Sport | Other Sports
'Auction of Hope' off to a good start
Sunday night's 'Auction of Hope' raked in excess of Dh2 million for Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain's charity for school children.
- By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
- Published: 23:49 September 8, 2008
- Auctioneer Peter Banner during the charity auction hosted by Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, where most exclusive sports memorabilia went under hammer at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Dubai: Sunday night's 'Auction of Hope' raked in excess of Dh2 million for Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain's charity for creating a healthier and safer world for school children through the power of sport and play.
"We are pleased with the enthusiastic response. This has been a great journey and we are happy with the generous way in which UAE residents have responded to support a worthy cause," Dr Ahmad Sa'ad Al Sharif, Secretary-General of the Dubai Sports Council told Gulf News.
"It is a very realistic figure and we are pleased with the enthusiasm shown by all our buyers tonight," he added.
The auction was conducted in two parts, with the live one consisting of 19 carefully selected lots and the second made up of silent bids on sports memorabilia belonging to some of the best sportsmen worldwide.
The live bidding on the 19 lots fetched Dh1.8 million, while the silent items brought in a little over a quarter million dirhams. And as per auction rules, the details of items on the silent auction were not made known.
Present among the special invited guests was Olympic gold medallist from Tunisia Osama Mellouli and Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev, whose 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup blazer went for a modest Dh70,000.
Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's taekwondo uniform that she wore at the Beijing Olympics fetched Dh150,000, and was bought by Abbas A. Kiani of United Holding, while Princess Haya, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who donated a shoe of the horse that she rode during the Sydney 2000 Olympics, was picked up for Dh340,000 by Manal Shaheen of Dubai World.
Silent auction
Among the items that went on silent auction were a Maradona-signed Argentina jersey, the official England rugby shirt signed by the entire 2003 World Cup winning squad, a Pele signed 1960s jersey, jerseys from Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United along with football boots signed by Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Zinedine Zidane and Alan Shearer.
The biggest buyer of the night was Khalid Al Shafar, marketing manager for Dubai Holding who picked up a package for the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa for Dh190,000, a package to the 2009 US Tennis Open for Dh100,000, a package to the Nascar racing at Daytona for Dh90,000 and the Tiger Woods Grand Slam package for Dh80,000.
Also chipping in with Dh100,000 was Latifa Al Gurg while choosing a field visit to Lebanon to see the work being done there by Right To Play, while Ali Al Mutawa'a took a package for the 2009 Augusta Masters golf for a whopping Dh380,000. The 'Auction of Hope' was a joint move from the Dubai Sports Council and Right to Play in an attempt to raise funds to support Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain's initiative on pupils' development of health and mind in schools. The start came after Shaikh Mohammad urged young minds to discover hidden talents at an early age during a recent visit to a school.
Kapil happy to be a donor
Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev was more than pleased to be a willing donor for a worthy cause. "I love being involved in reaching out to the less fortunate," Kapil Dev told Gulf News after his 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup blazer fetched Dh70,000.
The starting bid for the blazer began at Dh80,000 but was scaled down by Dh10,000 by auctioneer Peter Banner after there were no bids heard across the floor.
Ultimately, it was Indian businessman Romy Mehta who gave his assent to Dh70,000 for the blazer. Mehta, who has recently relocated to Dubai from Hong Kong, was thrilled at getting his hands on a slice of history. "I think it was worth the amount and more due the cause this initiative is supporting," Mehta said.
Kapil said that he still has several items like shirts and other playing kit memorabilia from India's history World Cup victory in 1983. "I have these items and whenever I get the chance I am more than willing to hand them out to a worthy cause such as this one," stated Kapil Dev.
Among other charities, Kapil Dev supports 'Khushi' and a literacy project in India. He has also promised to give to charity all proceeds from his autobiography Straight from the Heart.
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