Dubai: Prominent leaders from all over the globe are in Dubai at the moment to attend the SportAccord International Convention 2010, the world's largest sport convention taking place at The Atlantis.
This convention is being held for the first time in the Middle East, and it has brought together members of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) executive board, the leaders of international sports federations and top executives from the sports industry.
Ahead of the meeting, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took time out to discuss the role of sport in Dubai, and admitted that the emirate does hold a sporting aspiration of hosting an Olympic Games in the not too distant future, among other things.
Gulf News: Your Highness, what is your assessment of the role of sport in the UAE and Dubai?
Shaikh Mohammad: Sports is an integral part of the growth strategy for Dubai for multiple reasons. The economic benefits are obvious. Every time we host a major international sporting event, it generates income for Dubai and raises our international profile. Our world-class venues and other quality infrastructure have helped make Dubai a top destination on the global sports calendar.
More importantly, our focus on sports protects our health and our heritage. Life was much harder in the pre-modern era, but it was also much more active. It was an outdoor lifestyle.
Modernisation and prosperity have brought many benefits to Dubai and the UAE, but people are more sedentary.
You can see the results in rising rates of obesity and diabetes. About 40 per cent of our children have diabetes. That is unacceptable. Sports is one way to address those problems.
Equestrian sports and sailing sports have a direct link to our past. I want to maintain those traditions as we adopt other sports from other cultures.
Schools throughout the UAE have taken steps in recent years to encourage participation in sports and physical activity. High profile sporting competition helps that process by inspiring people to become participants as well as spectators.
Why is it important to host SportAccord?
The selection of Dubai to host the first SportAccord convention in the Middle East is another important step in our emergence as a centre for global sport. Hosting sport leaders from around the world will help create new partnerships. Our guests learn about this region. We will learn more about their specialised business.
It will help our region play a bigger role in the world of sport. Sport always breaks down barriers between people. This convention is part of that process.
If I may ask a somewhat personal question, you are known as a world leader in horse sport, both as a competitor and as a breeder. How did that interest develop?
It is in my blood. It is part of my heritage. I love riding. I love being around horses. They are noble animals, and the more you get to know them, the more they give back.
The magnificent Arabian horse is from this land, and it sired the thoroughbreds that are prized around the world today. So when the best riders and the best horses come here to race, they are, in a sense, coming home.
That link is very important to me. It was the motivation behind Meydan, Dubai's new racecourse complex. It is another example of how our growth strategy for sports ties back to our heritage.
On another topic, where do things stand with Dubai's bid for 2020 Olympics?
It is important to understand that, as of this moment, there is no bid. All we are doing now is evaluating whether we should pursue that goal.
We are conducting feasibility studies to evaluate the costs and benefits of a bid, and our ability to meet the criteria to host the Olympic Games.
No matter what we decide in terms of a possible bid, this process will be good for Dubai. It will help us identify the strengths and weaknesses of our transportation systems, our tourism facilities, our sports venues and other vital infrastructure. This learning process will benefit Dubai even if we never bid for the Olympic Games.
From what you know now, do you think Dubai would have a chance for the Olympic Games?
We have a lot to offer. Dubai already has a well-developed infrastructure and a good track record of staging international sporting events, although admittedly not on the scale of the Olympic Games.
In keeping with Olympic values, Dubai is home to people from many different nationalities and cultures who live in friendship and peace across the emirate. There is a strong "can do" culture here.
But we also have to be realistic. The summer heat can be a serious problem for athletes. We will have to take an honest look at our weaknesses as well as our strengths. I can assure you of this, though: If we decide to make a bid for the Olympics, we will be in it to win.
