Lt. Col. Abdulbasit Ali, Khalid Al Awar and Nasser Al Marzouqi during the press conference at the Dubai Police Officers Club on Wednesday.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Dubai Police, in collaboration with the UAE Tennis Federation and Dubai Sports Council, will organise the second edition of the Dubai Police Open Tennis Tournament, at Dubai Police Officers Club and Puca Academy from March 3 to 14 as part of its ‘Positive Spirit’ initiative.

Details of the tournament were announced at a press conference held on Wednesday, February 23, at the Dubai Police Officers Club, in the presence of Lt. Col. Abdulbasit Ali, Director of Sports Affairs at Dubai Police Officers Club, Khalid Al Awar, Director of Sports Events at Dubai Sports Council, and Nasser Al Marzouqi, Secretary General of the UAE Tennis Federation.

Registration for the tournament will remain open until March 1, 2022, through the official website of the UAE Tennis Federation.

Lt. Col. Ali said: “We work in accordance with the vision of the Government of Dubai, the directives issued by the General Command of Dubai Police, and the directives of His Excellency Lt. General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, who is keen to ensure that sports is present in all programs of the Dubai Police agenda, and that the police be present at all events by participating competitively in various sports.

“Therefore, we organise sports tournaments for the community and for their happiness, and to create “positive spirit”. The doors of Dubai Police Officers Club are open to all to practice all kinds of sports. This club has hosted prominent international teams for camps, most notably Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

“We thank the Dubai Sports Council for its role in promoting and supporting sports events at every level, and the UAE Tennis Federation for providing all the officials and referees to conduct the tournament.”

Awar said: “Dubai Sports Council is pleased to provide all means of support for this tournament, which is an important addition to Dubai’s local tennis calendar in general, and to community sports in particular as it offers an opportunity for them to compete, whatever their nationality, men and women.

“We are very pleased to continue to cooperate with Dubai Police in organising many different sports events within the framework of the strategic partnership between the two parties, as well as with UAE Tennis Federation. The sport occupies a prominent position in the UAE, and the UAE has also become a favorite destination for tennis stars from around the world to come and play here, which has contributed to the spread of the sport and increased the number of practitioners, who also benefit from an abundance of tennis courts and trainers.”

 Marzouqi said: “I thank Dubai Police and Dubai Sports Council for their cooperation. This tournament has attracted plenty of interest and 58 players – 42 men and 16 women – have already registered, including the two defending champions Omar Behrouzian and Eva Bou Saad. Among those who have registered are nine Emirati players, and registration is still open.

“Following the success of the first edition, we look forward to another successful tournament. We are pleased to announce that there is an increase in the prize purse and the matches will be broadcast live on the official website of the UAE Tennis Federation.”