DP World extends Tour backing

Dubai: DP World announced that it will continue to sponsor the season-ending tournament on the Race to Dubai (R2D) calendar, the DP World Tour Championship, for at least another five years on Thursday.

The agreement, which will run until the 2020 season at the very earliest, will see the global port operator support the US$8m tournament here in addition to the company’s existing sponsorship of European Tour events in China, India, Hong Kong, Turkey and at this week’s BMW PGA Championship in England.

“The DP World Tour Championship is an event of enormous significance for Dubai and the UAE and reinforces our position on the calendar of international sport and as a centre for tourism and trade,” said DP World chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.

“The extension of our title sponsorship dovetails with Dubai’s hosting of Expo 2020, an event which will see the world come to the emirate and further enhance the goal of attracting 20 million tourists per year.

“We are delighted to again be involved as the event offers us a great opportunity to connect with the world, our customers and our partners through one of the most popular sports.

The DP World Tour Championship – which will celebrate its seventh staging on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates later this year from Thursday, November 19^th to Sunday, November 22^nd – is already recognised globally as one of golf’s premier events.