Recently in the UAE, Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Fahd Al Saud paid a visit to world powerboat champion's Victory Team and water sports organisers at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC).

Scheduled to host a Class 1 race event in January, Prince Faisal is looking to the DIMC and the UAE Marine Sports Federation for guidance in what will be the first Class 1 event in the Kingdom.

"We have already been offered the full support of the Dubai International Marine Club in the hosting of the event. Through working together we hope to establish Saudi Arabia as a venue - not just for Class 1 but all water sports," he said.

Saeed Hareb, the DIMC Managing Director and UAE Marine Sports Federation, said: "We are delighted to see Prince Faisal in Dubai and thank him for his kind comments and trust in us."

Final discussions are currently underway with officials in Saudi Arabia and marketing of the event is expected to start soon.

"We are now under discussions with Victory Team to develop a fully organised official Saudi team. This would include the technicians, the support crews and the boat - basically the whole set up from A to Z," Prince Faisal said.