World's largest flag - the size of 100 football pitches - to be unveiled in UAE this year

DUBAI // A record-breaking UAE flag measuring 500,000 square metres could be unveiled this year if Dubai wins its Expo 2020 bid.
Plans to make the flag, measuring one kilometre by 500 metres, have been postponed since October last year when the project was announced.
Part of the problem is finding the Dh11.7 million needed to make it.
But the company behind the project, Ajman-based Around the World Clocks and Gifts, hopes that coming meetings with possible financiers will solve the problem.
"We want to make it for a special occasion," said Shams Najm, manager of the company. "Even if we could make it by next month, we won't unfold it until there's a special occasion.
"If Dubai wins the Expo 2020 bid in November, we will take it out then. If not, the next option is National Day in December. Either way we will hope to unfold it sometime between September and December."
Weighing 107 tonnes, the flag will be too heavy for a flagpole.
If made, it would be the world's largest. The record is held by Lebanon, which on October 10, 2010, unfurled a 65,975 square-metre flag. The flag, which weighed six tonnes, took 15 people five months to sew.
And despite meticulous planning, the flag wasn't perfect the first time.
"When they took the aerial shot they found that the shape wasn't exactly rectangular, so they had to make a lot of adjustments," said Talal Omar, regional manager for Guinness World Records, who oversaw the attempt.
Mr Omar said that since then there had been more than 15 applications to beat the record but none had been successful.
"The logistics that are involved in making such a big record attempt like this is part of the reason," he said. "You need the right budget, a big team, and a long time to complete the project.
"You have to make it in separate pieces and sew it together to make sure you have the right proportions. We ask for an aerial shot and if there's any problems it will be disqualified."
Mr Omar said many people underestimated what was involved.
"It's a big project but requires a lot of attention to detail."
mcroucher@thenational.ae