Sport

Sport is very popular in Dubai. As the city 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. One of the biggest events in the sporting calendar is the PGA Dubai Desert Golf Classic (tel: (04) 399 5060; fax: (04) 399 3225; website: www.dubaidesertclassic.com), held in February every year. The Dubai International Rugby Sevens (tel: (04) 321 0008; fax: (04) 321 1688; website: www.dubairugby7s.com) is an event usually held at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Club, near Dubai Country Club, Al-Awir Road (tel: (04) 333 1198; website: www.dubaiexiles.com), in December. The Dubai Open Tennis Championship is held in February, at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Dubai Aviation Club, Al-Garhoud (website: www.dubaitennischampionships.com).

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 (tel: (04) 332 2277; website: www.dubaiworldcup.com), organised by the Dubai Racing Club, Nad al-Shiba (tel: (04) 332 2277; website: www.dubairacingclub.com), in March, is now the world's richest horseracing event with US$6 million 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. One grand sporting project currently under development is the new Dubai Cricket Stadium (to complement the existing pitches), while the rather unlikely sounding but very characteristic-of-the-city indoor resort Ski Dubai (tel: (04) 340 3392; website: www.skidubai.ae) opened its doors in December 2005.

There is no umbrella ticketing organisation in Dubai and tourists wishing to buy tickets for sporting events can often get this organised through their hotels.

Fitness Centres: All the luxury hotels offer impressive leisure facilities. Some provide the unusual option 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 expat community throughout the city. Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa, Jumeirah Beach Road (tel: (04) 346 1111; website: www.dxbmarine.com), 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, Le Meridien Jumeirah Hotel, Jumeirah Beach (tel: (04) 702 2430; website: www.dubai.lemeridien.com) accepts non-members for a fee of Dh150.

Golf: For a nation dominated by so much desert, Dubai somewhat surprisingly has a number of top-quality grass golf courses. Emirates Golf Club, Junction 5, Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 380 2222; website: www.dubaigolf.com) was the Middle East's first championship grass course. Green fees start at Dh525 for the championship Majlis course and Dh375 for the Wadi course. Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Al-Garhoud Road (tel: (04) 295 6000), welcomes guests on a pay-and-play basis. Green fees are from Dh425. The recently renovated Nad Al Sheba Club, Nad al-Shiba Road (tel: (04) 336 3666), boasts a Scottish-style links floodlit grass course. The Montgomerie, Emirates Hills, off Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 390 5600, website: www.themontgomerie.com), designed by renowned Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie, charges Dh525 per round. Non-members are welcome. It is important for golfing visitors to note that all golf courses in Dubai are spike-free. A new course, The Dunes, designed by Ernie Else, is currently being planned.

Swimming: The 5-hectare (12-acre) Wild Wadi Waterpark is part of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel complex, Al-Jumeriah Road (tel: (04) 348 4444; website: www.wildwadi.com). This is a paradise for kids and big kids alike, with a thrilling array of 24 interconnected water rides, including the terrifying 'Jumeirah Sceirah', which hurtles the foolhardy at speeds of up to 80kph (50mph). All-day admission is Dh140 for adults and Dh120 for children. Reduced rate 'Sundowner' admission is available after 1600. Most hotel pools are open to the public for Dh25-100.

Tennis: There are a number of tennis clubs that are open to the public. The Aviation Club, Al-Garhoud Road (tel: (04) 282 4122; website: www.aviationclubonline.com) has public courts, as does the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Al-Jumeirah Road (tel: (04) 406 8826). Many of Dubai's hotels also offer tennis facilities.

Watersports: The Arabian Gulf offers a wide range of watersports opportunities. Jet-skiing is available at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Umm Suqeim Road (tel: (04) 348 0000), for approximately Dh100 per half hour, water-skiing is available at most of the Jumeirah Beach hotels and scuba diving can be organised with Al-Boom Diving, Al-Wasl Road (tel: (04) 342 2993; website: www.alboomdiving.com), or Scuba International, Diving Village, Schindagha (tel: (04) 393 7557).

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