World City Guide

Sport

Sport is very popular in Dubai. As the city is home to few international sporting stars or teams, the trend is to bring in overseas teams to play in glamour friendlies and also to stage major sporting events, with lucrative prize money to attract the big-name stars. In 2003,k the regional political tension impacted on sports, with big names like Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie pulling out of the PGA Dubai Desert Golf Classic (tel: (04) 347 4050; fax: (04) 295 6026; website: www.dubaidesertclassic.com), held in February every year. The Dubai International Rugby Sevens (tel: (04) 333 1198; website: www.dubairugby7s.com) is an event usually held at the Dubai Exiles Rugby Club, near Dubai Country Club, Al-Awir Road (tel: (04) 333 1198), in December. The Dubai Open Tennis Championship is held in February, at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, Dubai Aviation Club, Al-Garhoud (tel: (04) 316 6969; website: www.dubaitennischampionships.com).

Horseracing is also very popular among Dubai's moneyed men, who are not content to idly watch and instead opt to buy and race a few horses. The Dubai World Cup (tel: (04) 332 2277; website: www.dubaiworldcup.com), organised by the Dubai Racing Club, Nadal-Sheba (tel: (04) 332 9888), in March, is now the world's richest horseracing event with US$15 million in prize money. A more traditional event is the annual Emirates Championship Cup, a 130km (80-mile) endurance horserace through the shifting sands of the desert. Grand sporting projects currently under development include the new Dubai Cricket Stadium and the rather unlikely sounding but very characteristic-of-the-city Dubai Ski Resort.

There is no umbrella ticketing organisation in Dubai and tourists wishing to buy tickets for sporting events can often get this organised through their hotels.

Fitness centres: All the luxury hotels offer impressive leisure facilities. Some provide the unusual option of coaching from ex-Soviet Union Olympiads, who have flocked in droves from the economically bankrupt ex-Soviet states to work in Dubai. There are also private leisure clubs geared towards the ex-pat community throughout the city. Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa, Jumeirah Beach Road (tel: (04) 346 1111; website: www.dxbmarine.com), boasts floodlit tennis courts, two outdoor pools, a children's pool, squash courts, gymnasium and a health spa with public access during the evening. Le Mirage Health & Leisure Club, Le Meridien Jumeirah Hotel, Jumeirah Beach (tel: (04) 702 2430) accepts non-members for a fee of Dh55.

Golf: For a nation dominated by so much desert, Dubai somewhat surprisingly has a number of top-quality grass golf courses. Emirates Golf Club, Junction 5, Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 347 3222), was the Middle East's first championship grass course, when it opened. Rounds are available for non-members at off-peak times. Green fees are Dh370-425. Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, Al-Garhoud Road (tel: (04) 295 6000), is currently host to the Dubai Desert PGA Classic and welcomes guests on a pay-and-play basis. Green fees are from Dh370. Dubai Golf and Racing Club, Nad al-Shiba Road (tel: (04) 336 3666), boasts a Scottish-style links floodlit grass course with green fees for non-members at Dh240-300. The Montgomerie, Emirates Hills, off Sheik Zayed Road (tel: (04) 399 9955, website: www.themontgomerie.com), designed by renowned Scottish golfer Colin Montgomerie, opened in 2002 and charges Dh550 per round. Non members are welcome. It is important for golfing visitors to note that all golf courses in Dubai are spike-free.

Swimming: The four-hectare (12-acre) Wild Wadi Waterpark is part of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel complex, Al-Jumeriah Road (tel: (04) 348 4444; website: www.jumeirah-beach.com). This is a paradise for kids and big kids alike, with a thrilling array of 24 interconnected water rides, including the terrifying 'Jumeirah Sceirah', which hurtles the foolhardy at speeds of up to 80kph (50mph). All-day admission is Dh95 for adults and Dh75 for children. Reduced rate 'Sundowner' admission is available after 1600. Most hotel pools are open to the public for Dh25-50.

Tennis: There are a number of tennis clubs that are open to the public. The Aviation Club, Al-Garhoud Road (tel: (04) 282 4122), has public courts, as does the Dubai Tennis Academy, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Al-Jumeriah Road (tel: (04) 406 8811). Many of Dubai's hotels also offer tennis facilities.

Watersports: The Arabian Gulf offers a wide range of watersports opportunities. Jet-skiing is available at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Umm Suqeim Road (tel: (04) 348 0000), for approximately Dh100 per half hour, water-skiing is available at most of the Jumeirah Beach hotels and scuba diving can be organised with Al-Boom Diving, Al-Wasl Road (tel: (04) 342 2993), or Scuba International, Diving Village, Schindagha (tel: (04) 393 7557).