United Arab Emirates is the future hub of world sports
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By Benjamin Conkey, 1 May 2009 Benjamin Conkey is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- UAE sport, United Arab Emirates sports
England cricket team holds practice in Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. AP Photo/Carl Abrams
The United Arab Emirates is on the verge of becoming the world’s most powerful sporting hub. If Australia doesn’t get the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022, we may well be fighting against the UAE into the future. And I don’t like our chances.
While our country is struggling with global downturn, the UAE is spending up big on infrastructure.
As was mentioned in the cricket coverage the other night, the amount of cranes around Abu Dhabi and Dubai is just phenomonal. Sporting facilities are going up left, right and centre. Already the country has the facilities to host world-class sporting events such as the Dubai Championships in tennis, the Dubai Desert Classic, the Abu Dhabi Championships and the Race to Dubai in golf.
There are also multi-purpose stadiums for cricket and football, and the world’s richest horse race – the Dubai World Cup. And now they’ve secured a Formula One race on a new circuit called Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.
It will host the final race of this year’s championship – a big honour that Australia used to have with the Adelaide Grand Prix.
I think the rest of the world should be worried by the potential of the United Arab Emirates, and other desert countries, who possess oil. While most of the Western world suffers from overcrowding, these countries have almost unlimited space to build.
And they are choosing sport as their modus operandi.
Of course, the climate is an issue for a desert country. But in January and February, temperatures rarely go beyond 28 degrees in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which would be the perfect time to host a big event.
I’m predicting a World Cup to be staged there in the not so distant future. It will probably be a cricket one to start with, but a football World Cup is a real possibility, too.
If not, then the Olympics (let’s take a guess and say the Summer one).
However, Dubai strangely didn’t submit a bid for the 2016 Olympics, despite knowing at the time that they would be building the $4 billion dollar Dubai Sports City, which now houses four sports stadiums and plenty of high-tech apartments (Australia plays Pakistan at the brand new cricket stadium tonight).
Perhaps, the country is just preparing their two major cities for the future.
They probably don’t want to jump the gun too early. But the way they’re going, they’ll be able to make a bid for the 2020 Olympics and already have the facilities built in advance.
How many countries can do that?
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Albert Ross said | May 1st 2009 @ 7:30am | Report comment
My understanding is that athletes of the Hebrew persuasion are unlikely to be welcome there. This might exercise the minds of some.
Tom said | May 1st 2009 @ 8:09am | Report comment
This article is possibly twelve months too late. A lot of construction in that region has been put on hold.
I can’t see FIFA agreeing to a January or February World Cup.
Plus there are serious human rights issues in the UAE. Migrant workers are essentially treated like slaves other there.
True Tah said | May 1st 2009 @ 8:23am | Report comment
Agree with Tom, the way the UAE treats subcontinentals is a real human rights issue – I guess there are two worlds to the UAE, the glimmering constructions, malls and souks the majority of tourists and business visitors get to see, and the squalid conditions the migrant workers work in.
Having said that, China wasn’t renowned for its human rights record and they got awarded the Olympics.
Kurt said | May 1st 2009 @ 8:25am | Report comment
I’m not 100% sure of the UAE’s current position on this, but no country that refuses to accept Israeli athletes should even be allowed to bid for a major international sporting event. Pretty simple really, anything else is craven appeasement. At least Andy Roddick had the guts to stand up for what is right.
Dave said | May 1st 2009 @ 8:46am | Report comment
Football World Cup…not a snowflakes chance in hell (or the desert). January or february?? smack bang in the middle of the major leagues season?
Asin Cup perhaps.
Cricket maybe a chance but it seems only the immigrant workers seem to have interest in it.
True Tah said | May 1st 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment
Dave
those immigrant workers make up the majority of Dubai’s population!!!
Pippinu said | May 1st 2009 @ 9:36am | Report comment
All this Dubai sporting construction activity reminds me of that cathedral some madman built somewhere in Africa that is larger than the Vatican.
Can’t remember which country? Nor can I.
Needless to say, it did not spark a revival in Catholicism wherever the hell it was.
Conclusion: I doubt it counts for a hell of a lot at the end of the day.
Brian said | May 1st 2009 @ 10:00am | Report comment
Its pretty cheap to build world class stadia with subcointinental slaves. They also don’t promote women participation in sports so hosting the Olympics which is nearly 50% female athletes would be a long way off. I suspect these are just some of the reasons the fuedal dictators of the UAE did not bid for the Olympics.
Dave said | May 1st 2009 @ 10:07am | Report comment
TT
4.4 million population of which 1.6m are non nationals, still a fair number but not a majority. In any case not enogh people to host a WC or Olympics.
Benjamin Conkey said | May 1st 2009 @ 10:33am | Report comment
Yeah I understand the human rights issues, and descrimination against Jews. But as True Tah mentioned, human rights abuses didn’t stop China getting the Olympics. And I know this comment might create uproar, but our treatment of Aboriginals was an issue in the Sydney 2000 Games. Aboriginal people wishing to voice their concerns during the Olympics were not allowed within “cooee” of Olympic venues.
Dave, yes not a snowflakes chance at the moment for the Football World Cup in the UAE. But I’m talking about well into the future…15-20 years time.