Dubai: Dubai World Cup horse racing, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, DP World golf and the Dubai Tour cycling have been declared as the best four sporting events organised in Dubai during the course of the sports season.
Backed and ratified by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the rankings system had been put in place at the beginning of last season.
A total of 87 events organised under the aegis of the DSC had participated in a first of-its-kind sports ranking system, starting from September 30 last year. The ranking system for the sporting events followed a three-tier system consisting of the organisers, spectators and the DSC.
As per the ranking system, there are a total 70 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and criteria that can determine the quality of the event organised. For an event to get a ranking, the organiser needs to give an assessment on at least 59 of these indicators, while the DSC rankings system committee attends to 30 indicators leaving another ten indicators to the general audience attending the event.
Accordingly, each event gets ranking points and is classified either as a five-star, four-star, three-star, two-star or one-star event. Events getting five-star ranking even stands to draw financial support from the DSC, while getting a classification can also help the organiser in approaching sponsorship from corporates.
Of the list of 87 events, only four obtained the highest ranking of five stars based on the various indicators, while another 29 sporting events finished with four stars, while a majority of 53 ended with three stars. One event was in the two-star category.
“As per the directions of Shaikh Hamdan, it is important for us to preserve the image of Dubai. We excel in so many other fields, and according to Shaikh Hamdan and the vision laid down by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, it is equally important that we guard this image in the sports sector as well. The DSC conducts and organises more than 400 top sporting events every year. So while we have the quantity it is equally important for us to have a standard and move towards quality events,” Saeed Hareb, General Secretary, DSC, told Gulf News after the results were announced at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa, late on Monday.
“Such a ranking system is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. Once again, Dubai is the trendsetter for the whole world,” he added.
“The actual work for organisers starts now. There are some events who have failed in meeting the highest standards, and this is the time for them to work harder and achieve a better ranking next time,” noted Nasser Al Rahma, Director of Events Department, DSC.
