Officials At Middle East Sports Event Summit Laud Dubai's Ability To Host Big Events

Top officials "have given Dubai a thumbs-up for being way ahead of a lot of competitor cities" in staging bids to host some of the world’s biggest sporting events, according to Alaric Gomes of GULF NEWS. On the opening day of the Middle East Sports Event Summit, Falcon and Associates VP Giselle Pettyfer said, "Dubai has it all. It is the most complete package for hosting some of the biggest events in the world of sport." The two-day summit "has attracted over 120 decision-makers in sports from across the world debating on various topics to attract mega sporting events to a city." However, Pettyfer said that there were "still some aspects that the emirate could take on board to become even more attractive and successful on the sporting stage." Pettyfer added, "The focus needs to be on building up grassroots sport and getting the community to understand the different sports. And most importantly, we need to have the culture of volunteering to assist in the organisation of mega sports events" (GULF NEWS, 6/11).