Sports & Activities |
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Recreational and sporting facilities are exceptional in the UAE, especially when it comes to watersports. There is also a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities on offer to lure you away from the beach. If spectator sports are your passion, the UAE hosts major international sporting events at various times of the year. Your travel agent or hotel can assist in purchasing tickets for sporting events or, alternatively contact one of the tour providers based in the UAE who will also help you to plan a series of activities for your trip .
The UAE has already established itself well and truly on the international sporting stage, holding many of the world's major events in a wide range of sports, from horse racing to motor racing, golf, tennis, football, rugby, cricket, sailing, powerboat racing and almost every other competitive sport. These events not only attract large numbers of competing and sports enthusiasts from around the globe, they also see some of the country's top sportsmen and women in action.
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Sports play an increasingly important role in the UAE's efforts to develop tourism and facilities throughout the country are being upgraded or newly constructed. So much so that the country is bidding to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
As part of the US$5.7 billion Dubailand project, developers are constructing a US$2 billion Sports City due to open in 2007. Covering an area of 4.65 million square metres, Sports City will be the first integrated purpose-built venue in the world, incorporating a Manchester United soccer school - the first outside Europe - a championship golf course designed by Ernie Els, David Lyons tennis stadium, Butch Harmon golf academy and International Cricket Council. The city will house four main stadiums with seating capacities ranging from 8000 to 25,000, to host major competitions in cricket, football, rugby, athletics and field hockey.
Aside from the international circuit events, the UAE has a healthy indigenous sporting environment with the local community participating in a wide variety of clubs and establishments. The seven emirates regularly compete in national leagues and cups in a multiplicity of sports that are controlled by specialised governing bodies. Top sporting venues (both indoor and outdoor) and an all-year-round good climate ensure that the activities continue throughout the winter season. With the Arabian Gulf on its western shores and the Indian Ocean along its eastern flanks, the UAE is particularly attractive for watersport fans.
The emirates on the Gulf coast are blessed with long stretches of sandy beach where residents take part in sports such as jet-skiing, surfing, swimming and the new craze of kitesurfing. Snorkelling and diving are hugely popular within the region. Many residents and visitors enjoy the UAE's East Coast, which also provides a wealth of exotic fish and coral. Popular locations include 'Snoopy Island' and the area north of Dibba. Residents are able to take full advantage of the country's parks and recreational grounds where football, basketball and cricket matches are a favourite pastime, while the desert areas outside the main cities provide rough, rugged terrain for more adventurous pursuits. It would be extremely difficult to pinpoint a sport that is not enjoyed in the UAE as there are always new centres, clubs and associations being established around the region.
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Sports & Activities |
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