Sports In Dubai

Horse racing, golf, motor racing, tennis, rugby, sailing - Dubai hosts some of the most prestigious events in the world and the sport-loving emirate has developed into an all-round venue, attracting international stars and events that place the city way ahead of the regional game as one of the world's up-and-coming sporting destinations. From traditional pastimes such as camel racing and endurance riding, to international calendar events in the arena of golf, motor racing and even polo, Dubai has developed into a sporting venue capable of competing on a global level, and offers some of the finest facilities to be found anywhere in the world. Pick up any Dubai newspaper or magazine and you'll soon discover that sport is an integral part of the city's fabric.

From football to falconry, motorsport to marathon running, the Dubai sporting calendar offers something for everyone. Naturally, most outdoor sporting activities take place in the cooler autumn and winter months stretching from October through to late March with sporting superstars keen to flock to the Gulf's most cosmopolitan city to take part in some of the richest events on their respective calendars. But it's not only the events and tournaments that are of the highest standard; Dubai has also created a number of bespoke sporting venues and facilities that are on par with top venues around the world - and when that gold medal infrastructure is combined with traditional Arabian hospitality, the sporting world is given a winning combination that is hard to beat.

Since opening its first all-grass championship course at the Emirates Golf Club in 1988, Dubai has grown to become one of the most exciting golfing destinations in the world. Today, the Dhs8.8 million (US$2.4 million) Dubai Desert Classic - part of the PGA European Tour - attracts the world's greatest stars including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie. Each year, approximately 40,000 spectators take advantage of the smaller galleries to get up close to the great and the good of the game and enjoy one of the most popular dates on the Tour's overseas calendar. The event, which was held from January 26th to February 1st this year and won by Rory McIlroy, is one of the social occasions of the year.But perhaps the biggest golfing highlight of 2009 is the inaugural Dubai World Championship,which is to be held in November. The tournament is the final competition in the Race to Dubai, which has replaced the European Tour Order of Merit. With a prize fund of more than Dhs36 million, it's the world's richest golf tournament. And who can forget the dramatic pictures of world number one Tiger Woods hitting golf balls into the Arabian Gulf from his 'elevated tee' on the Burj Al Arab helipad?

It's not just Woods who enjoyed his photo shoot 200 metres above the shimmering Gulf, however. Roger Federer and Andre Agassi took their racquets to the top of the opulent seven-star hotel in 2005 during a break in the action at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Open. And like the Desert Classic, this is another event that attracts the sport's big guns. In addition to the Swiss ace and the Vegas showman, the purposebuilt Dubai Tennis Stadium has also seen serves, slices and smashes from Tim Henman, Rafael Nadal, Stefan Edberg and Marat Safin. On the women's front, Anna Kournikova, Williams sisters Venus and Serena, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Amelie Mauresmo have all grunted and groaned across the blue courts as the two events - both men's and women's opens - continue to go from strength to strength. The annual Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships signed a new three-year, Dhs33 million (US$9 million) sponsorship deal at the beginning of 2008 with Barclays, which resulted in a name change to the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship.

Held every February, the tournament sees the ladies battling it out before the men take to the courts to round off the two-week tournament. This year, the top 10 women and seven of the top 10 men fought from February 15th to 28th. With so many household names, the tournament can rightly claim its place among the big four on the UAE sporting scene.