In the summer of 2012 the Middle East’s largest indoor sporting event took place to much local acclaim, despite the all eyes of the world watching the sports in London.
Dubai Sports World was two and a half months of the best sporting talent from local academies, clubs and communities brought together to compete in a wide array of sports including tennis, rugby, cricket, netball and basketball.
All of these event took place, as one would expect at a Dubai event, under one world beating roof – the massive interconnected arenas of the Sheikh Saeed Halls with a floor space of 32,000 square metres. A large part of the events were aimed at encouraging visitors to and sports enthusiasts to pick up a ball or strap on their running shoes over the summer.
Famous faces
With the European football season in its down time it was a great excuse for the biggest names in the game – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Ajax, and Roma compete alongside in a week of friendly matches against teams from Morocco, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
There was even an appearance by Argentina’s former World Cup winner Diego Maradona who took the field in a friendly game and demonstrated that he still had a good few of the skills that made him a super star when he was in his prime.
At the same time, the most decorated heavyweight boxer, the Ukranian Vladimir Kiltschko, came to show his support for the games. Nearly two metres tall he has also defended his titles more than any other boxer in history.
Permanent fixture
In its second year, Dubai Sports World has proven to be a great success and will undoubtedly be back year after year.
One of the big draws for the adoring public were the competitions from the world’s best teams, but for the local amateur teams there was a unique opportunity to receive some coaching.
The Maxtalent Global Cricket Training Institute brought coaches to help the local teams hone their skills in bowling, batting, fielding and wicket keeping.
Places to stay
The Sheikh Saeed Halls are centrally located in the city right next to the World Trade Centre (one of the organisers), and because of this it would have been hard to find a hotel in Dubai that was not within an easy travelling distance.
There are more than 500 hotels and thousands of rooms – plenty of space, for athletes, delegates and fans.
Catherine Halsey writes for a digital marketing agency on a range of subjects. This article links back to http://www.radissonblu.com/royalhotel-dubai