccation of nearby lagoons – made the site temporarily uninhabitable,' he said. 'The abandonment lasted roughly 300 to 400 years. When people returned, the environment had shifted, and so had their way of life.' Beginning at around 5800 BC to 5400 BC, the second phase of occupation involved people living on top of a sand and stone mound formed from the collapse of the previous buildings, some stones from which were used to consolidate the mound. The people did not build stone walls, but probably used a mix of stone and plant fibres to create structures resembling the barasti or arish-style palm frond constructions traditional to the Gulf region. Communities from the same period on Marawah Island built more elaborate structures. During this second phase of occupation, communities lived from fishing, Dr Lidour said, with the site seemingly used as a 'logistic' station to support this. 'Maritime culture flourished, with marine shells used for adornment and items exchanged over long distances,' he added. Among the items exchanged were shells used as beads, including those from a species called Engina mendicaria, which is not found in the Arabian Gulf and instead lives in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea at least 500km away. 'In prehistoric times, human populations were already highly mobile, particularly hunter-gatherer groups,' Dr Lidour said. 'Interactions between groups targeting similar resources were likely frequent, providing opportunities for various exchanges, including objects of prestige. 'These items could have held intrinsic or social value, reflecting the complex trade networks and cultural interactions.' Shells were collected from the shore and knapped – struck so that a piece breaks off to leave a sharp edge – and used for purposes such as cleaning animal skins, cutting plant fibres and preparing fish, which had probably been speared in shallow waters around the island. The artefacts on Ghagha Island from the second occupation have similarities to those from Marawah Island from the same time, Dr Lidour said, so by the sixth millennium BC 'a unified regional Neolithic culture' had emerged locally. As well as shells, stone arrowheads were discovered. In the 15th century, about 7,000 years after the second phase of occupation of GHG0088 ended, a third phase began during what is termed the Middle Islamic period. This probably involved another fishing community and was probably 'very brief', similar to the second phase of occupation, Dr Lidour said. 'A community of fishermen appears to have reoccupied the site and its surroundings,' he added. 'We have scatters of shells and Islamic pottery all across the coastal plateau. It was likely a single or multi-event, [possibly] seasonal occupation, focused on fishing and collecting sea snails.' These people may have been the ancestors of traditional tribes of the coastal Al Dhafra region, which forms the western part of Abu Dhabi emirate. There were probably, Dr Lidour said, only several visits over a few years during the 15th century. With excavation work at GHG0088 concluded, the site has been 'backfilled' to protect it, said another of the paper's authors, Noura Hamad Al Hameli, head of DCT's archaeological research unit for Al Dhafra and Abu Dhabi. Archaeologists have excavated another Ghagha Island site, GHG0063, which although it did not have stone buildings, contained artefacts similar to those found elsewhere on the island. Details of this site are set to be revealed soon. The latest results add to previously discovered archaeological finds in Abu Dhabi emirate, including 300,000-year-old stone tools from the Jebel Hafit area, an ancient monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island, a 3,000-year-old falaj irrigation system in Al Ain and, from about the same time and also in Al Ain, a fortress.
