Emirates keen on clinching top honours at World Airline Bowling Championship

Dubai: Emirates Airline are hoping to lay their hands on the overall title when the World Airline Bowling Championship (WABC) gets under way at the Dubai Bowling Club from tomorrow.

"We are 75 per cent confident of winning the overall title," Mohammad Al Khaja, team captain of the Emirates Airline team, told journalists at a press conference here yesterday.

As the hosts, Emirates are fielding six teams. Of these, one will be an all-woman side. There will be four men's teams from across the world. The sixth team will comprise staff from the flight catering division.

"It is important for us to win the overall title and we have been working hard to achieve this," Al Khaja said.

So serious is the team management that they held selection trials for players. More than 120 Emirates employees attended these, from which 24 were selected. "I think we have taken the best bowlers as we are keen to win the overall title," Al Khaja said.

The last-minute withdrawal of defending champions KLM has further boosted Emirates' title hopes. "Besides, this time we are best prepared for the competition as we have been training for the past three months," Al Khaja said.

Though winning the overall title is very much a thirst, Al Khaja's objective for organising such a championship is completely different. "We want this competition to be a get-together for the airlines' staff," Al Khaja said.

Selwyn Valentine will be the tournament director, while Dilan Selvadurai will head the technical committee. This year's competition has attracted 68 teams from 16 international airlines.