What's On June 2009 [antikvár]

FUTURE UAE COMING SOON TO A PATCH OF GRASS NEAR YOU... F1 Perhaps the cream of the crop in the calendar will be the FI in Abu Dhabi on November 1. The inaugural event, taking place at the Yas Island Circuit, is the final race of the year in the FI calendar, meaning that if the results go down to the wire, the champion will be crowned on UAE sands. Richárd Cregan, managing director of race organisers Abu Dhabi Motor Sports Management, predicts the Grand Prix would be the biggest sporting event ever seen in the country. Did you catch that? The biggest, ever! "What the Fl will do is establish Abu Dhabi as a world destination for sport. By this time next year, there won't be a sports fan alive that doesn't lcnow where Abu Dhabi is. The days of more people knowing about Dubai are coming to an end. "Theres a big sporting event going on in the UAE almost every month, but the Fl will raise the bar. And as long as it goes well, which lm sure it will, then the UAE will have proven to the world that it can handlé massive events." The event is expected to attract 50,000 motorsport fans to the circuit itself, but more than 600 millión people across the globe will watch it on TV. "In terms of viewing numbers, Fl is one of the top three sports in the world. The only events that are bigger are the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup," says Richárd. "Somé people still can't get their heads around how massive an event its going to be. Once we've put this on, the sky's the limit. And you'U see so much more at Yas Island. Were considering putting on the Le Mans events, GP2, Porsche Cup and the Ferrari Challenge, all here at Abu Dhabi. We want to keep the track busy throughout the year." "THE UAE WILL PROVE IT CAN HANDLÉ MASSIVE EVENTS" 20 UIHArSOH JUNE 2009