Must Read: Get your flags out, UAE all set for Rio

With team UAE set for Rio showdown, Khaleej Times analyses the team, their strengths and medal chances

When the UAE's skeet shooting veteran and five-time Olympian, Shaikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, marches into the Maracana Stadium on August 5 night (Rio time which is seven hours behind UAE time) in Rio de Janeiro with the national Olympic squad, it will signal another opportunity for the nation to compete against the very best of talent and skill.

As of now, the UAE will be represented by 13 sportspersons who have undergone rigorous training over the past one year. Also included in the athletics squad are 1,500m runner Saoud Zaadi, and Belina B., the candidate likely to replace the injured Bethlem Desalegn. Both runners will enter as wild cards.
In athletics, the UAE have a strong case as Alia Saeed Mohammed (10,000m) looks set to finish well at the Maracana main arena in Rio de Janeiro. She qualified for the Rio Summer Olympics before going into a 10,000m international one-off event in Dubai recently. She had set a national record time of 31:51.86 minutes at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and re-wrote the national mark at 31.09.77 during the Dubai run. Alia's 10,000m appearance at the Olympics this time will be on the opening day (August 12) of the track and field programme.
 
Alia, the most consistent performer in the 10,000m in the continent in recent years, is also gaining form during the training period in Europe, and the UAE can expect top fare from this athlete.
 Latest qualifier
The latest proper qualifier for the UAE in the Olympics is weightlifter Aisha Balushi who made the grade with a top spot finish in the women's 58kg category in the recent international weightlifting championships in Hanoi. Her total count after the final rounds pushed her more established opponents from the hosts Vietnam, and India, into the silver and bronze positions.
Yaqoub Al Saadi (men's 100m backstroke-swimming) and Nada Al Bedwawi (women's 50m freestyle-swimming) will find themselves accompanying the rest of the contingent under the universality clause of the International Olympic Committee which is meant to encourage home grown talent.
UAE road cycling specialist Yousif Mirza made the grade thanks to his silver medal performance at the Asian Cycling Championships in 2015 where he achieved the final 200 points required for a ticket to Brazil. Al Nasr Club's Mirza, who was involved in a bike accident in Jumeirah early last season, has recovered well, and looks certain to maintain the form he has been showing lately, the Dubai Tour timings this year being noteworthy.
The national shooters - Shaikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Khalid Al Kabi and Saif bin Futtais - booked places by virtue of their best finishes at the 2014 and 2015 ISSF World Championships, the 2015 ISSF World Cup Series, and the Asian Championships.
The UAE failed to win a medal at the London Olympics where the UAE soccer team made its debut in the Games. It must be kept in mind that Shaikh Ahmed Hasher Al Maktoum, double trap shooter, won gold - the UAE's only medal in Olympic history, at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
For Shaikh Saeed, a former gold medallist at the world cup and Asian meets, this will be his fifth straight Olympics, a record by itself on many counts. Coached by Shaikh Ahmed, Al Kaabi went through a tough grind before qualifying for the Rio extravaganza.
Al Kaabi, inexperienced compared to the top shooters in the world, took up the sport hardly three years ago. He made it to the Olympics by winning the double trap gold at the Asian Shooting Qualifiers in New Delhi earlier this year, ahead of Kuwait's Fehaid Al Deehani, a bronze medal winner at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2012 London Games.
The Asian Shooting Qualifiers in New Delhi in February proved to be a good hunting ground for the marksmen from the UAE. Apart from Shaikh Saeed, two-time ISSF World Cup medallist, Saif bin Futtais pocketed the men's skeet gold in the New Delhi meet, which was the final Asian qualification phase for the sport in the continent.
Victor Scvortov, Sergiu Toma and Ivan Remarenco will be the main hopes in judo, a relatively new sport here and one where the UAE will be making their second appearance after the London Olympics where Toma took part. Scvortov is rated 14 in world rankings; Toma won gold medal at a recent Tashkent tournament, while Remarenco won bronze at a world meet last season.
(Moni Mathews)
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UAE judokas are battle-ready
Three Moldovan judokas - Sergiu Toma, Victor Scvortov and Ivan Remarenco - will be representing the UAE at the Rio Olympics. Giving them an instant reason to celebrate will be the fact that Ivan will turn 27 on August 7.
"My boys are all ready for action in Brazil," UAE judo federation secretary General Nasser Al Tamimi told Khaleej Times. "Toma is our strongest contender. He has got good experience. Victor and Ivan are also Rio ready. I expect good results because they are well prepared for Olympics. Also, they have good experience."
Nasser said the preparations for the Olympics started right from 2013. "Also, every year we had participated in many championships and had as many as nine training camps."
On being asked about the role of the UAE Judo federation in helping and promoting the sport, he said: "We have 18 training centres in the UAE. We also have agreement with the Ministry of Education to spread the game further."
And he is sure that an Olympic medal will be a 'big promotion for Judo' in the country.
On his thoughts about other athletes, he wished all the aspirants the very best and said: "I think the shooting team (Khaled Al Kaabi, Saeed A Maktoum, Saif bin Futtais) have a good chance."
(Ashwani Kumar)
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 Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will take place on Friday night, August 5, 2016, at the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, starting at 8pm Brazil time (UAE time is 7 hours ahead of Rio time). Tickets for spectators of the opening ceremony range from $85 for category E (just for Brazil sales) to $1,949 for category A.

Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will take place on Sunday night, August 21, 2016, in the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, starting at 8pm Brazil time (UAE time is 7 hours ahead of Rio time). Tickets for spectators of the closing ceremony range from $85 for category E (again, only for Brazil local sales) to $1,271 for category A.

TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS
There are some wonderful places to visit in Rio with the world famous Copacabana beach being a definite destination. Hotels to suit all budgets are available. Travellers to Brazil are strongly advised to strictly follow the WHO health guidelines.
Clothing:
Avoid catching the attention of the local population and try not looking like a tourist - like donning safari suits, khaki shorts, sandles with socks and safari type hats.
Dress is casual but don't wear slippers to a fancy night club or restaurant.
Toiletries and medical supplies:
Use strong sunscreen protection cream/lotion as the sun is very strong in this part of the world despite the southern hemisphere going through winter now. When not on the beach, an inner layer of thin cotton wear is recommended.
The weather:
Is friendly during this time of the year in the southern hemisphere where Rio is geographically located. The average for August is 22 degrees centigrade. Average daily highs range up to 26 degrees centigrade and lows of up to 19 degrees are experienced at night.
Competition areas:
The competition venues will be clustered in four zones: Barra, Copacabana, Deodoro and Maracana, and will be connected by an efficient transport system. From the Games Village, nearly half the athletes will be able to reach their venues in less than 10 minutes, and almost 75 per cent will do so in less than 25 minutes. Of the 34 competition venues, of which 18 are already operational, eight will undergo some permanent works, seven will be totally temporary and nine are being constructed as permanent legacy venues.
Tour operators:
All leading UAE tour operators will arrange for package tours including the specific tickets of the events to be covered where and if possible. Otherwise, local purchase would be the answer except for the opening and closing ceremonies at Maracana Stadium which are likely to be sold out.
Know your heroes
> Sergiu Toma
London 2012 and Beijing 2008 Olympian Toma got a direct qualification for Rio in the -81kg category. The 29-year-old is ranked 10th in the International Judo federation rankings. Toma has won bronze medal in the 2011 Paris World Championships, silver in 2011 Istanbul European Championships
> Victor Scvortov
Victor will fight in the -73kg category. The 28-year-old is ranked 24 in the International Judo federation ranking. He has won World Championships bronze medal in 2014 and won the Abu Dhabi and Budapest Grand Prix.
 Ivan Remarenco
> Ivan, vying in the -100kg category, earned a continental quota spot from the Asian region, as the highest-ranked Emirati judoka outside of direct qualifying position. He is ranked 37 in the International Judo federation rankings. He won bronze for the UAE at the 2014 World Judo Championships.
Coverage in the UAE
The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ABSU) will showcase the Rio Olympics with 12 to 15 hours of live coverage in the Gulf and the Middle East regions. As exclusive holder of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games rights, ASBU is fully busy setting up its coverage plan for the major international sports event. ASBU will deliver to members all various competitions in all disciplines.
Places to see live telecast
Leading social centres, hotels, sports, food and beverage outlets in the UAE and the national sports clubs will be having large screens set up for the coverage.
The UAE team:
Shooting:
Shaikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Saif bin Futtais and Khaled Al Kaabi
Swimming:
Yaqoub Al Saadi,
Nada Al Badwawi
Judo:
Victor S., Toma S. and Evan R.
Athletics:
Alia Saeed, Saoud
Al Zaabi, Belina B.
Cycling:
Yousef Mirza
Weightlifting:
Aysha Al Balushi