Hareb wants to see more youngsters involved in sport

Dubai: Saeed Hareb, Secretary-General of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), has called on more youngsters to draw inspiration from the stars participating at the BWF Dubai World Superseries badminton finale and to get involved in sport.

Speaking at the pre-event press conference and draw on Monday, Hareb said: “It’s a pleasure to see so many youngsters here today and I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to play sports like badminton.

“Players like Carolina [Marin], Saina [Nehwal] and Chen [Long] are proof that sporting honours can be achieved at the highest level if you put your mind to it.”

Hareb said he hopes that the tournament, which starts on Wednesday at the Hamdan Sports Complex, will help spread a badminton mentality throughout the UAE.

“We have a responsibility to create a sporting legacy and through staging the Dubai World Superseries Finals, we [hope] we are able to hit all of these objectives.

“We are delighted to be welcoming the world’s best back to Dubai. We enjoy attracting major sporting events to Dubai and using the excellent facilities here to provide a first class experience for players and fans alike.”

The event was attended by Poul-Erik Høyer, President, Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Khalid Al Serkal, District Manager,Sharjah and Northern Emirates for Emirates Airline; and Alastair Ruxton, Chief Operating Officer, Falcon and Associates, promoters of the tournament. The event received a major boost with the announcement of Emirates airline as a major sponsor for the next three years.

“We are delighted to be back in Dubai for the annual showpiece to crown the season’s top players. We are also thrilled with the exciting partnership we have developed which has allowed us to share our sport with Dubai and the wider Gulf region.

“The success of BWF’s development programme, Shuttle Time, in Dubai — especially among schoolchildren has been highly significant. The Dubai community’s enthusiasm for badminton gives us much optimism for the future as we continue growing the sport here.”