Dubai polo team to hit the silver screen

Dubai: Dubai will soon be on the world polo map with the making of a documentary, says the man behind the film.

Rashid Al Habtoor, who is an integral part of the Dubai-based polo team bearing the same name, has commissioned a group of professionals to make the 90-minute documentary on the sport.

He said: "Some part of the documentary has already been shot in France, Spain and England earlier during the summer."

The Al Habtoor Polo Team spent a major part of the summer in Europe playing exhibition matches in an attempt to promote Dubai and the sport of polo. The team won a couple of competitions in Marbella and Saint Tropez.

"The aim of having a documentary is to have more people getting involved with this sport," said Al Habtoor. Not only is he doing the documentary, he is also financing it fully.

"This will be the first of its kind and we have plans to enter the documentary at various film festivals around the world next year," said Al Habtoor.

Marketing

"We will also embark on a vigorous marketing strategy to ensure the documentary reaches a very wide audience."

The launch of the documentary was held in Rome last month in front of a specially invited audience from all over the world.

Shooting for the documentary will continue in Dubai and then move on to Cortina, Italy and then finally in Argentina.

"Hopefully, we should be set for the release of the documentary in March 2009," Al Habtoor said.

"Polo has been both a hobby and a passion for all of us involved, and we want the world to know about this sport."