‘Unprecedented’ interest in Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Ethara CEO

Ethara CEO Saif Al-Noaimi stands on Yas Marina Circuit’s famous Turn. (Supplied)
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Updated 21 November 2023
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‘Unprecedented’ interest in Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Ethara CEO

  • Saif Al-Noaimi shows Arab News around Yas Marina Circuit, talks ticket sales, sustainability, F1’s most famous spot

ABU DHABI: Saif Al-Noaimi smiled as he surveyed arguably the most famous spot in the modern history of motorsports.

The CEO of Ethara — organizers of the Etihad Airways Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — was standing on Yas Marina Circuit’s Turn 5, the exact spot where Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on Dec. 12, 2021, to win his first Formula 1 World Championship in dramatic circumstances.

Al-Noaimi understands more than most the significance of that iconic piece of real estate at the North Grandstand hairpin. It had been one of the segments that had been altered earlier that year to allow for more overtaking opportunities and exciting racing.

It delivered on those promises.

He said: “This is the turn that was changed completely in 2021. We saw Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen arriving at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with exactly the same number of points and this was the corner in which Max Verstappen overtook Lewis to claim the championship on the last lap at Yas Marina Circuit.”

Verstappen may have wrapped up this year’s title weeks ago, but the popularity of the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — that concludes on Nov. 26 — remains as high as ever.

“The sales have been unprecedented. We didn’t expect this level of demand for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, so we launched our tickets earlier than we’ve ever launched in previous years. And we sold out within weeks of certain products, including grandstands,” Al-Noaimi added as he drove around the course.

The tickets also provide entry into the post-race concerts which this year include Ava Max, Tiesto, Chris Brown, Shania Twain, and Foo Fighters.

“There’s been extremely high interest in demand in all categories, grandstands, general admission, but also high-end hospitality and VIP offerings.

“When we saw that we sold out many of these products, we worked to add inventory and to build new products over the summer period,” Al-Noaimi said.

The old favorites remain. The Marina Grandstand, the W Abu Dhabi, and the Paddock Club — opposite the Main Grandstand — where a new podium will protrude onto the track, allowing fans a closer look at the drivers at the end of the race.

Stopping at Turn 2, Al-Noaimi pointed to the track’s latest additions, which will provide new hospitality outlets with vantage points that have never been experienced before.

He added: “We have the Deck at Two and Horizon 360, completely new perspectives, we’ve never used that part of the track. No one has ever got that perspective of the race. Imagine the start of the race, all 20 cars are coming around for the first time, all close to each other, everyone trying to get the optimal line through Turn 2, setting themselves up for Turn 5 at the hairpin.

“We launched the West Straight Grandstand. We added some hospitality products as well. We’re listening to what the customers want; they want more hospitality. They want more grandstands. They want unique, branded F and B (food and beverage) and hospitality experiences, and we’ve added a lot this year.”

Among 15 of those branded experiences are Hakkasan, Nobu, Roka, Ce La Vi, Opa, and The Maine.

“We sold out very quickly of most of our products, and we’re starting to think about what we need to do for 2024 to meet this demand.”

Al-Noaimi noted that Yas Marina Circuit had increasingly seen a rise in fans coming from abroad, particularly Europe.

He said: “At the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, we had 140,000 attendees over the entire weekend. And if you break down that list of attendees, over 70 percent of them were coming from outside the UAE, which demonstrates the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is truly a global event.

“It’s bringing in, from a tourism point of view, a significant number of visitors to Abu Dhabi, into the UAE. And out of that 70 percent, over 80 percent of them stayed four nights or more in the UAE. So, from a macroeconomic impact, that’s significant.

“We’re definitely seeing the international numbers grow. There are a lot of European fans that travel to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. We have a big contingent of Dutch fans supporting Max Verstappen, but from all over Europe, as well.”

Ethara was launched in May and since then Yas Island has hosted the NBA Abu Dhabi Games for the second year running, as well as UFC 294, and the World Supercross Abu Dhabi GP.

“We brought in the teams that used to look after Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management and Flash Entertainment under one structure and one management.

“We have an amazing team of over 300 seasoned experts in the event and venue management space,” Al-Noaimi added.

He pointed out the growing importance of sustainability in shaping Yas Marina Circuit.

“We put in place a strategy, a sustainability strategy back in 2020 and we’re well underway on its execution. Last year we saw the most sustainable Grand Prix we have ever delivered.

“We received the FIA Three-Star certification for sustainability in 2021, which is the highest level of accreditation, the first circuit in the region to achieve that.”

Evidence of that is the solar panel farm located adjacent to the track ahead of Turn 5.

Al-Noaimi said: “For 2023, we’re adding to what we’ve done in previous years. We’ve just converted all our track lights to LED, so we’ve reduced our requirements of electrical power.

“Additionally, we’ve just completed the building of one megawatt of solar power at Yas Marina Circuit. That one megawatt is going to fulfil 30 percent of our power requirements throughout the year.

“And we have clear objectives for 2030 and 2040, with reductions of our carbon footprint. And every year we will have more and more initiatives.”

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend will also take a glimpse into the future of regional drivers when the young stars of Yas Heat Racing Academy take to the track.

“We’re really proud of the members of the team that have participated so far. This year, we’re really excited about the trophy race, support race for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Formula 4 UAE, we are going to have several members of Yas Heat participating.

“We have the return of Hamda and Amna Al-Qubaisi to Yas Heat. We have Rashid Al-Dhaheri. He was below the minimum age last year and it’s the first time he’s going to participate in Formula 4 UAE and race at his home Grand Prix, we’re really excited about that,” Al-Noaimi added.

Other talented drivers taking part are Keanu Al-Azhari, Zack Scoular, and Harry Hannam.

“We’re really proud to have this platform to show the capabilities and the development of young UAE nationals and residents in the single-seater space.

“And for 2024, we’ve already announced that we will be hosting F1 Academy at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which is the female-only championship. It will form one of the support races in 2024 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,” Al-Noaimi said.


Inter looking to power back up ahead of Champions League match at Barcelona

Updated 43 sec ago
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Inter looking to power back up ahead of Champions League match at Barcelona

  • Inter is hoping it won’t have to make a similarly arduous journey after an unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain to a standstill
  • Inter heads to Barcelona following a dire run of results that has seen its dreams of another treble evaporate
MILAN: Strange things happen when Inter Milan plays Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals.
The last time the two teams met in the final four of Europe’s elite club competition, in 2010, Barcelona had to make a 15-hour journey by bus to Milan after an ash cloud caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull shut down air space.
Barcelona lost that first leg 3-1 and a stout defensive performance by Inter in the return match saw it advance to the final 3-2 on aggregate — where it beat Bayern Munich to clinch a historic treble under Jose Mourinho.
Inter is hoping it won’t have to make a similarly arduous journey after an unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday.
Power had almost fully returned to Spain early Tuesday morning and Inter’s charter flight was still scheduled to take off for Barcelona at 5 p.m. local time ahead of the first leg of their semifinal on Wednesday.
Inter coach Simone Inzaghi will be hoping his team can power back up for the game as well.
Inter heads to Barcelona following a dire run of results that has seen its dreams of another treble evaporate.
For the first time in more than 13 years, Inter has lost three straight matches without scoring a goal.
Since a 2-2 draw against Bayern in the Champions League quarterfinals, the Nerazzurri have lost to Bologna and Roma in Serie A and AC Milan in the Italian Cup — all by the same 1-0 scoreline.
That has also seen them been leapfrogged at the top of the Serie A table by Napoli, slipping three points behind the new league leader.
“The three defeats hurt and we’re not used to this, we have to look at ourselves and try to recover our physical and mental energy,” Inzaghi said.
Those three games, however, had something in common: Marcus Thuram was missing.
Thuram, who has been out with a left thigh issue, has scored 17 goals and provided nine assists across all competitions for Inter this season.
Without the France forward, Lautaro Martinez has appeared fatigued attempting to carry Inter’s attack. And Marko Arnautovic, Thuram’s replacement, has been ineffective.
Thuram has returned to training and could even start on Wednesday.
“We’ll head to Barcelona and we will play them with respect, not fear,” Inzaghi added.

Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery

Updated 6 min 4 sec ago
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Real Madrid defender Rüdiger expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery

  • The club did not give a timeline for his return. Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday
  • He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field

MADRID: Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Madrid said Rüdiger successfully underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in his left knee and will begin “his recovery process shortly.” The club did not give a timeline for his return.
Rüdiger had to be replaced in extra time of Madrid 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
He made headlines for shouting at the referee from the bench and for apparently throwing a small bag of ice onto the field.
Rüdiger apologized for his behavior but the incident prompted former Germany player Dietmar Hamann to call for the defender to be left out of Germany’s squad for the Nations League final four in June.
German national team sporting director Rudi Völler also criticized Rüdiger, saying he needed to show “class” and respect for others.
Germany plays Portugal in the Nations League semifinals in Munich on June 4.


Coach Stefano Pioli confident as Al-Nassr prepare for AFC Champions League Elite semi showdown

Updated 20 min 15 sec ago
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Coach Stefano Pioli confident as Al-Nassr prepare for AFC Champions League Elite semi showdown

  • Riyadh giant Al-Nassr are one of three Saudi Pro League sides in the semifinals
  • Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have also advanced to the last four and will meet on Tuesday

JEDDAH: Al-Nassr coach Stefano Pioli declared his side injury-free ahead of Wednesday’s Asian Champions League Elite semifinal against Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah as the Saudi Pro League side look to reach the final for the first time in almost 30 years.
The Riyadh-based outfit last made the decider in 1995, but a brace from Jhon Duran and strikes by Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a 4-1 win over Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday to move the Saudi side to the cusp of a first title.
“We are ready for the match, but in training we will decide which group is going to play,” Pioli said. “The team is ready to play the game with great spirit, high performance.”
Al-Nassr are one of three Saudi Pro League sides in the semifinals, the first time a single nation has dominated the latter stages of the competition to such an extent.
The huge injection of cash into the country’s leading clubs by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2023 which prompted the signing of numerous high-profile players from around the world is having a major impact on this year’s competition.
Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli have also advanced to the last four and will meet on Tuesday.
Japan’s Kawasaki are the only team from their half of the confederation left in the competition after their win over Qatar’s Al-Sadd, and the J-League side have been further disadvantaged by having one day less to recover than Al-Nassr.
Frontale needed extra-time to defeat Felix Sanchez’s side and coach Shigetoshi Hasebe admitted he was concerned about his players’ lack of freshness ahead of the Al-Nassr clash.
“All the players are tired because they played for 120 minutes, which is very difficult for us,” he said. “But we’ll be playing in a different stadium, so we can have a new feeling and I can imagine the players will play very well tomorrow night.”
Kawasaki midfielder Kento Tachibanada stressed it was important not to obsess over the reputations of their opponents.
“The key point is not to be afraid of the famous players and their big names,” he said. “Many people think the teams from Saudi will win, but I want to break that type of image tomorrow night.”


Power outage still affecting Madrid Open tennis tournament. Opening of the gates delayed on Tuesday.

Updated 29 April 2025
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Power outage still affecting Madrid Open tennis tournament. Opening of the gates delayed on Tuesday.

  • They did not immediately announce any schedule change regarding the matches
  • The power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT) on Monday and 22 matches had to be canceled for the day

MADRID: There was still no power at the Caja Magica tennis complex that is hosting the Madrid Open on Tuesday, putting in jeopardy the resumption of play a day after several matches had to be canceled.
Tournament organizers said the opening of the gates for fans was delayed until 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) because of the outage. They did not immediately announce any schedule change regarding the matches.
“Due to reasons beyond the organization’s control, the Caja Mágica is still without power supply as of this morning. As a result, the opening of the gates has been delayed, and we expect to open them at 11 a.m.,” they said.
The power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time (1034 GMT) on Monday, stopping two ATP singles matches and one doubles match that were underway. A total of 22 matches had to be canceled for the day.
Organizers said the games were called off “to guarantee the safety of the players, fans and personnel.” Spectators were told to leave the sports complex.
Power was restored at night through most parts of Madrid, and organizers had said late Monday that play would resume on Tuesday.
Among the matches expected for Tuesday included second-ranked Alexander Zverev facing Francisco Cerundolo. On the women’s side, the remaining six fourth-round matches were scheduled, including top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka facing Peyton Stearns and second-ranked Iga Swiatek taking on Diana Shnaider.
The blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines.


Australian doubles player Purcell accepts 18-month doping ban

Updated 29 April 2025
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Australian doubles player Purcell accepts 18-month doping ban

  • Max Purcell has admitted receiving intravenous vitamin infusions of more than 500ml on December 16 and 20, 2023
  • The limit under the World Anti-Doping Code is 100ml in a 12-hour period

SYDNEY: Australia’s two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Purcell has accepted an 18-month doping ban, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old in December took a voluntary suspension, describing himself at the time as “devastated” and saying he had not intended to break anti-doping rules.
Purcell has admitted receiving intravenous vitamin infusions of more than 500ml on December 16 and 20, 2023. The limit under the World Anti-Doping Code is 100ml in a 12-hour period.
His ban will end on June 11, 2026, taking into account time served out of the sport.
He will also forfeit results and prize money for the period between December 16, 2023 and February 3, 2024.
Purcell’s co-operation and information sharing with the ITIA allowed for a 25 percent reduction in sanction, it said.
ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said: “This case does not involve a player testing positive for a prohibited substance but demonstrates that the anti-doping rules are broader than that.”
Writing on Instagram, Purcell said: “I have accepted the mistake I made and will make sure I’m even more diligent with everything regarding the integrity of the sport.”
Purcell won the 2022 Wimbledon doubles title alongside fellow Australian Matt Ebden and the US Open crown in 2024 with Jordan Thompson.
In his social media post, Purcell said he had been unable to sleep and eat properly because of his worries over the case.
“I’m so glad this is finally over for me and I can move on with my life,” he added.
It is the latest doping controversy in tennis.
Former women’s number one Iga Swiatek is back in action after last year accepting a one-month ban after testing positive for a banned substance.
Men’s number one Jannik Sinner has been out of action since accepting a three-month doping ban in February after twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March last year.
The three-time Grand Slam winner is due to return before the Rome Open, which runs from May 7-18.