Dubai will continue to host PSA World Series Finals, says Turki
dubai — Professional Squash Association (PSA) chairman Ziad Al Turki has said that Dubai will continue to host the PSA World Series Finals following a new tie-up with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
Dubai has played host to the season-ending tournament, which brings together the top eight men and women, since 2016.
Al Turki met with DSC officials at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament and they have been quite keen to support the event.
“Dubai Sports Council now really understands it after the third year and they want to support us next year,” revealed Al Turki.
“It is going to be an association with Dubai Sports Council and hopefully, we can take it from just a one-off tournament to where we have activities throughout the year that leads to this tournament so that we can get more and more amateurs involved,” he added.
Al Turki, who transformed the sport since taking over as the chairman in 2008, said that he doesn’t want the World Series Finals to be just a one-off and was keen on leaving a footprint. “We
Dubai has got so many iconic venues and we had different venues in mind, but when we were contacted by the Emirates Golf Club, it was like a perfect marriage Ziad Al Turki
don’t just want to be one of those tournaments that you just come over and host a tournament and then you go away. We want to leave a footprint and I think in association with the Dubai Sports Council we can hopefully do that,” he said.
And Al Turki was pleased to see the tournament grow over the three years and join a stellar list of worldclass events, which Dubai hosts.
“I personally pushed for it to come to Dubai. Three years ago, I met Falcon and Associates and they understood the vision that I’m trying to bring and to bring this tournament here, specially, this tournament because I put my heart and soul in it and making it the showcase for professional squash,” Al Turki said.
“You have some 400 sports activities that go on in Dubai. You have got the cream of the cream as well like the horse racing, golf, tennis, and then, here we are, amongst that elite and it is like a stamp of approval that we have reached that level,” he added.
The event has had stunning backdrops as venues with this year’s edition being held at the Emirates Golf Club. The inaugural event in 2016 was held at Burj Park, at the foot of the Burj Khalifa before moving to iconic Dubai Opera last year.
And Al Turki said that the Emirates Golf Club has proven to be a fantastic venue. “Dubai has got so many iconic venues and we had different venues in mind, but when we were contacted by the Emirates Golf Club, it was like a perfect marriage because they were as enthusiastic about us bringing it here as we were in finding a venue,” he said.
“They’ve been very, very supportive so it was great. If you had asked me last year where I was going to host it I wouldn’t have said Emirates Golf Club but now that we are here and the way they have been supportive of us, it will be a great venue to continue,” added Al Turki.
james@khaleejtimes.com