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Qatari champion Mutaz Barshim won the bronze medal in the Men’s High Jump at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Barshim successfully cleared a height of 2.34 meters, his best performance this season, securing third place behind American Shelby McEwen, who won the silver medal with a height of 2.36 meters, giving the best performance of his career, and New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, who won the gold medal with a height of 2.36 meters.
With this achievement, Barshim became the first high jump athlete to ever win four medals across four Olympic Games, having won the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020, in addition to silver medals at Rio de Janeiro 2016 and London 2012.
Mutaz Barshim won Qatar its first medal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and has become the most decorated Qatari athlete in Olympic history, with a total of four medals. (QNA)
Egyptian weightlifter Sara Ahmed Samir has once again made Egypt proud, securing a silver medal in the 81kg Women’s Final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Samir lifted a total of 268kg, marking an incredible achievement in her illustrious career and reinforcing her position as one of the sport’s leading athletes.
The 26-year-old’s performance included a snatch of 117kg and a clean and jerk of 151kg, surpassing her previous personal best of 148kg, which she set at the 2022 World Championships in Colombia.
Despite falling short of the top podium spot, Samir’s silver medal adds to her already impressive collection, which includes a bronze medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics and a gold medal from the 2022 World Championships.
The gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics event was claimed by Norway’s Solfrid Eila Amena Koanda, who set a new Olympic record with a total lift of 275kg, comprising 121kg in the snatch and 154kg in the clean and jerk. Ecuador’s Neisi Patricia Dájomes Barrera took home the bronze, narrowly missing out on the silver with a total lift of 267kg.
Samir’s journey in the final was marked by determination and resilience. After successfully lifting 113kg and 117kg in her first two snatch attempts, she narrowly missed out on her third attempt at 119kg. In the clean and jerk, she successfully lifted 146kg on her first attempt but was unable to complete her final lift at 155kg, which would have secured her the gold.
This silver medal represents Egypt’s second medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, following Mohamed El-Sayed’s bronze in the men’s epee individual fencing event.
Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser said she had mixed emotions after claiming a silver medal in the women’s 400m on her Olympic debutdebut.
Eid Naser clocked 48.53 seconds on a wet night in Paris but was blown away by Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic who raced to gold in an Olympic record time of 48.17.
The Bahraini sprinter looked disappointed after the race but was never truly in the hunt for gold while also comfortably seeing off bronze medallist Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland who finished in 48.98.
Eid Naser has the full collection of medals – gold, silver and bronze – from World Championships but this was her first Olympics. She missed Tokyo because of a controversial ban for missed doping tests. The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban and she has made up for missed time with an Olympic medal.
But she said: “I cannot even begin to put into words what this means. I am happy and at the same time I am sad.”
Paulino, the gold medallist, said: “This is the best of my life, absolutely it is. I saw myself as very strong, I’ve worked so hard and now I have an Olympic record.
“For me this gold medal means a lot. It was the medal that I needed to complete an Olympic cycle and it is a medal that my country needed. The truth is that it was worth it because I think it will inspire many young people who are in a precarious situation. Many doors will open for them because of me.”
The Dominican entered the race as a big favourite having won gold at last year’s world championships in Budapest. However, this title, won in front of a crowd who cheered her all the way down the home stretch, will rank as the greatest of her career.
Meanwhile, Team USA’s Rai Benjamin won gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Stade de France as he saw off his ‘Big Three’ rivals.
The race was billed as a shoot-out between Benjamin, Norway’s Karsten Warholm and Brazil’s Alison dos Santos. And so it proved as they all grabbed a medal.
For Benjamin it was gold in 46.46secs, with Warholm (47.06) second and Dos Santos (47.26) third.
Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba came in sixth but was never in the mix for a medal.
Elsewhere, Egypt’s Ahmed Elgendy looked in fine form as he set an Olympic record points total in qualifying for the final of the men’s modern pentathlon.
Elgendy, the silver medallist from Tokyo, won his semi-final with a record tally of 1516 points.
The 24-year-old competed in fencing, riding, swimming and laser run, and topped his section with the best aggregate performance. He did struggle somewhat in the showjumping but more than made up for it elsewhere.
His compatriot Mohanad Shaban sneaked into the final. Shaban finished ninth in the second semi-final with only the top nine progressing to Saturday’s main event.
The final begins at 7:30pm UAE time on Saturday, with the climax being a laser run which starts at 9.10pm.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, during its 46th session in New Delhi, India, announced the inclusion of three new Arab sites to the World Heritage List. The sites are the Monastery of Saint Hilarion/Tell Umm Amer in Palestine, Umm el Jimal City in Jordan, and the Cultural Landscape of Al Faw Archaeological Area in Saudi Arabia.
The Monastery of Saint Hilarion in Gaza is one of the oldest historical sites in the Middle East, while Umm el Jimal in Jordan showcases a Nabataean-Roman-Byzantine character and is notable for its inhabitants’ resilience in a water-scarce region. Saudi Arabia’s Al Faw Archaeological Area, a significant ancient human settlement, is now the eighth site in the Kingdom to be registered on the World Heritage List.
Prince Badr bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture, emphasised that the inscription of Al Faw aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, highlighting the Kingdom’s commitment to preserving global human heritage and promoting national identity.
“The Kingdom recognizes the importance of heritage, its preservation, and its promotion worldwide in order to establish a solid foundation for the present, chart a roadmap for future endeavors, and support the Heritage Commission in developing national heritage assets,” the Prince said.
Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and Chairman of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), congratulated the three countries on their achievement. He highlighted that this inclusion underscores the importance of Arab heritage on a global scale and reflects the growing interest in preserving the region’s cultural and natural heritage.
The inclusion of Tell Umm Amer was also simultaneously added to the List of World Heritage in Danger, amid the brutal genocidal war being waged on Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces.
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and as part of the Poetry Forums in Africa initiative, the Republic of Senegal witnessed the launch of the third edition of the Arab Poetry Forum, which was organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs at the Department of Culture in Sharjah in cooperation with the Senegal Literary Club with the participation of 13 poets, both male and female.
The forum was held in the capital Dakar yesterday and will continue for two days, with the attendance of Dr. Fadil Gueye, President of the Senegal Literary Club, representatives of Senegalese cultural and literary institutions, and a group of poets and writers.
Mohammed Al Hadi Sal, the forum coordinator, thanked His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for his continuous support for Arab culture and poetry, stressing that this support had a major impact on the success of the forum and the strengthening of cultural relations until the forum became a vital platform for the creativity of poets in Senegal.
Dr. Fadhel Ghay said, “The forum reflects the spirit of cooperation and constructive cultural interaction between peoples, and confirms the pioneering role of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in supporting Arabic culture and literature.”
He pointed out the importance of strengthening cultural ties between the Arab world and Africa, through organizing such events, which contribute to the exchange of ideas and creativity, expressing his thanks to the Emirate of Sharjah for its great and continuous support for Arabic poetry and literature.
Fadel Gueye stressed that the Arab Poetry Forum in Senegal is the most important event in the country, and one of the most prominent cultural and literary events that celebrate Arab poetry and bring together poets and intellectuals from the Republic of Senegal.
The forum included poetry sessions and a critical symposium entitled “Senegalese Arabic Literature (Poetry and Novel) between Reality and Hope,” which discussed the development of Arabic literature in Senegal, its future prospects, the difficulties facing Senegalese writers, and the challenges that hinder the spread of their works, in addition to reviewing ways to enhance the presence of Senegalese Arabic literature at the local and international levels.
The poetry readings addressed various topics and diverse purposes, such as identity, belonging, and coexistence between cultures.
At the end of the first day of the forum, awards were distributed to 13 participants (poets and lecturers), in honor of their creativity and contributions to enriching Arab and African literature, amidst wide acclaim from the attendees and participants, stressing the importance of continuing such events that strengthen cultural ties between the Arab world and Africa.
The Arab Reading Challenge has crowned student Ghofrane Al Jelassi as the champion of its eighth edition at the Tunisian level, at the conclusion of competitions in which 117,235 students from 1,009 schools participated, under the supervision of 5,200 male and female reading supervisors.
Ghofrane Al Jelassi, a 10th-grade student at the Al Nahda Institute in Zaghouan, was crowned during the closing ceremony of the eighth edition of the Arab Reading Challenge, hosted by Tunis in the presence of Dr. Salwa Al Abbasi, Minister of Education in Tunisia, Dr. Iman Ahmed Al Salami, UAE Ambassador to Tunisia, and Dr. Fawzan Al Khalidi, Director of Programs and Initiatives at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, as well as a number of officials and educators in charge of the Arab Reading Challenge initiative, parents of the competitors, and a large number of male and female students from Tunisia.
During the closing ceremony of the eighth session, Sanaa Al-Zarrad from Monastir was honored after winning the title of “Distinguished Supervisor”, and “Manzel Salem Preparatory School” from El Kef was honored after winning the title of “Distinguished School”, while the Reading Challenge crowned Louay Al-Sharif, a tenth-grade student at “Al-Noor Institute for the Blind, Bir Al-Qassaa” affiliated with the Ben Arous region, as the champion of Tunisia in the category of people of determination.
The eighth session of the Arab Reading Challenge, the largest reading event of its kind in the Arabic language in the world, achieved record numbers, as participation in the current session reached 28.2 million male and female students from 50 countries representing 229,620 schools, under the supervision of 154,643 supervisors.
10 students advanced to the final rounds at the Tunisian level, including student Ghofrane Al-Jelassi, winner of the challenge title, “Aya Babou from the eleventh grade at the Sakiet Ezzit Model Institute in the Sfax 2 region, Mohamed Amr Al-Badawi from the sixth grade at the Imam Ibn Arafa School “Tunis 2”, Anas Al-Nawali from the eleventh grade at the Manzel Jemil Institute “Bizerte”, Hanin Al-Kouki from the eleventh grade at the Model Institute “Beja”, Baraa Ben Jalila from the eleventh grade at the Tozeur Institute “Qebli”, Nourssine Belaid from the eighth grade at the Model Preparatory School “Sfax 1”, Youssef Salmi from the fifth grade at the “02 March 1934” School – Ariana -, Amina Bint Sami Halas from the eleventh grade at the Saleh Bin Youssef Institute in Al-Qasr “Al-Kaf”, and Arej Hamouda from the seventh grade at the Model Preparatory School “Monastir”.
Her Excellency Dr. Salwa Al-Abassi, Minister of Education in the Republic of Tunisia, said: “The Arab Reading Challenge is a major civilizational project and a very important initiative in consolidating the status of the Arabic language and enhancing its presence in the daily use of rising generations, and in enriching Arab cultural life, which we witnessed during the eighth session in terms of the great turnout and interaction from Tunisian students and participating countries in general. This is a new achievement for the initiative, which has become, in a short period, a prominent mark in the Arab cultural and educational scene, and in strengthening communication between students in Arab countries.”
Her Excellency added: “I congratulate everyone who won and participated in the Arab Reading Challenge in the country, and I especially congratulate the fathers and mothers of students who had the greatest impact in encouraging their children to participate. I also extend my thanks to every Tunisian man and woman who contributes and supports the promotion of cultural activities within our educational institutions at the national level.”
She appreciated the great efforts made by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation to make the qualifiers for the eighth round in the Tunisian Republic a success, and the level of coordination and cooperation between the Foundation, the Ministry of Education, and all parties and bodies concerned with educational and cultural affairs in Tunisia.
For his part, Dr. Abdul Karim Sultan Al Olama, CEO of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, stressed that the Arab Reading Challenge continues to move steadily towards achieving its mission of creating a renaissance in reading by reaching all male and female students in Arab countries, as well as members of Arab communities in foreign countries and non-native learners of Arabic, and by constantly working to create a generation of distinguished and creative individuals capable of innovation in all fields, which will positively reflect on the present and future of the Arab world.
He said, “Once again, the Arab Reading Challenge proves that it is a unique platform for discovering promising Arab talents and inspiring millions of Arab students to exert more efforts in reading, learning and honing their skills. This is what we witnessed during the qualifiers for the eighth round of the challenge at the level of participating countries, including the sisterly Republic of Tunisia, where its students showed great interaction during the competitions and insisted on presenting an honorable image of the cultural and educational reality in Tunisia.”
Dr. Abdul Karim Sultan Al-Ulama congratulated the winners at the conclusion of the eighth round of qualifiers at the level of the Tunisian Republic, their families and schools, the Ministry of Education and all educational cadres.
The Arab Reading Challenge, organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, and launched in its first session in the 2015-2016 academic year under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aims to enhance the importance of reading among participating students across the Arab world and the world, develop mechanisms for comprehension and self-expression in correct Arabic, and develop creative thinking skills, with the aim of enriching the cognitive content available in Arabic.
The challenge also aims to enhance the importance of cognitive reading in building self-learning skills and building the value system for young people by exposing them to the values, customs and beliefs of other cultures, which instills the principles of tolerance and coexistence.
Egypt’s first medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics came on Sunday when fencer Mohamed El-Sayed scooped bronze in the Men’s Epee Individual event.
The 21-year-old took the prize following a hard-fought 8-7 win over Hungary’s Tibor Andrasfi.
He started his journey by beating Colombian fencer Jhon Rodríguez 15-7, before taking down Italy’s Santarelli 15-10 and then taking victory over Belgium’s Neisser Loyola 9-8 in the quarterfinal.
In the semi-final, El-Sayed lost to Frenchman and world number three Yannick Borel 15-9, before facing Andrasfi in the play-off.
This is Egypt’s second medal in fencing after Alaa Aboulkassem took silver at the London Olympics in 2012.
Egypt has sent its largest-ever team to Paris for this year’s Games, with its delegation numbering 149 competitors.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Paris 2024 Olympics – Fencing – Men’s Epee Individual Bronze Medal Bout – Grand Palais, Paris, France – July 28, 2024.
Mohamed Elsayed of Egypt celebrates with Egypt flag after winning his bronze medal bout against Tibor Ferenc Andrasfi of Hungary. REUTERS/Albert Gea
The Saudia Group has placed an industry-leading order of up to 100 Lilium Jets, the largest commitment in the eVTOL sector by an airline operator, with a firm order of 50 units augmented by options for 50 more.
The Saudia Group has placed an industry-leading order of up to 100 Lilium Jets, the largest commitment in the eVTOL sector by an airline operator, with a firm order of 50 units augmented by options for 50 more.
The first units are expected to be delivered in 2026, while the agreement also encompasses a schedule of deposit and pre-delivery payments, a timeline of future deliveries, guarantees on aircraft performance, and provisions of spare parts, maintenance and repairs.
The agreement – which builds upon a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the parties of October 2022 – “marks the largest of its kind in the MENA region and represents an important industry milestone as the largest reported firm order of eVTOL aircraft by an airline that plans to operate the aircraft,” explained Lilium.
“Saudia Group is proud to pioneer the MENA region as the first company to acquire all-electric eVTOL jets,” commented H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of Saudia Group. “This agreement amplified our commitment to the Saudi Vision 2030 and is the result of a collaborative effort… to explore how we can best bring eVTOLs to the skies of Saudi Arabia”.
When in service, operation of the six-passenger Lilium Jets will be managed and run by Saudia Private, a subsidiary of Saudia Group. Lilium adds that the enhanced connectivity offered by its aircraft will benefit business travellers, tourists, and Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages; travelling up to 175km at speeds of up to 250km per hour.
“The Middle East is a priority for Lilium, and Saudi Arabia will be a very large and exciting market for electric, high-speed regional air mobility,” said Klaus Roewe, CEO of Lilium. “Our partnership will combine Saudia Group’s significant market knowledge with our unique eVTOL technology to transform premium class air travel in the GCC region”.
Ferjani claims glory in men’s individual sabre on Saturday.
Tunisia’s Fares Ferjani claimed a superb silver medal in the men’s individual sabre at the Paris Olympics on Saturday night.
Ferjani, 27, put up a brave fight but ultimately fell short, losing 15-11 in the gold medal bout against South Korea’s Oh Sang-uk.
The Korean fencer opened up a 2-0 lead but Ferjani stayed within reach at 6-4 down. Oh then stretched his lead to 11-4 to close in on gold.
A point that would have won Oh the gold was overturned on review. Ferjani then won five more points before Oh could close out the win. It denied Ferjani what would have been the first fencing gold for an African nation.
Still, it was a memorable day for Ferjani as he secured the first medal for Arab nations at the games. He can reflect on an excellent effort having already beaten Egypt’s world number one Ziad El Sissy in the semi-finals.
It was a tough day for El Sissy who had set his sights on gold. After losing to Ferjani, El Sissy was hoping to secure bronze for his efforts.
But he lost out in his bronze medal match against Italy’s Luigi Samele. El Sissy made a slow start but turned an early deficit into a 5-3 lead. Samele then blazed to a 8-6 lead, pushing the advantage to 11-8.
The momentum was with the Italian and he wrapped up a 15-12 victory despite a late rally from the Egyptian.
Over in football, Argentina got their Olympics campaign back on track as they defeated Iraq 3-1 in Lyon.
Pre-tournament favorites Argentina suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Morocco in their opening Group B game – a match marred by a pitch invasion from Moroccan fans and a two-hour delay.
Thiago Almada, who Argentina coach Javier Mascherano said had a watch stolen when the team’s training base was robbed earlier this week, opened the scoring with a volley in the 14th minute at Stade de Lyon.
Iraq then threatened to pull off another surprise when Aymen Hussein levelled the game in first-half stoppage time. But goals from Luciano Gondou and Ignacio Fernandez secured victory for Argentina.
Gondou’s far-post header in the 62nd minute restored Argentina’s lead and Fernandez curled in a long-range shot from the edge of the box.
In the other Group B match, 10-man Ukraine claimed a dramatic 2-1 win over Morocco in Saint-Etienne.
Dmytro Kryskiv put Ukraine ahead after 22 minutes before Morocco’s Soufiane Rahimi, who scored twice against Argentina, equalised from the penalty spot in the 64th minute with Volodymyr Saliuk sent off.
Igor Krasnopir, however, grabbed a late winner in the final seconds of the game to hand Ukraine their first Olympic triumph.
However, unlike Morocco’s opener against Argentina that was marred by crowd trouble, there were no such issues on Saturday.
In tennis, weather played spoilsport as Tunisian Moez Echargui‘s opening match against Dan Evans of England and Lebanon player Benjamin Hassan’s clash with Chris Eubanks of the US were postponed due to rain.
However, fellow Lebanese Hady Habib put his best foot forward and produced a commendable effort against Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros in men’s singles.
Despite being a late replacement in the draw for the injured Hubert Hurkacz, Habib gave a good account of himself in a 6-3, 6-1 first round defeat to the Spaniard.
Meshref, competing in her fourth Olympics, played in mixed doubles with Omar Assar. But the duo comfortably lost 4-0 to the Chinese pair of Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuquin.
Meshref will now have to focus on the singles event on Sunday where she faces Maria Xiao of Spain.
Also, Jordanian lightweight Obada Al Kasbeh made a victorious start to the Games in the 63kg category as he defeated Ireland’s Dean Clancy 3-2 in the round of 32.
Al Kasbeh progresses to the last 16 where he will face home medal hope Sofiane Oumiha of France, who received a bye in the opening round.
Oumiha is a former European and world champion and is among the favourites for gold.
Sudan, the world’s last male northern white rhino, died in 2018. In his final years, he became a global celebrity and conservation icon, helping raise awareness about the brutality of poaching.
There was a lot of hope riding on Sudan, the last male northern white rhinoceros. He was labelled the “world’s most eligible bachelor” by the dating app Tinder, the “most famous rhino” by various news outlets and a “gentle giant” by the armed guards who watched over him 24-hours-a-day. But Sudan’s life carried the baggage of a species decimated by poaching.
In the Ol Pejeta conservancy at the foot of Mount Kenya, AFP photojournalist Tony Karumba captured a celebrated snapshot of Sudan on 5 December 2016, approximately 15 months before the rhino’s death.
At the forefront of Karumba’s image is the tender relationship between the humans at the conservancy and Sudan. The photo is iconic but not iconoclastic, exemplifying an ordinary moment of the all-too-late-yet-genuine care that northern white rhinos received from the species that decimated them. Once lost, gone forever, only to live in photos like Karumba’s photo series.
As Sudan was released from his pen to pasture, Karumba captured his pictures. “There’s trust and love all over that moment,” says Karumba. “Being in Sudan’s presence always felt for me like a visit with a sage; his demeanour, despite his behemoth self, had a way of conveying a calm patience with me and though his minders would always be hovering just outside my camera’s frame, he [Sudan] was accepting of my wary intrusions and poised as though he was aware of his symbolism as the last icon of his subspecies.”
The photo showcases Sudan’s craniate profile and his two horns, a trait characterising the white rhino subspecies, shaved off to deter poachers. Sudan’s carer calms the two-and-a-half-tonned (2,500 kg)animal, whose head is longer than the man’s torso. Karumba’s vantage, his low viewpoint on Sudan, “emphasised the power and the stature of the rhino,” says Michael Pritchard, programmes director at the Royal Photographic Society in the UK.
“The power of this photograph is the interaction between this impressive animal and this human,” says Pritchard. “There’s a kindness, a relationship.”
