Dubai: A top official from the Dubai Sports World is hoping the region’s largest indoor summer sports facility will help raise the profile of sport in the country.

“The idea is to see more and more kids making use of this facility. But to us it is simply a wonderful opportunity to showcase sports and spread the word of staying healthy through a cross-section of society within the UAE,” Ray Tinston from Dubai Sports World told media here Tuesday.

The Dubai Sports World is the region’s largest indoor sports and leisure venue housed at the Dubai World Trade Centre’s Shaikh Saeed and Shaikh Rashid Halls by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) in association with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment.

This year, Dubai Sports World is hosting a variety of sports and leisure activities including football, rugby, tennis, rugby, basketball, futsal, volleyball, beach soccer, a skate park, billiards and table tennis.

The DWTC is partnering leading sports academies and clubs such as IFA Sports for football, Tennis 360 for tennis, Chicago-based MPAC Sports for basketball, Sudhakar Shetty’s Maxtalent Global Cricket Training Institute for cricket and Original Fitness Company for fitness. “This year we also have an indoor rubber track for jogging. There is something for everyone here,” Tinston said.

One of the highlights this year will be the annual football tournament featuring some of the top former footballers from clubs such as FC Barcelona and Real Madrid among others from July 8 to 12.

“This is a wonderful occasion for us to showcase sports and engage local communities towards a healthy lifestyle during summer,” Tinston remarked.

Encompassing over 32,000 square metres of indoor space, the Dubai Sports World has full-size football and rugby along with six multi-purpose courts for other sporting activities. Entry is free.