DUBAI // Dubai would be more appealing as a venue for international sporting events if it adopts a zero-tolerance approach to performance-enhancing drugs, experts say.
With an increasing emphasis on the economic impact of sport in the UAE, this approach could add credibility to Dubai’s potential for an Olympic or World Championship hosting bid, said Dr Danielle White.
The annual gross expenditure of Dubai’s sport industry last year was more than US$1.7 billion (Dh6.24bn), according to a study by Deloitte Sports Business Group.
Dubai wanted to be known as a destination for sport and to promote a healthy lifestyle, both for expats and locals, she said.
“As the nation becomes more visible globally, it is more important than ever to have credibility on the sporting stage. The issue of doping is crucial to that image,” said Dr White.
If the UAE wants to be an Olympic or world venue, the sport industry needs the right infrastructure to provide credibility, she said.
“If you don’t build it with the right infrastructure, it can have a detrimental effect on a country’s ability to attract international competition.”
nwebster@thenational.ae
