Dubai Sports Council (DSC) has joined hands with Dubai Sports City for the promotion of sports in the UAE.

The two bodies confirmed their strategic partnership during a media conference at the DSC’s office at the Convention Centre yesterday.

Mattar Al Tayer, vice-president of the Dubai Sports Council, said the two organisations would work together for the promotion of sports in the country. “The agreement will see the world’s first integrated sports city work alongside the DSC in driving a shared programme of sports promotion across the UAE.”

As part of the collaborative effort, according to Al Tayer, representatives of Dubai Sports City will meet regularly with the council’s board of directors to discuss issues of policy and shared approach to help drive a stronger sporting culture in the UAE.

Dubai Sports Council’s strategic initiatives, according to Al Tayer, are aimed to achieve the financial independence in the Dubai sport sector through the establishment of true partnership with the private sector. “This is to support the council’s vision of investing in human resources to develop the sport industry in the emirate of Dubai. We greatly appreciate Dubai Sports City for its partnership with us in developing the sport sector,” he said.



The areas of partnership identified in the strategic agreement include awareness campaigns, collaboration to organise championships in the UAE and sharing of data on local sports events.

Khalid Al Zarooni, president of Dubai Sports City, in welcoming the partnership, said: “This partnership is an opportunity to create high profile activities for local children. The new arrangement will help us deliver on our promise to create a true home for sport in Dubai,” he said.

The Dubai Sports City, according to Al Zarooni, is the cornerstone project of Dubailand at a cost of about $3 billion. The project, covering about 50 million square feet, will centre around five magnificent sports venues including 60,000 capacity multi-purpose outdoor stadium for football, rugby, track and field. The media conference was also attended by Dr. Ahmed Al Sharif, secretary-general of the Dubai Sports Council, and Salah Tahlak, a board member of the council.