Organisers expecting full field for Dubai Open

Dubai: Organisers are expecting in excess of 200 competitors for the third edition of the Dubai International Bowling Tournament, which will be held at the Dubai Bowling Centre, Al Mamzar, from tomorrow. The event concludes on February 25.

The third edition of the popular competition with patronage from Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the UAE National Olympic Committee, is being organised in two categories — Open and Under-23 — with direct support from the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).

The competition will get under way for local players from February 11, while overseas participants will join in from February 19. The opening ceremony has been slated for 7pm tomorrow.

The added attraction at this Dh300,000 event is that it will be a ranking tournament on the Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) calendar for the World Ranking Masters Final organised by the World Ten-Pin Bowling Association.

"This tournament has become very popular on the ABF calendar and this can be seen with the increase in the number of entries this year. We are expecting close to 100 bowlers from the UAE itself in addition to the overseas players who will be here to get ranking points," said Rashid Al Lootah, the tournament director.