The curtain may have come down on a very successful SportAccord convention in Dubai, but the effect may well be long-lasting with the emirate further underlining its status as a key venue for sports events and exhibitions. Dubai is also considering a bid for the 2020 Olympics.

Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, spoke exclusively with Dubai One TV’s Dubai Tonight show about what has been achieved in and through SportAccord and what the future holds for sport in the UAE and Middle East. Princess Haya is president of the Dubai Organising Committee for SportAccord. She is also President of the International Equestrian Federation and member of the International Olympic Committee.

Why did Dubai choose to host SportAccord?

It’s very, very important to us for many reasons.

It was a part of the puzzle that we were missing at this point, and it was a part of a strategy that we planned a long time ago.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed had obviously started a strategy where he looked at high-profile events, and I think that we’ve really made a name for our country in that area. Then the part of the puzzle that was interesting for us was beginning to work on the infrastructure of sport in the country, which meant exposure to decision makers, exposure to the kind of level of discussion and introduction to the International Federations, which is really key – it’s at the very heart of SportAccord – because they all come here, meet and discuss, network and really make decisions here.[Read More]