Australian Tim Fletcher moved to Abu Dhabi with his family in 2013. Anticipating a rising demand for physiotherapists in the increasingly active city, he founded BounceBack Physiotherapy, which is located at Yas Marina and opened in 2015. It has seven employees and five physiotherapists.

“Most of my friends came here on a two-year plan, but the majority of us are still here 12 years on. We have such strong friendships and bonds…. Those people do become your family away from home.”

The city’s government has invested heavily in sports facilities and infrastructure in recent years. Fletcher, who is in training for a triathlon in Bahrain, has discovered that he has a multitude of outdoor options for both land and water sports. Some of them, like the new 10km Al Hudayriat Island cycle track, are built on an Olympic scale.

“I train in a couple of different places. I’m lucky enough to have a beach where I live, and I do some open-water swimming there,” he says. “Al Hudayriat is great, and I also go out to Al Wathbah, a little further out into the desert. There’s a lovely cycling track there, and it’s so peaceful and quiet.”

“What sets Abu Dhabi apart is the complete lifestyle package. I can own my own business, raise my family in complete safety, my wife has fantastic opportunities, the outdoor activities are amazing, for both water and land sports. That’s why we love Abu Dhabi.”