Latest news with #Siba
Morocco World
3 days ago
- Sport
- Morocco World
Rhizlane Siba: ‘High Jump Chose Me and Not the Other Way Around'
Rabat — Rhizlane Siba, Moroccan track and field athlete specializing in high jump, stumbled upon the sport by chance. At the age of ten, her primary school teacher tied a rope between two poles in the playground and asked students to jump over it. Siba recounted her origin story with the sport in detail in an interview with Morocco World News (MWN). 'We jumped from the ground to the ground, scissoring the rope and landing on our feet,' she recalls. 'I jumped the highest in my class, and then in my grade. I even jumped higher than some older students.' That brief schoolyard moment changed everything. Her teacher encouraged her to train at Stadium Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. 'I never looked back after that,' she told MWN. Within two years, she joined Morocco's national team. Records, medals Siba now holds the Moroccan national record for high jump in all age categories: youth, junior, and senior. She became a three-time national champion across categories and marked her name as the most consistent high jumper in the country's history. One achievement stands above the rest. 'At the 2014 African Senior Championships in Marrakech, I won Morocco's only gold medal,' she also told MWN. 'I was still a junior. The national anthem was played only once that entire competition, and it was for my medal. My win had not even been accounted for before the event began.' Another milestone came a year earlier, in Ukraine. She brought home a bronze medal at the 2013 Youth World Championships. 'That made me the first Moroccan high jumper to ever medal at a world championship. It was a big deal for me.' A sport on the margins Despite these accomplishments, Siba continues to fight for recognition. Morocco has long celebrated its runners, who have collected the bulk of the country's Olympic and world medals. High jump, by contrast, remains overlooked. 'We are known for running, and rightfully so,' she says. 'But we can also support technical events like high jump. No Moroccan high jumper has ever qualified for the Olympics. I plan to change that.' She believes this lack of visibility stems from long-standing structural issues. 'There is no infrastructure or system that pushes athletes in technical events. You have to create your own path, and that's never easy.' Discipline before talent For Siba, discipline remains the most essential quality an athlete can develop. 'Discipline is the driving force behind performance,' she says. 'An ambitious athlete who trains one day and skips the next will never improve. Talent and ambition need structure.' Her own structure began at home. She credits her parents with supporting her in the early stages of her career. 'Without their sacrifices, I would never have been in a position to qualify for college sports in the United States,' she says. The American chapter In 2014, Siba's love and skill for the sport moved her the US to attend Kansas State University on a full athletic scholarship. 'Those five years in Kansas were transformative,' she says. 'Both on the track and in the classroom.' The experience revealed to her what investment in athletes could look like. 'Student-athletes in the United States are treated better than professional athletes back home,' she says. 'They get academic support, nutrition guidance, injury prevention, and still graduate with a degree.' This contrast left a deep impression. 'In Morocco, unless you are in a sports academy, the school system does not accommodate the needs of athletes. And even those academies often lack proper academic training.' Advocating for sports science Since returning to Morocco, Siba has worked to modernize the way athletes train. 'We cannot apply the same methods for over a decade and expect better outcomes,' she says. 'I have been pushing for the application of scientific methods in training.' For her, this means data collection, performance tracking, injury prevention, and athlete recovery programs led by professionals. 'It does not replace the coach,' she says. 'It enhances the coach's work and gives athletes a real chance to grow.' She sees little effort from national institutions to adopt these practices. 'The state of athletics in Morocco has barely changed since I started in 2008. In some cases, it has worsened,' she says. 'Some athletes succeed, but it is because of their own persistence, not support from the system.' The visibility gap Siba believes that support and visibility remain deeply unequal across disciplines. 'Footballers, especially those in the national team, now enjoy public interest and corporate attention,' she says. 'But athletes in individual sports are still left to manage on their own.' She notes that recognition often arrives too late. 'Athletes only become visible after international success. Even then, it does not always lead to sponsorships or financial support. It is a constant struggle.' New paths, future projects Despite the challenges, Siba continues to take part in new initiatives. This past June, she represented Morocco's National Olympic Committee (CNOM) in Greece as one of the 2025 Youth Olympic Ambassadors. The session took place in Athens and Olympia, under the theme 'Sports and Artificial Intelligence.' 'There were 175 ambassadors from around the world,' she says. 'We explored how AI will transform sports from performance analysis and broadcasting to environmental solutions.' The session left her with new ideas. 'I want to work with the CNOM on a project powered by AI that supports and inspires Moroccan athletes,' she says. 'It is no longer enough to train hard. We also need systems that are smart and adaptive.' Siba knows the path will not be simple. She continues to train with the sole goal of becoming the first Moroccan high jumper to qualify for the Olympic Games. But her goal goes beyond personal recognition. 'I want to show that high jump belongs in Morocco's sporting story,' she says. 'I want to create a future where athletes in all disciplines feel supported.' She did not set out to become a record-breaker. She simply listened when the sport called her name, and took the leap. Tags: high jumpMoroccan athleterhizlane sibasibasports
Zawya
23-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Iraq's Ministry of Oil advances low-carbon agenda
Iraq's Ministry of Oil is rolling out a series of initiatives aimed at supporting a just transition to a low-carbon economy, in line with the country's international commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement. Speaking at the First Conference on Carbon Economics held earlier this week, the Minister of Oil Hayyan Abdul Ghani outlined key initiatives that includes deployment of solar energy within oil operations and novel financing mechanisms to fund emission reduction projects. He outlined the 1,000 megawatt (MW) Basra Sun project, which is being implemented by TotalEnergies in partnership with QatarEnergy. The project will be delivered in four phases of 250 MW each across Artawi, Siba, Al-Fihaya, and Basra. The first plant is expected to come online by the end of this year. The ministry is also supporting renewable energy development through crude oil payment mechanisms—also known as Payment in Kind (PIK)—to help fund the Ministry of Electricity's solar power projects. It has also extended support to a 400 MW solar project in Basra and a 200 MW project in Siba. Efforts are underway to scale up carbon bond financing, following the Midland Oil Company's successful issuance tied to emission reduction at the East Baghdad oil field. As part of its decarbonisation strategy, the Ministry is investing in methane abatement and associated gas utilisation projects, with a target to eliminate routine gas flaring by 2029. (Writing by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)
The Guardian
27-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Indie brewers kept out of UK bars and pubs by multinationals, study finds
Global beer corporations are using their financial muscle to elbow smaller competitors off the bar, according to research that found independent breweries have been shut out of most of their local pubs. The number of breweries in the UK that are not owned by a larger business or multinational is already in decline, falling by 100 last year to 1,715, according to figures released earlier this year by the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (Siba). In its annual independent beer report, parts of which have been shared with the Guardian, the trade body for British indie brewers said tough conditions were exacerbated by difficulty selling to local pubs. Siba members told a survey that 60% of the pubs within 40 miles were inaccessible to them, choking off potential sources of revenue and reducing choice for consumers thirsty for more interesting options at the bar. They blamed conditions imposed by large breweries and some pub chains, including financial agreements that impose conditions on what beers pubs can sell. The report found that large brewers had exploited pubs' post-Covid financial difficulties to offer them loans, in exchange for lasting exclusive agreements to stock their beers. Thousands of pubs are also subject to 'beer ties', which means they rent their premises from a pub company, which can impose conditions on what they sell. Of Siba's 700 members, 79% said the main barrier to market access was that pubs' beer lines had been monopolised by large brewers. In Scotland, pubs have a right to stock a 'guest' beer but this does not extend to the rest of the UK. About 5% of Siba members said they were also affected by large pub chains demanding deep discounts that are not feasible for smaller brewers. Jamie Delap, managing director of the award-winning Fyne Ales brewery in western Scotland, said that ensuring a level playing field for independent breweries was their 'biggest challenge'. 'There is so much unfair competition in this industry,' he said. 'The way the big brewers compete is designed to make it more difficult for the smaller, independent people to get in.' Andy Slee, chief executive of Siba, said the difficulty of getting into pubs was at odds with the trade body's polling of customers, who said they want more independent beer. 'It's shocking that a local independent brewery can't offer its beers for sales to a majority of the pubs in the local area and shows why the government needs to step in to open up the market,' Slee said. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion A spokesperson for the British Beer and Pubs Association (BBPA), whose members include large pub-owning companies, said: 'The UK beer market allows brewers both big and small to thrive, proven by a soaring number of brewers over the last two decades who offer an incredible range of beers to consumers in managed, tenanted, and independent pubs. 'What holds brewers back is that they are the highest-taxed sector of the economy, a deeply unfair situation compounded by eye-watering new packaging taxes [Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)]. 'Government must review their unfair and chaotic EPR regime and cut beer duty so that pubs and brewers continue to support growth and jobs.' The UK experienced rapid growth in the number of independent breweries after 2002, when the then chancellor, Gordon Brown, introduced tax breaks from smaller producers. But the resulting 'craft beer revolution' has since slowed and moved into reverse last year. Large brewing corporations have moved quickly to swallow up fast-growing smaller competitors that proved most popular with drinkers. High-profile examples of 'craft' buyouts include Beavertown and Brixton, bought by Heineken, and Camden, whose £85m sale to Budweiser maker AB InBev in 2015 kicked off the buyout boom. The trend led Siba and its members to ditch the 'misleading' craft beer tag last year, adopting 'indie beer' instead.
The Guardian
21-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Britain lost 100 indie breweries last year, says trade body
The number of independent breweries in Britain declined at its fastest rate in 2024, figures from the 'indie beer' trade body suggest. The UK had 1,715 breweries at the end of 2024, 100 fewer than at the start of the year, according to the data released by Siba, which represents independent brewing companies. The overall fall the previous year was just eight. While Siba's UK brewery tracker is only in its third year, the data it uses is comparable to figures from the real ale group Camra, because they both count only companies that are actually producing beer. Although the rate of closures slowed during the year, the drop recorded in 2024 is larger than any single-year decline recorded by either Siba or Camra. Other than in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of small breweries had grown significantly since 2002, when Gordon Brown, as chancellor, introduced tax breaks for small brewers, leading to a 'craft beer revolution'. But recently, the sector has been buffeted by a maelstrom of adverse factors, including aggressive competition tactics from big brewers, rising costs and consumers tightening their belts. Margins in the sector have been eroded by wage and ingredient inflation in recent years, while many smaller players are still paying off loans taken to tide them through the Covid-19 pandemic. The cost of living crisis has also made it harder for drinkers to afford craft beers, which are often more expensive because their hops and malts are often higher quality or imported. A recent rise in alcohol duty, approved by Rishi Sunak's Conservative government, increases duties on higher-strength brews, which are often favoured by fans of independent producers. Large brewing companies have also responded to the rise of smaller competitors by buying them out and then labelling them as 'craft'. These can then be marketed through pub groups that are often owned by the brewers themselves, squeezing smaller competitors off the bar. Andy Slee, the chief executive of Siba, said demand for indie beer was still high but that small brewers were finding it hard to sell to local pubs. 'Given the demand for independent beer isn't being met locally, you have to wonder whether more local beer in community pubs would help pub closure rates as well,' he said. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion High-profile examples of 'craft' buyouts include Beavertown and Brixton, both bought out by Heineken, and Camden, whose £85m sale to Budweiser maker AB InBev in 2015 kicked off the buyout boom. This trend led Siba and its members to ditch the 'misleading' craft beer tag last year, adopting 'indie beer' instead. Breweries to close during 2024 include Wild Card, Top Rope, Little Monster, Cronx, Inner Bay, Gritchie and White Horse. Other much-loved breweries have been bought out of administration in recent years and, in some cases, consolidated within a larger group. Brew by Numbers and Brick, from London, alongside Purity in the West Midlands and Black Sheep in North Yorkshire have all been snapped up by the private equity firm Breal Group. Breal has since renamed its beer operation Keystone Brewing Group and snapped up North Brewing Co from Leeds earlier this year, after the company was rescued from administration in January 2024.
