Hosting T20 World Cup reinforces Dubai’s rising status as one of the globe’s most prominent and safest destinations for international sporting events…reports Asian Lite News
Dubai, the headquarters of the International Cricket Council, is all set to stage the finals of the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The seventh edition of the global tournament, being held for the first time in the Middle East, reinforces Dubai’s rising status as one of the globe’s most prominent and safest destinations for international sporting events.
Dubai was chosen as the venue for the final of the 16-country tournament, featuring world cricket’s biggest stars, because of its exceptionally successful record of hosting multi-stage global tournaments.
Furthermore, its comprehensive hospitality and health infrastructure as well as its ability to create the internationally benchmarked bio-secure bubbles necessary for the safe organisation of a tournament as extensive as the T20 Cricket World Cup made it the ideal venue for the event.
“Dubai’s steady growth as a global sporting hub has been made possible by the strong support and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the extensive investments made in world-class infrastructure under His Highness’s directives,” said Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council.
He noted that the T20 Cricket World Cup is one of a series of mega sporting events that Dubai has provided a safe venue for, amidst the current exceptional global circumstances. The emirate’s ability to implement rigorous precautionary protocols and high vaccination rates have made it a preferred destination for international tournaments, he added.
The 16-team ICC Twenty20 World Cup is being held in the UAE and Oman from 17 October to 14 November 2021 features a total of 45 matches, 13 of which will be played in Dubai.
Cricket fans from around the world are eagerly anticipating the second day of the Super 12 round of the ICC T20 World cup when traditional rivals India and Pakistan renew their cricketing rivalry in Dubai on 24 October. India vs Pakistan is one of the most exciting rivalries in sports, and with 90 per cent of cricket’s billion-plus fans coming from South Asia, the match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is the biggest talking point of the tournament.
The first match between two countries in more than two years, the fixture is generating considerable interest among the more than 4 million people from India and Pakistan who call the UAE their home. Tickets for the India-Pakistan match were sold out in less than five hours. More than 2 billion viewers all over the world are expected to watch the contest on international channels.
The magnificent 25,000 seat Dubai International Cricket Stadium located in Dubai Sports City, the emirate’s state of the art sports complex, will also be the venue for the final of the Twenty20 World Cup on 14 November. Dubai is already a major hub for international cricket, being home to the headquarters of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of the sport, and the ICC Academy, where emerging cricket stars are being mentored.
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In 2021, with many sporting events being cancelled across the world due to the pandemic, Dubai emerged as one of the safest venues for global tournaments. The annual Dubai World Cup, organised by the Dubai Racing Club, was among the world’s top ten sporting events in the first quarter of 2021.
Dubai’s prime location and exceptional infrastructure also made it a preferred location for international athletes to train ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. In the coming months, Dubai will also host more than 30 international sports events including the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers, the European Tour’s ‘Race to Dubai’ finale and the DP World Tour Championship.