Dubai set to play host to beach volleyball world tour

Dubai: Dubai will become a welcome stop on the Swatch FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour at the Jumeirah Beach Park from October 5-11.

Created in 1989, the FIVB World Tour holds more than 30 events across the globe. And descending on Dubai will be nearly 250 of the top beach volleyball players from over 40 countries to compete in the first edition of the Swatch FIVB Beach Volley World Tour Dubai Open.

The tournament will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance.

Organisers have already started building a 3,500-seat stadium with seven outside courts at the Jumeirah Beach Park. The event will be open and free to the public during the entire week.

Mohammad Abdul Karim Julfar, President of the UAE Volleyball Association, has welcomed such a prestigious event to the country.

"The FIVB Beach Volleyball Dubai Open will offer the public a great opportunity to see this hugely popular sport for the very first time here in the UAE. Dubai enjoys wonderful weather and has glorious beaches and I think that both fans and players will really enjoy coming to this event," Julfar observed.

Beach Volleyball has enjoyed unrivalled success in the Olympics, since its debut in Atlanta 1996 to Beijing 2008, where the US won gold in both genders.

Fans in Dubai will be able to witness at first hand this exciting sport and have an opportunity to see some of the world's best beach volley players in action.

"This is our chance to see the best volleyball players right here and I think everyone should come and enjoy this moment," Julfar added.