Le Méridien Al Aqah to host the inaugural Fujairah Classic

The tournament is organized by Intevents LLC and will follow a format similar to that of its sister event, the Sinbad Classic, which has been held in Oman for the past five years and is now a fixture on the international sport fishing calendar.

"Fujairah has become one of the region's top destinations for all kinds of fishing and boasts world-class facilities for the sport. Our involvement with the Fujairah Classic will strengthen Fujairah's position in the international community while also promote the natural beauty of the East Coast,"

said Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort.

Sport Fishing is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and has massive popularity in major countries like the United States. Le Méridien Al Aqah has played an active role in promoting sport fishing in the east coast and has teamed up with Fujairah Marina over the past four years to offer guests and visitors access to fishing trips and instructors, as well as the latest in sporting equipment.

The three-day event will be an International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Offshore World Championships 2010 qualifying event and will be co-hosted by Fujairah International Marine Club.

"The Fujairah Classic will be the biggest tournament of its kind within the United Arab Emirates," said Bruce Fennessy, Fujairah Classic Tournament Director and organizer, Senior Manager Sport and Corporate Events, Intevents LLC.

"The prestige of winning a tournament like this, and then being invited to represent the tournament and the region at the IGFA Offshore World Championships in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico in 2010, is something that every angler will be chasing!" said Fennessy.

"The tournament has been almost two years in the making and we are hoping for a large turn out from anglers all across the Emirates and the Gulf, as it is important to highlight just how beneficial this sport can be to both tourism and youth development in sport. We even have a team who are flying in from Finland to fish the event!"

As with the Sinbad Classic, the focus will be on sustainability across three key areas: Tourism Development, Environmental Awareness and Youth Development in Sport.

"By placing this focus on our tournament we hope to help grow these three areas. Fujairah is blessed with a wonderful coastline that can be explored and enjoyed but attention needs to be placed on ensuring that this is available to the generations of the future," said Fennessy.