Al Attiyah aims for 18th title as Jordan Rally flags off

Dead Sea, Jordan: The Jordan Rally roared into life at the HoverUp park by the Dead Sea yesterday evening, with Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah bidding for an 18th victory in the Hashemite Kingdom.

Seventeen crews competing in the third round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) were joined at the start ceremony by another 10 teams solely tackling the second and third rounds of the Jordan national series. They all will tackle a dozen gravel special stages today and tomorrow in the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea areas.

The new Hover-Up Park, nestled in the sandy valley to the north of the Dead Sea, provided the perfect back drop to the start of the Jordan Rally. Al-Attiyah is partnering with Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera with one eye on the Drivers’ Championship, and currently trails his cousin Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya by 12 points. tbzikra.com

Al-Attiyah said: “It’s nice to be here again. It’s a difficult race and one of the most beautiful. After winning Oman, we went back to Qatar and were leading until we had a problem with a wheel rim. It was a mistake by the manufacturer. We lost a lot of points but we are here and well prepared. I have won here 17 times. I enjoy my life and I enjoy this event a lot. The stages are nice and the new Rawda stage will be new for everyone. It’s also easy to get a puncture there.

“We need to be clever to get full points because we don’t know what will happen with Lebanon and Cyprus and then the last race will be in Saudi Arabia. This is part of the WRC and more points will be available at that race. Winning here will make it easier for us at the end of the year.”

Oman’s Abdullah Al-Rawahi was the fastest on the shakedown stage.

Oman’s Abdullah Al-Rawahi has consistently matched the Qatari on stages in recent seasons and he too needs as many points as possible after a difficult start to the year. Al-Rawahi is currently 19 points off the championship lead.

The Omani said: “It’s always a good feeling to be back to the place where I actually started rallying in the Middle East championship. These are some of the toughest stages in the region, very technical and the competition is high. We have been close to him (Al-Attiyah) for the last two years. We have taken another step forward and have been working really hard with the team to get the best set-up."

Al-Rawahi was the first driver to post a time in yesterday’s morning’s 4.83km Shakedown stage. He stopped the clocks in 3min 05.0sec, 12.4 seconds quicker than Hamza Bakhashab on his first of a maximum of two runs. Both drivers were markedly quicker on their second passes with Al-Rawahi topping the times by 5.2 seconds with a run of 2min 58.8sec.

Al-Attiyah and Al-Atya both sat out the shakedown opportunity but Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez and Bassel Abu Hamdan took advantage to finalise the set-up on their Škoda Fabia RSs.

The two QMMF-entered Peugeot 208 Rally4s were closely matched with Rashid Al-Muhannadi getting the better of young Mohammed Al-Marri by just 1.3 seconds, although Al-Marri did improve more on his second pass to set the fifth quickest time. Al-Muhannadi teamed up with French co-driver Florian Barral as a late replacement for Szymon Gospodarczyk.

Only 11 of the 17 FIA crews took advantage of the shakedown opportunity.

Leading Jordanian hope Shaker Jweihan knows that his only realistic hope of a podium is if several of his Rally2 rivals hit problems over the course of the next two days. He is dominating the FIA MERC2 category and is relishing the challenge of achieving a hattrick of category wins.

Competitors will tackle two passes through three stages today. The first run through Shuna (15.25km) gets proceedings underway at 09.49hrs and this is followed by rapid-fire sprints through Baptism (11.24km) from 10.39hrs and Ma’in (16.87km), starting at 11.30hrs.

After a return to the Dead Sea for a midday service and regroup, the three stages are repeated in the afternoon from 13.49hrs, 14.39hrs and 15.30hrs.

Hamza Abdelkarim said he is settling well at La Masia and developing physically, mentally, and tactically in the youth setup at Barcelona.

Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim said he is adapting well at La Masia and believes his time with Barcelona is helping him improve physically, mentally, and tactically.

Speaking in an interview with beIN Sports, he said he benefits from every training session and every match. Hamza Abdelkarim added that each minute in Barcelona gives him a chance to develop.

The young forward said scoring goals remains important, but it does not define his full development. He said he must improve other parts of his game to become a more complete player.

The youngster also pointed to Barcelona’s collective style. Abdelkarim said the team must play as one unit, describing football at the club as highly collective. He added that he is gradually adapting to the team’s playing model.

Notably, he said Barcelona’s staff understand his strengths and work with him to sharpen them. Abdelkarim added that his teammates help him show those qualities during matches.

His comments came after he scored in Barcelona youth’s 2-0 win over Tenerife. He played 81 minutes in the match.

Barcelona signed Abdelkarim from Al Ahly on loan until June 30, 2026. The agreement includes a purchase option at the end of the season.

The post Hamza Abdelkarim Says He Is Adapting in Barcelona appeared first on KingFut.

In recent years, setting up a home gym has skyrocketed, especially as more people seek convenience, privacy, and flexibility in their fitness routines. Investing in high-end home gym equipment can be a game-changer for those who take their fitness seriously. These premium machines and tools are designed to offer a professional-level workout experience right at home. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best home gym equipment worth the investment and discuss how buying home gym equipment online can be a convenient and smart choice.

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5. Tonal

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Buying High-End Home Gym Equipment Online

Shopping for home gym equipment online has always been challenging, especially with trusted platforms offering a wide range of products. When looking for the best home gym equipment online, it’s essential to consider a few factors:

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3. Shipping and Installation: Consider the shipping costs and whether the seller offers installation services. Some high-end equipment may require a professional setup.
4. Customer Reviews: Reading customer reviews can provide insights into the performance and durability of the equipment you’re interested in.

Conclusion

Investing in high-end home gym equipment can significantly enhance your fitness journey. Whether you’re interested in cardio machines like the Peloton Bike+ and Concept2 Model D rowing machine or strength training tools like Tonal and Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells, these premium options offer durability, advanced features, and professional-level workouts that make them worth every penny.

By selecting the best home gym equipment online, you can create a workout space that meets and exceeds your fitness goals. At Sports Village Qatar, we offer a curated selection of top-tier equipment designed to help you achieve the best results from the comfort of your home. Start building your dream home gym today and experience the difference that high-end equipment can make in your fitness journey.

The post High-End Home Gym Equipment Worth the Investment: Exploring Premium Equipment for Professional-Level Workouts at Home appeared first on Sports Village Qatar.

New York: Madonna, Shakira and K-pop megastars BTS will headline a Super Bowl-style half-time show at the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, FIFA said Thursday.

Coldplay's Chris Martin is curating the show, which is a first for a football World Cup final but has raised concerns about how long half-time will be.

The biggest-ever World Cup, with 48 teams, kicks off on June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced in March last year that there would be "the first-ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final".

He did not say at the time who would be performing or how long the show would last.

"This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world," he said on Instagram.

The move mirrors the show held during the final of the 2024 Copa America in Miami, when Colombian star Shakira performed at half-time at the Hard Rock Stadium.

There was also a half-time show at last year's FIFA Club World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium, which stretched the break in excess of the regulation 15 minutes.
Infantino added that FIFA also planned to "take over" New York's Times Square on the final weekend of the World Cup.

The half-time extravaganza will support FIFA's Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup.

Shakira last week teased the new official song for the World Cup, releasing a brief video of the track filmed at Brazil's iconic Maracana Stadium.

The singer -- who also created the 2010 World Cup anthem "Waka Waka" -- announced the song, titled "Dai Dai" in a post on her Instagram account.

In the 67-second video, Shakira appears on the pitch at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, where she performed in a free concert at the city's Copacabana Beach before two million people.

Holding the "Trionda", the official match ball of the 2026 World Cup, Shakira performed excerpts of the song in English, joined by dancers dressed in the colors of teams including the United States and Colombia.

The song was produced with Nigerian artist Burna Boy and is set for official release on Thursday. The clip, also shared by the FIFA World Cup account, ends with the message: "We're ready!"

Shakira has a long association with the World Cup, performing at the 2006 and 2014 World Cup finals in addition to producing "Waka Waka" for the 2010 tournament.