XCAT ‘now truly a world championship series’

Dubai: Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the Australian city’s inclusion on the 2015 UIM XCAT World Series calendar will help raise the profile of the Dubai-based championship both on and off the water.

Tate was in Dubai on Tuesday to sign a five-year agreement with the World Professional Powerboating Association (WPPA) in the presence of Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum at Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC). Agreements were also signed between DIMC and the Gold Coast’s Southport Yacht Club.

The Gold Coast will now be the fifth event on the eight-stage 2015 calendar, which kicks off in Fujairah this weekend. The city will make its debut from August 21-23 and will also have its own boat competing in the 15-team series.

Tate said the Gold Coast’s inclusion would not only increase the standard of competition on the water, but also the calibre of entertainment around the event — a concept that could be franchised and enhanced at every stage.

“It now truly is a world championship series,” Tate said on his city’s inclusion. “More teams means more adrenaline and more competitiveness — in any sport that brings more challenges and lifts the standard.

“We’re used to staging world class events and what that means is that we know we’ve got to add more than just a race, it’s about the after party and the celebration of Arabian culture. There’s so many things people can come and do before and after the race.

“It’s up to the WPPA if they want to take that template and reproduce it in other parts of the world, but my opinion is, if you can take it all the way to Gold Coast, which is a 14-hour flight from Dubai, you can have this event anywhere in the world.”

The Gold Coast and Dubai have been sister cities since 2001 and Tate added that this latest tie-up was another milestone in relations.

“It’s about sharing our knowledge, our love of sport and love of tourism. Sharing, whether it be learning how to recycle or see how this city does things better, the more you give the more you get in return. Those are the things that make it wonderful to be a sister city with Dubai.”