Special Features
Dubai emerging as a center for global sport
The selection of Dubai to host the first SportAccord convention in the Middle East is another important step in emergence of Dubai as a center for global sport and hosting sport leaders from around the world will help create new partnerships, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has affirmed."Our guests learn about this region. We will learn more about their specialized business. It will help our region play a bigger role in the world of sport. Sport always breaks down barriers between people. This convention is part of that process," Sheikh Mohammed stated in an interview on the eve of the global sports event.
Leaders from the world of sport will gather in Dubai on Sunday for SportAccord, the world’s largest sports convention. The meeting, being held for the first time in the Middle East, will bring together members of the International Olympic Committee’s powerful executive board, the leaders of international sports federations and top executives from the sports industry. Ahead of the meeting, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took time out to discuss the role of sport in Dubai, the Emirate’s long term sporting aspirations and the significance of SportAccord for Dubai.
Extracts from the Interview:
Your Highness, what is your assessment of the role of sport in the UAE and Dubai?
Sports is an integral part of the growth strategy for Dubai for multiple reasons. The economic benefits are obvious. Every time we host a major international sporting event, it generates income for Dubai and raises our international profile. Our world-class venues and other quality infrastructure have helped make Dubai a top destination on the global sports calendar.
More importantly, our focus on sports protects our health and our heritage. Life was much harder in the pre-modern era, but it was also much more active. It was an outdoor lifestyle. Modernization and prosperity have brought many benefits to Dubai and the UAE, but people are more sedentary. You can see the results in rising rates of obesity and diabetes. About 40 percent of our children have diabetes. That is unacceptable. Sports is one way to address those problems.
Equestrian sports and sailing sports have a direct link to our past. I want to maintain those traditions as we adopt other sports from other cultures. Schools throughout the UAE have taken steps in recent years to encourage participation in sports and physical activity. High profile sporting competition helps that process by inspiring people to become participants as well as spectators.
Why is it important to host SportAccord?
The selection of Dubai to host the first SportAccord convention in the Middle East is another important step in our emergence as a center for global sport. Hosting sport leaders from around the world will help create new partnerships. Our guests learn about this region. We will learn more about their specialized business. It will help our region play a bigger role in the world of sport. Sport always breaks down barriers between people. This convention is part of that process.
