Dubai: The General Secretary of the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW) has hoped the organisation of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) fuels the growth and development of grassroots tennis in the UAE.
Ebrahim Abdul Malek was among the group of dignitaries present at the unveiling of the Davis Cup trophy at the Dubai Mall on Sunday, and after the unveiling he hoped that the presence of the trophy and the conduct of the AGM here would help propel the sport to the next level.
“We have been having our issues with the development of tennis players in the past. Hopefully, the presence of this trophy here and the organisation of such an important event like the AGM will help us in finding more youngsters who will play tennis,” Abdul Malek told Gulf News.
Scheduled to be held from September 16 to 18 under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the ITF’s AGM has attracted nearly 200 delegates from member nations from across the globe.
After three days of deliberations between the ITF’s various zones and members, the draw for the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held at the Madinat Jumeirah on September 18.
Before that, Tennis Emirates (TE), the governing body for the sport in the UAE will be attempting to set a first-time Guinness World Record by creating a mosaic using tennis balls depicting the three-finger victory sign of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The Guinness World Record attempt will be held at the events arena of Jumeirah Beach Hotel at 5.30pm on September 17.
“It’s important that we have this sign of trust from the international sporting fraternity. And now that we have this we should ensure we cash in on the benefits and get the sport of tennis in a better position,” Abdul Malek noted.
Backed by Tennis Emirates, Ministry of Interior, Dubai Sports Council (DSC), General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW), Road and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Convention Bureau and Jumeirah Beach Hotel, among others, this is the very first time that the ITF is hosting its AGM in West Asia.
