World class swimming will return to Dubai

World class swimming will return to Dubai in October as some of the planet’s finest athletes converge on the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex for the FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup 2011. The Dubai competition, which will take place on October 7-8, will be the first of the seven-leg World Cup series, which then sees the action moving on to Stockholm, Moscow, Berlin, Singapore, Beijing and Tokyo. “It is a great honour to be hosting this fantastic event for the first time in Dubai,” said Dr Ahmed Saad Al Sharif, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council. “We hosted a wonderfully successful FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships at the end of last year where some of the biggest names in swimming at the moment such as Ryan Lochte thrilled the crowds with world record-breaking performances. “I have no doubt that we will once again witness some incredible action over the two days in October” added Al Sharif. The FINA/ARENA Swimming World Cup series is contested in a 25m pool and sees both men and women vying for prize money in each event. The two-day World Cup consists of 34 races where the winner of each individual event is awarded US$1,500; second place receives $1000 and third place $500, meaning the UAE Swimming Federation will provide a total prize pool of US$102,000. Another incentive for the top-class swimmers taking part is that a bonus of US$10,000 is on offer for each new world record set at the event, meaning there’ll be plenty of incredible speed on display in Dubai come October. “With so many nationalities living in Dubai, we are encouraging spectators to come out and show their support for their teams as they take each other on in this spectacular state-of-the-art venue which is still new to many,” said Ahmed Al Falasi, President of the UAE Swimming Federation. “And of course, we will all be cheering on our own UAE swimmers as they take on the world,” added Al Falasi. Racing will begin at 9am on Friday, October 7 with heats in the morning, and finals being contested at 6pm, with the same schedule on Saturday, October 8. Tickets to the event will be available at the door, at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex.