The U.A.E. will seek to enter the Guinness World Records on Wednesday with the creation of a unique mosaic using only tennis balls on the tramlines of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
The mosaic will be set up at the Events Arena of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel with top ITF dignitaries scheduled to visit the site at 5:30pm this afternoon.
This will be a first-time Guinness World Record using tennis balls to depict the three-finger peace and victory sign of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Dubai.
The attempt is one of the additional events happening during the course of this year's AGM.
"The Guinness World Record attempt is such a fantastic opportunity for the U.A.E. to be in the international limelight,” said Sara Baker, the General Secretary of Tennis Emirates.
"Tennis has a popular following here and I am sure we will have some movement at the grassroots level taking place due to the Guinness World Record attempt.
The ITF will also be conducting the draws for the preliminary rounds of the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas on Thursday (September 18).
On Sunday, the Davis Cup — one of the oldest sporting trophies — was unveiled and put on display at The Dubai Mall by Shaikh Hasher Al Maktoum, Shaikh Hasher Al Maktoum, President of Tennis Emirates and Director General of Dubai Information Department.
The trophy will be kept at The Dubai Mall until Thursday, when it will be shifted to the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel for the draw ceremony.
Scheduled to be held from September 16 to 18 under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the annual meeting of the ITF has brought together nearly 200 top officials from the world of tennis from across the globe.
The hosting of such an important meeting falls within the strategic thinking of the Dubai Government at large and the DSC in particular.
Besides deliberating over several issues at the meeting, the delegates will also have an opportunity to take in the culture and heritage of the U.A.E. by participating in various social programmes put in place by the local organising committee.
"The unique part of the ITF AGM lies in the fact that this is the first time ever that such an important meeting is being held in west Asia or the Arab world and that's reason enough for us to be pleased,” Baker added.
Backed by Tennis Emirates, the Ministry of Interior, the DSC, the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW), the Road and Transport Authority (RTA), the Dubai Convention Bureau and Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the closed-door ITF AGM began in earnest at 9am on Tuesday.
Source: Khaleej Times