UAE will bid for 2021 rugby league World Cup

DUBAI // UAE Rugby League are planning an ambitious bid to stage the 2021 World Cup.

Sol Mokdad, the president of UAE RL, acknowledges his plan is a bold one, given the 13-man code is still developing in this country.

He said, though, that he believes it would be possible, given the high-class facilities for sport that already exist, as well as the UAE’s pedigree for hosting major events.

“This is an ideal location for a World Cup,” Mokdad said, as the new league season kicked off at Dubai Sports City ­on Friday.

“It is exactly between Australia and the UK, there is always talk in the media about the big events being hosted in Dubai.

“With Expo 2020 being here, with all the infrastructure being created, it will be the perfect time. It would also be the UAE’s 50th birthday, so it all aligns – it will just come down to us getting partners who can help us get that bid together.”

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As well as the expanding list of football events that have been staged on these shores, the UAE has an increasingly impressive portfolio of events in sports that are said to be the preserve of expatriate supporters.

The two-week exile to the UAE of cricket’s Indian Premier League last year was highly successful, with 19 of the 20 matches sold out.

More comparably to league, union’s 2009 World Cup Sevens was also well attended, especially when set against the most recent version of that event, which attracted pitiful crowds in Moscow in 2013.

The league World Cup is scheduled to be staged in October and November in 2021, which would suit the climate of the UAE.

With the 2017 event to be staged in Australia and New Zealand, the next one after that will be set to return to the northern hemisphere, as per the established cycle.

When they revealed the process for bidding for the event, last October, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) acknowledged it was “possible” the event would not be staged in the UK and France.

“I fully anticipate that for 2021 more nations than ever will be submitting bids to stage the tournament,” Nigel Wood, the RLIF chairman, was quoted as having said.

“With the decision being made in advance of the 2017 competition, there will be excellent opportunities to shadow organisers and learn from that event.”

Remond Safi, the Middle East and Africa regional director for the European Federation, was present yesterday for the revival of the UAE’s domestic league competition, which was not staged last year.

He pointed out much needs to be done before the UAE can host a World Cup in league.

“I think it is good to have other nations wanting to [stage World Cups],” Safi said.

“You have Spain putting their hands up for it, South Africa doing the same, a lot of nations saying we want to stage this huge event.

“I think it should be shared around, but it is about whether they can meet the criteria and there are a lot of other things they need to qualify for to get to that stage.”

pradley@thenational.ae

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