Dubai: The UAE will leave no stone unturned in an attempt to gain maximum benefit from organising next month’s 101st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), according to UAE official Salah Tahlak.
The UAE outbid Egypt and Serbia at the meeting of the ITF Board of Directors in Prague last year to earn the right to host this year’s congregation of tennis officials from across the world from September 16 to 18.
The 2013 meeting was earlier scheduled to be held in Dubai, but was replaced by Paris to coincide with the centenary celebrations of the international governing body of the sport. This will be the first time the ITF is hosting its AGM in the region.
“This meeting means a lot to us in Dubai and the UAE and we need to put our best foot forward to ensure we show the world what we have to offer,” Tahlak, Vice Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee, told Gulf News after a meeting on Tuesday.
“This meeting will bring in a lot for Dubai and the UAE as a whole, and therefore the effort will be to show to the world of tennis what we are capable of while handling international events of this stature. We will leave nothing to chance with our organisation.”
Vicki Fecci, AGM organiser with the ITF, voiced her confidence in Dubai staging a successful meeting during her visit during the course of the Group III and IV Asia-Oceania Davis Cup ties at Dubai Tennis Stadium last September.
“We have the full backing of the ITF at every step. Besides the dedicated staff, we have enough experienced people here in Dubai to take things forward,” Tahlak added.
