The Dubai Open tournament begins tomorrow, another in a series of high-profile jiu-jitsu events encouraged by the government.
No doubt, the UAE has become a centrepiece of global martial-arts activities.
Growth is virtually assured, too, since jiu-jitsu has already been integrated into school curricula.
Likewise, in a more mainstream sport, the UAE increasingly is at the centre of golf’s galaxy. Scotland and St Andrews might be the game’s ancestral home, but Dubai, in particular, has become the sport’s pivotal 18th hole.
Last week, the Asian Tour became the latest world circuit to announce plans to finish the 2014 season in Dubai, with the tournament expected to take place in mid-December, the week after the Ladies European Tour (LET) plays its finale at Emirates Golf Club.
The Dubai denouements practically require a scorecard: the European, Challenge, LET, Asian and Mena tours all will finish their seasons in November or December in the city.
Mohammed Juma Buamaim of Golf in Dubai, the organisation that stages the European and LET events and runs the developmental-level Mena Tour, said: “Dubai’s economy benefits from golf tourism, and there is a positive synergy between golf and the key tourism sectors.”
He said the addition of the Asian Tour to its portfolio was logical, since it is the region’s most notable circuit, geographically. As for the region’s most influential golf city, that is as obvious as a jiu-jitsu arm bar across the throat.
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