Local Organising Committee of the 10th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) & the FINA Delegation Review Latest Preparations for Hosting the Championships – Dubai 2010

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the 10th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) – Dubai 2010 – held several meetings with the FINA Delegation . The meetings reviewed latest preparations for hosting the Championships to be held from 15th to 19th Dec. 2010 – for the first time in the region.

The meetings were chaired by Dr. Ahmad Al Sharif, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council & Chairman of the LOC and attended by Mr. Saed Hareb, Deputy Chairman of the LOC & Member of the Executive Office in DSC, Mr. Obaid Salem Al Shamsi, Executive Director of the Championships, Dr. Khalid Al Zahed, Deputy Executive Director of the Championships.

The FINA Delegation has included Mr. Cornel Marculescu, FINA Executive Director, Mr. Peter Hall, FINA Head of Marketing and two more FINA Officials related to marketing and broadcasting.

Dr. Ahmad Al Sharif conveyed the compliments of H.E. Mater Al Tayer, Chairman of the Executive Office of the Dubai Sports Council. He said: “We have held fruitful meetings with the FINA Delegation and we have discussed various administrative & organisational issues, exchanged points of view with respect to all details of the preparations process according to the requirements of FINA. The Delegation expressed full satisfaction with the efforts exerted by Dubai to host the Championships. The FINA Delegation also confirmed that UAE will host the Championships in distinctive level as the country has become pioneer in organising international championships & events in various individual & group games, thanks to the great organisational abilities, advanced sports facilities, tourist utilities, great development in transport & communication sectors, long experiences of the people of UAE in dealing with such international championships & forums along with their keenness to reflect the high status of UAE in the international sports field.

Mr. Obaid Al Shamsi, Executive Director of the Championships explained his satisfaction with the results of the meetings and said: “The visit of the FINA Delegation motivated us & confirmed that matters are going on the right track. The LOC exerts continuous efforts to make the Championships successful. The bilateral meetings with the Delegation keep us in a permanent contact with FINA and enable us to discuss all preparatory details”.

The LOC has made – during the meetings – full explanation for the duties & responsibilities of the working committees, presented the completed works for each committee. The FINA Delegation has also been acquainted with latest stages of the construction process in Dubai Sports Complex, where the Championships will take place.

The meetings also tackled the security measures to be taken for hosting the Championships. In this respect, FINA Delegation emphasized that the UAE's security measures & equipment are among the best all over the world. The FINA delegates also extended thanks and gratitude to the people of UAE for hosting more than 1500 swimmers from 142 countries as forecasted.

The Delegation has been acquainted with the efforts exerted by the Organising Committee to open the door of nomination for all classes of society with their various nationalities to participate in the Championships – Dubai 2010 – so as to increase spectators’ interaction with this world event, taking into consideration that this step has been highly appreciated by the FINA Delegation.

Both parties confirmed the importance of holding such meetings periodically in order to exchange points of view, discuss all preparatory details for hosting the Championships.