Dubai Wins Louis Vuitton Trophy

Dubai has been chosen as the Middle East host venue for the Louis Vuitton Trophy, a two-week carnival of elite sailing. Four spectacular 85-foot long America’s Cup Class yachts – sailed by world champions, Olympic medalists and round-the-world sailors – will be the focal point of the event.

The prestigious Louis Vuitton Trophy - a true test of the crews’ ability with teams racing identical yachts - is one of the most coveted events in sailing and Dubai joins established premier regatta venues, including Auckland, Sardinia and Hong Kong, as 2010 hosts.

It will be held at Mina Seyahi, the home of Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) next to the Palm Jumeirah, while Emirates Airline - a leading sponsor - will be flying in many of teams and their armies of support staff, as well as race officials and spectators from around the globe.

 “This is a real coup for Dubai. We are honoured to be part of this fantastic event which has rapidly emerged as a renowned spectacle of sport followed by millions around the world,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman DIMC, and Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group. “We are also looking forward to welcoming our very own Emirates Team New Zealand back to these shores and, having won the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland last year, confidence will be high coming into this event.”

The event - which gets under way on 13th November and will feature on-shore entertainment and a host of other activities - is also expected to give a boost to the UAE tourism industry.

Businesses throughout the UAE are expected to benefit after the organisers of the 2009 Louis Vuitton Pacific Series reported that the 14-day festival injected US$12 million (Dhs 44 million) into the Auckland economy.

As well as Emirates Team New Zealand - featuring sailing great Dean Barker - and Artemis (Sweden), with the legendary Paul Cayard pulling the strings, the line-up is also expected to include: BMW ORACLE Racing (USA); Azzurra (Italy), TEAMORIGIN (Great Britain); Mascalzone Latino (Italy); Synergy (Russia); All4One (France/Germany); and Aleph Sailing Team (France).

The Louis Vuitton Trophy - which is split into two five-day rounds, followed by semi-finals and the finals run over two days each - will mark the start of the Sea Dubai Watersports Festival. The festival - now in its third year - will feature: the Dubai Shamaal World Surf Ski Championship; Oakley Riot World Wakeboard Tournament; UAE National Day Watersports Parade; Mina Mile Swimming Competition; Open Water Swim; Jet Ski Competition; Traditional 43ft Dhow Sailing Championship; and finishes on 11th December with the final round of the Class One World and XCat Powerboat World Championships.

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