Dubai: Dubai Holding announced a five-year sponsorship agreement with the Dubai Women’s Run worth Dh5 million at the investment holding company’s offices in Emirates Towers on Wednesday.
The annual five-kilometre and 10-km event through Jumeirah, which will celebrate a fifth year since its inception on November 7, will now be known as the Dubai Holding Women’s Run until 2019.
The event started off with 1,000 runners of all abilities in 2010, but has now grown to incorporate professional athletes, with more than 5,000 participants taking part last year. The target this year is to attract more than 7,000 runners, between 25 and 30 of whom will be international elite athletes.
Ahmad Al Kamali, president of the UAE Athletics Federation, praised the effect the agreement would have on women’s sport locally — both in promoting an active lifestyle at grassroots level and widening the base for potential athletic talent.
“We like to see big companies support women’s athletics,” he said. ”And this five-year agreement is a big result for the federation and our girls. We can now work and prepare for the 2016 Olympics with great peace of mind.”
He added: “It was my target five years ago to encourage more women’s sport and in the beginning I met with difficulties concerning tradition and customs. Now I feel we have a good national team with over 40 women of all ages.
“We have won gold and silver medals in the Asian, Arab, GCC and South West Asian Championships and we are growing fast. I hope women’s athletics here continues to grow and grows even quicker with the support of Dubai Holding.”
Al Kamali said the agreement could help the Dubai Women’s Run become one of the largest all-female events in the world.
“We wish and are welcoming everyone to take part,” he added. “My dream is to have more than 20,000 women running in this event so that it can become one of the largest women’s events in the world. If we get over 7,000 participants this year, I don’t see why we can’t surpass 20,000 runners within six or seven years.”
