Emirates Extends Commitment To Omega Dubai Desert Classic
Emirates, the award-winning international airline, has extended its long-running association with the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, promoted and organised by ‘golf in DUBAi.’
Emirates is a leading supporter of golf worldwide and has reinforced its commitment to the sport by becoming the Official Airline of the tournament for a further four years.
“To be part of such a prestigious tournament is a great honour and with millions of TV viewers watching, it is an opportunity to consolidate our position as a global force in sports sponsorship and reiterate our commitment to Dubai,” said Sir Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman, Emirates Airline & Group.
Pic caption: Flanked by Emirates’ cabin Crew, Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presenting the winner’s trophy to Miguel Angel Jimenez, the 2010 Omega Dubai Desert Classic champion, as Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi, and Adrian Flaherty, the general manager, look on at the Emirates Golf Club.
“Although we are proud of our involvement in golf around the world, with prestigious properties such as the Ryder Cup, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic is particularly special to us, having been part of it since the inaugural event in 1989 when we were making our first forays into sports sponsorship.
“We have witnessed the tournament develop into one of the biggest events on the European Tour International Schedule, helping establish Dubai as world-class golfing destination in the process, and Emirates is committed to helping it continue to grow from strength to strength.”
With Tiger Woods, the winner of the title in Dubai in 2006 and 2008, confirming his participation, the 2011 edition of the event is eagerly anticipated among golf fans in the UAE keen to see whether he can emulate South Africa’s Ernie Els’ record of three titles.
Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice-chairman and CEO of ‘golf in DUBAi’, praised the support of Emirates in raising the global profile of the tournament.
"We believe that our steadfast commitment to making Dubai the 'hub' for all things golf, complements Emirates expanding network as they continue to work towards the goal of becoming the central hub for air travel worldwide,” he said.
"With the great support of prestigious sponsors like Emirates airline and the presence of top ranked golfers, like Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood, boosting the field, we again can expect a huge number of people turning up at our next events.”
Since it was founded in 1985, Emirates has already won over 400 awards for excellence and its affinity with golf on both the international and domestic scenes is equally well known, having been involved with the Omega Dubai Desert Classic as the Official Airline since the inception of the tournament in 1989.
As a leading supporter of golf tournaments across the globe, Emirates is the Official Airline of 21 events, including the 2010 Ryder Cup, while in 2012 it is the Official Partner of the European Team.
Ten of the 20 other tournaments it sponsors are on the European Tour International Schedule – including the flagship event of the Race to Dubai, the Dubai World Championship – the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Alstom Open de France, Avantha Masters (India), Malaysian Open, Austrian Golf Open, BMW International Open (Germany), WGC – HSBC Champions (China), Barclays Singapore Open, the UBS Hong Kong Open and the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea, while it also supports the Dubai Ladies’ Masters, the Emirates Airline Invitational Hosted by Abdulla Al Naboodah (UAE), Saadiyat Beach Classic (UAE), Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open Championship and the Thailand Open, as well as the Japan Open Golf Championship (Men’s, Ladies and Seniors).
Emirates extends its support of golf by allowing passengers to check in a set of golf clubs free of charge – in addition to their normal checked baggage allowance – in any class of service on all of its flights.
In addition to its golf properties, the airline has a vast sponsorship portfolio across a number of other sports, including Arsenal FC, the IRB, ICC, while it is also an Official FIFA Partner.
'golf in DUBAi' is backed by Omega as the title sponsor and Dubal (Dubai Aluminium) as the sponsor. The co-sponsors are: CNN, Emirates airline, Emirates NBD, Gulf News, Jumeirah, Mercedes-Benz and wasl while Dubai Duty Free, Carpetland and Motivate are the Patrons in golf in DUBAi’s drive to showcase the emirate's vibrant golfing scene to a worldwide audience.
