The European Tour has sent its congratulations to Dubai after the city won the bid to host Expo 2020 and on the occasion of the 42nd UAE National Day today.
Fireworks exploded from the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, following the announcement in Paris as Dubai held off rival bids from Brazil, Turkey and Russia to become the first Middle Eastern city to hold the Expo, which takes place every five years.
The announcement comes two weeks after another hugely successful finale to the European Tour season where it was confirmed The Race to Dubai would continue through to 2017. In January the European Tour will celebrate 25 years in Dubai for the anniversary of the Dubai Desert Classic.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai has promised to astonish the world with Dubai Expo 2020.
The Gulf city beat Russia's Yekaterinburg in the final round of voting in Paris. The other contenders were Sao Paulo in Brazil and Izmir in Turkey. Dubai won the bid under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
"We renew our promise to astonish the world in 2020," said Sheikh Mohammed after the win.
"Dubai Expo 2020 will breathe new life into the ancient role of the Middle East as a melting pot for cultures and creativity."
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “We salute Sheikh Mohammed for his vision and congratulate Dubai on winning the right to host Expo 2020.
“Over the 25 years we have been coming to Dubai, we have helped to grow the game here and throughout the whole of the UAE and they have rewarded us with an incredible growth of courses alongside the facilities they provide for all our players. We recently announced an extension to the Race to Dubai to 2017 and have the right partners in Dubai who share our vision. We look forward to further developing these partnerships as Dubai prepares for this exciting event in 2020.”
The World Expo sees hundreds of countries show off the latest in architecture and technology. A huge exhibition centre will be built to host the event, plus new hotels and an extension to Dubai's metro line.
The 2015 Expo takes place in Milan, Italy.
This weekend Wentworth Club welcomed three of the European Tour’s hosts at Jumeirah Golf Estates as Chief Executive Julian Small showed Yousuf Kazim, General Manager, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Esam Hasan Saleh, Executive Director - Asset Management, Jumeirah Golf Estates and
Mahmud Merali, Consultant, around the club’s world-class facilities.
The Race to Dubai, which replaced the Order of Merit in 2009, has captured the imagination of the global game as well as the attention of the world’s top players, with Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and, earlier this month, Henrik Stenson all claiming European Number One honours in that time.
The next edition of The Race to Dubai will once again conclude with the season-ending finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which will carry with it an increased Bonus Pool of US$5 million.
