Dubai: The organisers have assured that the venue for the 33rd America's Cup will be handed over to the teams by the last week of this month.
"Work at the Al Hamra Village is ... in full swing and we will be handing over the place to the teams on September 25," Dr Khater Masa'ad, adviser to Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, told Gulf News.
During a visit to the site workers were frantically preparing the bases to house the two teams while dredgers were de-silting the channel and inner area of the man-made lagoon next to the berthing area.
"The dredging and deepening is ... [in] ... full swing, while we are also widening the channel that leads into the Al Hamra Village, that is ready for possession," Dr Masa'ad stated.
Some projects that had been scheduled for completion at a later date have been brought forward as well. "We are preparing extra rooms for the crew and support staff in the Palace Hotel that was originally scheduled to open only in February next year. And we are also going to open some 200 odd rooms in the Palace Residence by the end of September to further be of assistance to the teams."
Last month, Ras Al Khaimah was named the latest venue for sport's oldest trophy when Defender Alinghi announced its name ahead of other contenders including 2007 host Valencia. "I am not aware of any other venue that Alinghi considered in the UAE, be it Dubai or Abu Dhabi," Dr Masa'ad stated.
"We presented Alinghi with two venues here - the Marjan Island development and Al Hamra Village, and they chose the latter," he said.
Dr Masa'ad insisted that the America's Cup and the UAE are "made for each other" based on the heritage and culture of this country. "The UAE has been known as a sea-faring nation for centuries now. There are sailing clubs and a federation governing these clubs. The youth is interested in this sport. In fact, sailing is the third most popular sport in the world and this blends well with the UAE," Dr Masa'ad noted.
"This event will have an impact not just on the UAE, but on all countries falling in the Gulf region. And therefore, we look forward to making this a huge success," he added.
