The Dubai World Cup is set to be most watched sporting event of 2024, according to a survey.
More than 1,000 people were polled by marketing and PR agency duke+mir, with nearly a third of residents expecting to attend or watch from afar.
duke+mir worked with research specialist YouGov and found that 31 per cent of UAE residents indicated that they would be tuning in to the biggest horse racing event on the Meydan Racecourse calendar on Saturday March 30th.
The Dubai World Cup beat the UEFA Champions League Final (29 per cent), the T20 World Cup (26 per cent) and the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix (24 per cent), as well as a host of other sporting spectacles, as the UAE’s favourite sporting event for 2024.
Jonathan Ivan-Duke, Co-Founder of duke+mir said, “The Dubai World Cup is an incredible occasion and clearly loved by people across the UAE and internationally.
“Horse racing is known as the ‘sport of kings’, but our survey suggests the Dubai World Cup will bring more people together from a broader cross-section of society than any other sporting event this year.”
The UAE is synonymous with horse racing, with the famous blue Godolphin silks of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to be carried by many of the leading contenders on Dubai World Cup night.
“In Australia, they call the Melbourne Cup the ‘Race that Stops The Nation’. Perhaps in the UAE, the Dubai World Cup is the Race that Unites A Nation,” added Ivan-Duke.
Racing expert Michael Mulvihill, Co-Founder of @MiddleEastRacing, a dedicated horse racing social channel, explained why the Dubai World Cup is such an important sports event: “It’s remarkable that the UAE’s crown jewel of horse racing topped the poll, considering there are some huge football and cricket events taking place later this year.
“It shows that bringing the world’s best horses and jockeys to race under the glittering lights of Meydan Racecourse for a breathtaking evening of action is something that sports fans truly enjoy.”
