Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was among the high-profile visitors to the Atlantis Palm Hotel to ensure that preparations are in order for tonight's official opening of the SportAccord International Convention 2010 Dubai.
Shaikh Mohammad will open the SportAccord Convention at 8pm today in the presence of an elite local, Arab and international sports figures. Shaikh Mohammad, accompanied by his wife Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, who is also chairwoman of the higher organising committee of this convention, toured the hotel where final touches to the preparations were in full swing.
Shaikh Mohammad was briefed on the tremendous efforts by the chairwoman and members of the organising committee. In his tour, he stopped at stands and platforms where clubs and local and international bodies will host exhibits.
He expressed his satisfaction with the arrangements.
Meanwhile, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman, UAE National Olympic Committee, received Prince Faisal Bin Al Hussain, President, Jordanian National Olympic Committee, and his brother Prince Ali Bin Al Hussain, Chairman, Jordanian Football Association, on their arrival in Dubai yesterday. Both are scheduled to attend the convention .
Meanwhile, City manager Dr Michael Sutcliffe of the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa host-city Durban and London's Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman John Armitt will be featured speakers in the City Forum today.
Case study
Dr Sutcliffe will deliver a case study on the upcoming football mega-event and his city, Durban, and Armitt will address the subject of how London 2012 is balancing the needs of the Olympic Games with "long-term legacy" sustainability initiatives.
Now in its third edition, the City Forum is dedicated to giving cities and the sports and companies with which they work an opportunity to share viewpoints and best practices, in an effort to find more effective ways to cooperate in the hosting of major sports events. The City Forum is a unique part of the conference offering cities and sport a chance to talk to each other. The forum's panel sessions are designed to facilitate a real open dialogue with a lot of interaction and is very much about tackling current issues that are really relevant for cities.
The City Forum will feature two panel sessions: Peter van Gend, President of Major Events at Siemens One, Siemens AG, will moderate a discussion on ‘Facilities' — focusing on infrastructure demands and host city challenges — and Don Schumacher, Chairman of the USA's National Association of Sports Commissions, will lead the session on ‘Adding Value' — focusing on how cities can maximise benefits from hosting sporting events.
— With inputs from WAM
