Latest news with #KuumarShyam
Al Etihad
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
UAE University Games on right track with AI
24 Apr 2025 01:11 Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)The UAE University Games, initiated by the Ministry of Sports, proved not just a much-needed platform for the youth of the country, but showed that the administrators are looking to stay ahead of the curve in the technology by Abu Dhabi Entertainment Company (ADEC), in cooperation with the UAE School and University Sports Federation, the inaugural season drew a total of 1,585 students from 28 universities across the UAE in, competing in seven sporting top achievers may have gone home with medals and trophies, but the real success was achieved by the organisers, who created a platform where talented athletes can develop and showcase their talents, gain exposure and further their to the UAE's innovative way of doing things, multiple agencies and consultants had been enlisted to generate performance-related data for the participants, which will help in analysing the various metrics and even help scouts from around the world assess the talent of the agencies is PlayerMaker, which issued tracker chips to the participants in the crucial stages of the competition, except in the football, which was handled by another contracted company."We have worked in international organisations like FIFA, NBA and even closer here to the UAE with Dubai Sports Council, Al Nasr, etc," said Steve Barratt, Vice President of Sport Performance at PlayerMaker, as he collected the bands with the data chips from the youth players. One band can cost between Dh2,500 to Dh5,000 dirhams, Barratt told Aletihad . In addition, there were artificial intelligence-enabled cameras tracking the action, which, supplemented by the movement data, can help coaches and technical analysts assess performance, while providing talent scouts with valuable data, said Barratt."We as a company collect data on footwork movement, including speed of acceleration and deceleration, direction changes, foot adjustment in response to game scenarios and utilisation of AI cameras to gather technical and session-based statistics."The data collected will help coaches analyse player weaknesses and enhance performance. Thus we cover three very important bases – technical, tactical and physical. Two staff members have specially flown in for this project to help us."Additional scouts from the UK and Europe are involved in observing games and providing insights. Plans are to bring in 12 more scouts for talent profiling across various sports in the next stage."With the combination of physical data collection, video analysis and scout observations completing the process, agencies such as PlayerMaker, says Barratt, will be able to collate the data into reports which the Ministry of Sports can then use."So we have a human resource, computer resource, AI resource. And AI is not just limited to cameras; it's in other fields as well, other domains. The insights that we are providing, you can get that on any grassroot-level player but also you can have it on Champions League players, World Cup winners, Ballon d'Or winners. We have it across the spectrum and work with many national governing bodies," he University of Dubai's basketball coach Issam Termanini was oblivious to the gadgets strapped to his players' shoelaces during the final against University of Sharjah."I have no idea what these are supposed to do [the gadgets were used only for the knockout stages]. We barely had time to prepare because the team travelled to Greece to play in a tournament three weeks ago and now got this great platform to play college basketball for their own university," Termanini UoS team took the lead in the first quarter and Termanini made a strategic switch to get his players to first neutralise the threat of Sharjah's key players before going on to win the title, just as they did in Greece. In addition to the silverware won, the data compiled during the Games will go a long way to launching the international careers of the young players.
Al Etihad
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
Pakistan's women cricket team likely to play in UAE
22 Apr 2025 00:43 Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)The Pakistan women's cricket team may follow their men's path and could be headed to Dubai as their neutral ground for the upcoming ICC Women's ODI World Cup later this year. A senior official from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has indicated their preference, with the players having enjoyed playing in Dubai in the speculation has begun after PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi categorically stated that the women's team will not tour India for the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 as per the 'fusion formula', according to which, India will not travel to Pakistan and vice versa for games in ICC tournaments scheduled for the next three years. This arrangement was accepted ahead of the Men's Champions Trophy 2025 which was hosted by Pakistan earlier this year.'As per the arrangement before the Champions Trophy, our women's team will also not tour India, and the choice of the neutral venue is with the hosts India,' Naqvi had status quo is due to political tensions between the two neighbouring countries. 'The Pakistan women's team would love to play their matches in Dubai as they have more experience of playing in the UAE, which had been Pakistan's venue during their isolation period between 2010-2020,' a senior PCB official was quoted saying to While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has opted for Dubai as the neutral venue due to its proximity in the past, as well as a large expatriate population base in the UAE, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could even opt for Sri Lanka due to accessibility and lower costs of outsourcing the venue. The choice, as Naqvi conceded, is the prerogative of India as the hosts. Bangladesh became the second team to qualify, ending the hopes of Ireland, Scotland, the West Indies and Thailand. India (hosts), England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka have already qualified for the tournament, which will run from September 26 to November 2. Pakistan did not qualify for the first five editions of the Women's ODI World Cup. When they competed for the first time, they finished 11th and last. They again failed to qualify for the next two editions.
Al Etihad
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
UAE pick Olaroiu to rescue World Cup qualifying campaign
21 Apr 2025 00:07 Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)Cosmic Olaroiu has officially been named the national team manager of the UAE football team after his appointment was confirmed just before the ADIB Cup final in Al Ain, where Al Jazira beat Shabab Al Ahli to the Romanian has spent 10 seasons and several stints in the UAE as manager of Al Ain, Al Ahli and current club Sharjah, where he has fashioned a revival at one of the most successful sides historically in the UAE. Sharjah have reached the final of the Asian Champions League Two division in a year when Al Ain were the main division title holders, Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli have fallen by the is a testament to Olaroiu's reputation as a manager of mettle, and his credentials could be a timely boost for the UAE's qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Olaroiu's arrival comes after the UAE Football Association parted ways with Paulo Bento with only two matches left in the Asian qualifying round, where the top two teams from three groups secure an automatic berth. The UAE are third in Group A, behind Uzbekistan in second and the already-qualified face Uzbekistan at home on June 5 in a crucial clash to stay in the hunt. The UAE's final fixture is away to Kyrgyzstan five days away on June 10. Olaroiu inherits a team with more naturalised players in the mix and available for is unclear yet how his national duties will impact the rest of his tenure at the numbers, should UAE win both their games and Uzbekistan draw against Qatar in their final encounter, the UAE would have the advantage of superior goal difference. It could also be a good idea to keep up the scoring should it matter in case the UAE end up finishing third on the table. The three best third-placed teams go into a play-offs to take one berth in the Finals in the last round of was also a strong contender in 2016, but that didn't materialise. In 2021, a precious watch of Olaroiu's was stolen, but the Dubai police managed to recover the clock ticking on UAE's hopes, it remains to be seen if the Romanian can now return favour by aiding the team's passage to the Finals in United States, Canada and Mexico next June. He previously coached Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal and Qatar's Al Sadd, who won the domestic league on Saturday, and the Saudi Arabia national team at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia. Olaroiu won the Chinese Super League title in 2020 with Jiangsu Suning before taking over as Sharjah head coach in 2021.
Al Etihad
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
U17 footballers get warm welcome in Abu Dhabi after sealing 2025 World Cup berth in Qatar
16 Apr 2025 01:16 Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi) The Under-17 youth national team arrived home from Taif, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday morning where they were greeted with warm embraces and garlands by UAE Football Association officials and supporters at the Zayed International Airport. The team reached the FIFA U17 World Cup, to be staged in Qatar from November 3-27, for the fourth time and its first since 2013. Majed Salem Al Zaabi's boys bowed out of the qualifying Asian Cup tournament in Taif at the quarter-finals stage in the knockouts, but it was enough to secure one of the eight slots for the continent, besides the hosts, in the 48-team expanded World Cup. The coach Al Zaabi was ecstatic to guide his team to the knockout stage, a task made arduous on the back of the 4-1 opening defeat against Japan. They beat Australia 2-0 in what proved to be eventually a decisive result in their game. In the final group match against Vietnam, Hazaa Faisal's last-gasp header in injury time cancelled out Hoang Khang's first-half opener. The Emiratis then had to endure an agonising wait until Japan topped Group B despite losing 3-2 to Australia in their outcome meant Japan, UAE and Australia all finished on four points – with the young Whites going through ahead of Australia on the head-to-head criteria. The UAE took part in Italy 1991, Nigeria 2009, and in 2013 when the country hosted the tournament. The best finish has been reaching the Round of 16 in Nigeria. Al Zaabi praised the great attention the team received from Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE FA President, and other Federation officials since the start of the qualifiers. The team's preparations for the tough group with heavyweights like Japan and Australia were hampered on the eve of the tournament when the team doctor Abdulla Baroun passed away. Issam Dahi, the national team manager, said: "The team's qualification for the World Cup was the result of tireless work by the technical and medical staff, as well as the players, who pledged to do their utmost to qualify for the World Cup, despite the circumstances surrounding the team just days before the start of the tournament and the loss to Japan in the first round."
Al Etihad
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
EuroLeague Basketball: NextGen Finals to dovetail with Final Four in Abu Dhabi in May
9 Apr 2025 01:09 Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)The future Luka Doncic or even the next Lebron James may be on display in Abu Dhabi next month when the EuroLeague Basketball's season climax is held on May 23-25, followed by the NextGen Finals. It was announced in January that the Final Four will be hosted in the emirate - the first time the top-tier tournament for club pros in Europe decided to hold it outside of the continent after a deal was struck between the organisers and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi through the agency IMG. In addition to the main event, the NextGen Finals - the world's premier club-based junior basketball event, which will bring the world's top Under-18 talents together with the biggest names in basketball - will also be staged. Tickets to the Final Four event were sold out inside the first seven hours when they went on sale on February 26. While the Final Four will be held at the Eithad Arena on Yas Island, the next generation of stars will showcase their skills at the Mubadala Arena at Zayed Sports City. Last year, Dubai hosted the Qualifier to the NextGen Finals, in which the Dubai Falcons gave an indication of how the sport has developed in the UAE. That initiative last year led to the formation of Dubai Basketball, which has already made waves in the Adriatic Basketball Association (ABA) League as the debutants managed to secure a play-off berth with five games to spare and are currently third in the 16-team NextGen Finals will feature eight elite teams. Joining Dubai Basketball will be EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Barcelona (Winner of NextGen Ulm), Mega SuperBet Belgrade (Winner of NextGen Istanbul), Overtime Elite, Pole France INSEP Paris (Winner of NextGen Belgrade), Real Madrid and Zalgiris this marks the second consecutive year an Overtime Elite representative will compete in the NextGen Finals. Overtime Elite, an elite U16 to U20 league, features many of the top young talents from the United States and beyond. The league, consisting of eight teams, recently completed its fourth Basketball, a newly established project founded in 2024, has rapidly made its mark by securing participation in the ABA League. Their U18 team Falcons will represent the Middle East again in a successive appearance, following their role as hosts in the qualifiers last season. There will be two groups with Juria Golemac's boys in Dubai, matched with Armani Milan, Barcelona and Belgrade.A combined total of nine U18 continental trophies have been won by the clubs participating in the NextGen Finals. Real Madrid enters as the reigning champions, having edged out INSEP by a single point (85-84) in last year's final in Berlin. Real Madrid claimed the title in 2023, 2021, 2019 and 2015, while INSEP were crowned champions in 2010 and 2017. Barcelona claimed the European championship in 2016, and Mega won its first title in attending the NextGen Finals in Abu Dhabi or watching via the EuroLeague's official YouTube channel will enjoy 12 group-stage games over the first three days (May 22 to May 24). The tournament will conclude on Sunday, May 25, with the championship game between the two group winners. Tickets for the NextGen Finals will be available for purchase in the coming weeks. This season marks the 23rd edition of the NextGen. Some of the biggest names in basketball have passed through the competition, such as Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, Kristaps Porzingis, Milos Teodosic, Vasilije Micic, Nikola Mirotic, Dario Saric among others.
