Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) approved the fifth edition of the council’s Sports Events Ranking System, SERS, 2018-19, where Dubai World Cup, Gov Games and DP World Tour Championship, three of Dubai’s top sporting events, retained their five-star rating in the latest edition of SERS.

Joining the trio at the top of the rankings with a five-star rating is the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. The NAS Sports Tournament, held during the Holy Month of Ramadan, topped the list of four-star events.

The upcoming edition of Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens will be held from Dec.5-7.

The event has reached a significant milestone in its lifetime of promoting the true spirit of athletes, pure sportsmanship, solid entertainment and a fun-filled weekend for families and fans.

The gathering of over 100,000 people at The Sevens Stadium from all over the world shows how far the event has come since the days when a small group of British expats at the Dubai Exiles RFC played on sand.

The AFC Asian Cup, the Julius Baer Gold Cup 2019 and the 13th Dubai International Sports Conference followed close behind.

The Dubai SWAT Challenge and the Bloomberg Square Mile Relay completed the Top 10 in the 2018-19 edition, which lists 405 events, 85 International events, 137 National events, 161 Community events, 11 Sports Conferences, six Sports Exhibitions and five Sports Awards. Four of these events received a 5-star rating, while 194 events were awarded four-stars and 17 events three-stars.

“The sports sector is an integral part of our society and economy, and we are always looking for excellence and innovation in this sector, in accordance with the model of excellence and innovation established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

“The SERS is a reflection of Sheikh Mohammed’s vision to launch initiatives that enhance the status of the UAE and place Dubai at the forefront of innovation in every sector,” said Sheikh Hamdan.

Vice Chairman of DSC, Mattar Al Tayer, thanked Sheikh Hamdan for his continuous support and encouragement of the sports sector, and for inspiring the residents of Dubai to embrace a physically active lifestyle.

Tayer added, “This innovative ranking system, the first-of-its-kind in the world, is a result of his encouragement and directives. We wanted to create a platform through which we could honour excellence at the organisational level and, at the same time, encourage others to aim for the same, and so the Dubai Sports Events Ranking System came into being.

“It is a purely Emirati initiative, which has impressed heads of every international sports federation we have presented it to. The rankings have also served their purpose of motivating sports events organisers in Dubai to aim higher.”

WAM