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Home - City Guide - Dubai - Sport | ||
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Sport Sport is very popular in Dubai. As Dubai is home to few international sporting stars or teams, the trend is to bring in overseas teams to play in glamour friendlies and also to stage major sporting events with lucrative prize money to attract the big-name stars. The perennially popular PGA Dubai Desert Golf Classic, held in February each year, is organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (tel: (04) 331 4200). The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Open is held in February at the Dubai Tennis Stadium (tel: (04) 282 9166 for events and tickets). The Dubai International Rugby Sevens (tel: (04) 333 1198) is held in December. Horseracing is also very popular among Dubai's moneyed men who are not content to idly watch and instead opt to buy and race a few horses. The Dubai World Cup, organised by the Dubai Racing Club (tel: (04) 332 2277; web site: www.dubaiworldcup.com), in March, is now the world's richest horseracing event with five million US Dollars in prize money. A more traditional event is the annual Emirates Championship Cup, a 130km (80-mile) endurance horserace through the shifting sands of the desert. Golf: For a nation dominated by so much desert Dubai has an incredible choice of top-quality golf courses. Emirates Golf Club, Junction 5, Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 347 3222), was the Middle East's first championship grass course when it opened. Rounds are available for non-members at off-peak times. Green fees are Dh330-365. Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Al-Garhoud Road (tel: (04) 295 6000), is currently host to the Dubai Desert PGA Classic and welcomes guests on a pay-and-play basis. Green fees are around Dh400. Dubai Golf and Racing Club, Nad Al-Shiba Road (tel: (04) 336 3666), boasts a Scottish-style links floodlit grass course that also welcomes visitors on a pay-and-play basis. Green fees for non-members are Dh220-295. Leisure centres: All of the luxury hotels offer impressive leisure facilities. Some provide the unusual chance of coaching from ex-Soviet Union Olympiads who have flocked in droves from the economically bankrupt ex-Soviet states to work in Dubai. There are also private leisure clubs geared towards the ex-pat community throughout the city. Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa (tel: (04) 346 1111) boasts floodlit tennis courts, two outdoor pools, a children's pool, squash courts, gymnasium and a health spa with public access during the evening. Le Mirage Health & Leisure Club (tel: (04) 399 5555) accepts non-members at any time of day. Swimming: The 12-acre Wild Wadi Waterpark is part of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel complex, Al-Jumeria Road (tel: (04) 348 4444; web site: www.jumeirah-beach.com). This is a kid's paradise with a stunning array of 24 interconnected water rides. All day admission is Dh95 for adults and Dh75 for children. Most hotel pools are open to the public for Dh25-50. Tennis: There are a number of tennis clubs that are open to the public. The Aviation Club, Al-Garhoud Road (tel: (04) 282 4122), also has public courts, as does the Dubai Tennis Academy, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Al-Jumeria Road (tel: (04) 406 8811). Watersports: The Arabian Gulf offers a wide range of watersports. Jetskiing is available at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Umm Suqeim Road (tel: (04) 348 0000), for around Dh100 per half hour, water-skiing is available at most of the Jumeira Beach hotels and scuba diving can be done with Al-Boom Marine Diving Unlimited (tel: (04) 394 1267). |