(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Organisers have called upon sports lovers to make use of this unique opportunity of having one of the oldest sporting trophies right here.Dubai — Tennis aficionados in the UAE are in for a treat as the iconic Davis Cup trophy will be on display at The Dubai Mall as the country builds up to host the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) next week.
The trophy is already in possession of Tennis Emirates (TE) who are hosts of the annual meeting of tennis big-wigs scheduled to be held in Dubai from September 16 to 18 under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council.
The trophy will be put on display at a prominent place at The Dubai Mall and it will be officially unveiled to the general public by top dignitaries including Shaikh Hasher Al Maktoum President of Tennis Emirates and the Director General of Dubai Information Department Abdul Rahman Falaknaz vice president TE and Salah Tahlak Tournament director of the annual Dubai Tennis Championships and chairman of the organising committee of the ITF AGM.
Organisers have called upon people and sports lovers in the country to make use of this unique opportunity of having one of the oldest sporting trophies right here.
The trophy that currently stands for supremacy in men’s team tennis will be shifted to Madinat Jumeirah Hotel on September 18 in time for the draw ceremony of the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas the following day.
“This is such a huge opportunity for the multi-cultural society living in the UAE to have the actual Davis Cup trophy here. I am sure people will turn up in huge numbers and have their pictures taken with the trophy” noted Salah Tahlak.
“And since such a meeting is being held in this part of the world for the very first time I am convinced tennis will receive a huge boost. The presence of the trophy will bring in more value to the sport in the UAE” he added.
The Davis Cup by BNP Paribas began in 1900 as a competition between the USA and Great Britain. It was designed and conceptualised by Harvard University student Dwight F. Davis after whom the Cup came to be named following his death in 1945.
The trophy is also considered among the ten best trophies of the sporting world and today it is the world’s largest annual international team competition in sport with 122 nations taking part in 2014.
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is structured with a 16-nation World Group contested over four weekends during the season. The remaining countries are then divided into three regional zones depending on their location.
During more than 100 years of the competition Davis Cup has seen some of the greatest tennis names taking part including Rod Laver Fred Perry Don Budge Ken Rosewell John Newcombe Arthur Ashe John McEnroe Boris Becker Pete Sampras and Dubai resident Roger Federer.
Next week’s annual meeting will bring together nearly 200 top officials from the world of tennis at the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel.
The draw for the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held during the course of this year’s AGM following the conclusion of all Davis Cup Playoff ties of the 2014 edition on September 14.
Yet another highlight on the sidelines will be an attempt to set a first-time Guinness World Record by creating a mosaic using tennis balls to depict the three-finger victory sign of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The Guinness World Record attempt will be held at the events arena of Jumeirah Beach Hotel at 5.30 pm on September 17.
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