Arabian Business takes a tour as the AED10bn Meydan grandstand and racecourse in Dubai nears completion.
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Dubai’s new Meydan racecourse
The Dubai World Cup – with a prize pot of $10m – will be held on March 27, with the race season set to kick off on January 28. (ITP Images)
Part of a wider 200 million sq ft development, including a business hub, IMAX theatre, villas and high rise apartments, Meydan’s chairman, Saeed Humaid Al Tayer, said he was “confident about our project and moving forward.” (ITP Images)
“The recent economic difficulties of the world is a challenge for everyone and we are working with our partners to ensure that this development is a successful one,” Al Tayer said. (ITP Images)
Having flattened the existing Nad Al Sheba racecourse, home to the Dubai World Cup for the last 14 years, the developers were bound to deliver this project on time. Work began in June 2007 with the crescent roof finally fitted in April this year. (ITP Images)
Organisers said they expected about 300,000 people to attend the 10 races in Dubai’s 2010 horse race calendar. (ITP Images)
The grandstand, which also boasts the world’s longest LED screen, can accommodate 98,000 people at full capacity – 17,500 seated and 80,500 standing.(ITP Images)
Meydan grandstand is 5,166 ft (1.6km). The Meydan hotel has 290 rooms and suites. Falcon car park has 8,622 parking bays. The horse tunnel is 2km. (ITP Images)n
Rooftop Bubble Lounge is 787 ft long and has capacity for 4,500 people. The grandstand, which is the world’s largest at 1.6km – the equivalent of 22 Boeing 747s – was unveiled to media for the first time during a tour on Tuesday. (ITP Images)
