The European Tour has pledged support for the 2002 Dubai Desert Classic Golf Tournament, which is scheduled to take place March 7-10 at the Emirates Golf Club.
The director of the European Tour headquarters, Ken Schofield, “has thrown his full weight behind the four-day event,” to kick off in the emirate despite security concerns in the Gulf due to the US-led war against Afghanistan.
Early this month, the organizers of the tournament assured participants and fans that the competition would be held according to schedule.
The support of the European Tour also follows the recent visit to the Emirates Golf Club by senior tournament director Mike Stewart, who deemed the venue "as good as ever" during his customary pre-tournament progress meetings, the Gulf News reported.
Mohamed Juma Bu Amim, the club's general manager, stressed that the UAE was not at war with anyone, and so its planning was well underway.
The tournament will be the 13th in a series that has attracted the participation of the world's greatest players, said the Dubai-based paper.
Schofield's comments followed a couple of misleading British newspaper reports that cast doubts on the staging of several sporting events in the Middle East – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
