Sports investment is one of the most important targets in the National Sports Strategy 2031, which stipulates that the sports sector should contribute 0.5% of the UAE’s non-oil GDP, equivalent to eight times the current level.
Dubai has become a global sports hub that offers unparalleled opportunities for investment and growth, and contributes to increasing the targeted GDP. This trend has been reinforced by a set of strategic government initiatives in the sports sector, an abundance of private sector projects, and technological innovations in the field of sports.
Dubai annually hosts a large number of global, continental and international sporting events and championships with a significant promotional impact and economic return, including international championships that originated in Dubai and the association of the name Dubai with them has become a distinctive trademark.
At the top of this list is the Dubai World Cup, one of the richest horse races in the world, which has been held annually since 1996 and has gained a distinguished high status, and its fame has increased after it moved to Meydan in 2010.
This event attracts thousands of sports fans around the world, and what this can embody in terms of impact on the local economy through tourism, accommodation, transportation and shopping.
The list of major tournaments and events with a clear tourism and economic impact also includes the Dubai Ports Championships and the Dubai Desert Classic Golf, in which elite world champions participate and which attracts golf enthusiasts who come to Dubai specifically from all over the world.
The same applies to tennis tournaments, most notably the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for men and women, which is one of the most important annual events on the agenda of the professional and women’s tennis associations, and attracts the world’s top ranked players.
The list also includes Skydive, rugby and cricket, winter sports, swimming, track and road cycling, the Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship, the Dubai Rugby Sevens and the Dubai Marathon.
The list also includes a group of world championships and international championships in which Dubai has gained the trust of international, continental and regional federations to organize their events, such as beach soccer in the Intercontinental Beach Championship and the Beach World Cup, basketball, karate, fencing, padel, the Dubai Desert Rally, padel tennis, world badminton, and others, all of which are associated with the name of Dubai.
The success of these events was contributed to by the presence of a huge base of sports facilities and installations, and the giant infrastructure built according to international standards.
The positive impact of these tournaments and facilities has extended to related sectors, such as hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, transportation services, entertainment and leisure centres, and others, which are now witnessing an increase in business during the periods of these events.
The government’s role in developing the infrastructure is highlighted by the presence of integrated sports cities, such as Dubai Sports City, which is one of the most important smart urban communities with a sports identity and integrated facilities and installations, which includes hotels and various sports facilities, as well as the presence of integrated sports facilities covering all of Dubai, which were established according to the latest international specifications, such as “Meydan Racecourse” and “Hamdan Sports Complex”, the largest water sports center in the world.
High quality playgrounds, halls and tracks
Dubai has a number of high-quality stadiums, halls and tracks, such as Al Maktoum, Rashid, Zabeel and Maktoum bin Rashid stadiums, the Dubai Duty Free in Al Garhoud, which hosts tennis and padel competitions, The Sevens courts, Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, Dubai Dive Pool, Dubai Cycling Track and Al Marmoom Camel Racecourse.
The city also paid attention to sports facilities for people of determination, and was awarded the title of a city friendly to people of determination, in light of its interest in special clubs for this category, and the Dubai Club for People of Determination is at the forefront of these facilities.
The Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai’s premier entertainment and sports venue, has recently joined the city’s constellation of sports facilities, hosting a number of major sporting events and tournaments.
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