The clock is ticking. And somewhere up there the chair umpire is ready to make that all important announcement of the 2000 sporting year: "Gentleman, Time." The eclipse of this sporting year, now reduced to its final stage, seems like the passing of a moment. Gliding away effortlessly. Or in an athletes parlance 'walking down'.
It is a fine, fierce sprinter's expression, walking down. It makes a few seconds' overtaking seem like the cruel work of hours. But then in reality, it is so. There was hard work, success and disappointment. Some say that is life... ...It is also sport.
We can record that the UAE's sporting levels of success and failure was equal. Both fought for supremacy on the scales resulting in a stalemate. But these two inevitabilities have to be viewed in separation even though both are inter linked to each other.
The UAE recorded achievements not only in the field of sport but also in the more dispassionate confines of the boardrooms where decisions to stamp the countries credentials as a powerhouse in the Middle East sporting scene were taken.
The biggest thrill of the sporting year? Make that thrills... There were no sportsmen or women vying for exclusive honours. The accolades went to, believe it or not, forthcoming events that have been slotted for 2001. And they took up a lot of space.
So here it is: Tiger Woods and the WTA Tour are making their debut in 2001. Is this what we have been waiting for? All in favour say aye. All opposed go back to your coma.
The impending arrival of both the golfer and the women's tennis event gave us a summer that will not be forgotten in a hurry. As if this was not enough, an announcement by the Emirates Racing Association shook the racing world. The prize money for the 2001 Dubai World Cup race card has been increased to $15.25 million. This effectively beats all pretenders, the closest of which was the Breeders Cup, into second place.
Speaking of second place, Dubai Millennium showed the rest of his brethren a clean pair of hooves in a start to finish humbling of his rivals at the Dubai World Cup. But sport can be cruel and a freak injury sent him into a far too premature retirement.
Khalfan Hareb and Ali Nasser celebrate winning the world offshore powerboat title. ©Gulf News |
With all due respect to the Chinese calendar, Woods made this the second straight Year of the Tiger. Scarier still, having celebrated his 25th birthday yesterday (December 30) not only does he drive a Buick but he can also rent one in Dubai. Then there's Hingis, Pierce, Mauresmo and Sanchez-Vicario. And if Anna Kournikova makes it here, healthy and fit males will be rendered asthmatic.
Let us catch up with the sporting year that is waving goodbye to us. Sport is essentially about winning and nobody typified this better than the Victory Team. If the path to global powerboat success has been chalked out then the 'Boys in Blue' are on the right track.
Winning race after race through the circuit the Dubai based powerboat outfit spearheaded by Khalfan Hareb, who has nothing else left to win, simply drowned the opposition.
Hareb saved the best for last by clinching the world title at home in the UAE and then promptly announcing that he was considering retirement. If winning has become a habit for the Victory Team then what of rallyist Mohammed bin Sulayem? In a nutshell, Sulayem won his 12th Middle East Rally title.
Can anything stop this man? Let us consider: a broken axle, burst tyres, vehicle breakdown, broken suspension...The possibilities exist, but then so does the chance for a 13th title.
In Formula One powerboating the efforts of the ADTC sponsored UAE powerboat team were realised when Scott Gillman led Team UAE to a hard fought world title following an action packed final two rounds at home.
While still on success, the UAE soccer team won the four nations LG Cup. The field consisted of Kuwait, Australia and South Korea. That apart the national team recorded poor results. But perhaps none so poor as their non-qualification for the Asian Cup in Lebanon. This was the first time the UAE did not represent themselves at the competition having done so on five straight occasions from 1980 to 1996.
The UAE soccer team who clinched victory in the four-nation LG cup. ©Gulf News |
The Under-19 team flattered to deceive losing to Iran in the Asian Youth Championships. But the highlight of their non-performance was their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Pakistan. The Under-17 outfit lost out in the Asian qualifications in Oman.
More on failure...years divisible by four are always distinguished by the Olympics in the world and the Presidential elections in the United States. For the UAE, athlete Ali Khamis Al Niyadi and swimmer Salem Mass's Games ended even before they started while the elections in America never seemed to end. Restoring pride, however, were shooters Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum and Sheikh Ahmed bin Hasher Al Maktoum with encouraging performances.
Sheikh Ahmed then went on to claim the bronze at a world shooting meet in Cyprus ironically beating the first three Olympic medalists in the competition. A small reversal of venues, from Cyprus to Sydney, would have helped.
Mercifully, the success graph inched its way along and this helped erase some of the more painful moments. Like when the UAE cricket team won the ACC Trophy at home. Led by national skipper Saeed Al Saffar the hosts stormed home against Hong Kong in the final. Later, Al Saffar reflected on his team's moment of triumph saying, "I'm speechless. I can't put this moment into words. The feeling hasn't sunk in as yet."
Some great moments are better when they are not bisected. Truth is, we are speechless too. Then there was the Dubai Chess Club which emerged triumphant at the Arab Clubs championships at home. You don't talk while playing chess, you just record the
