Coca-Cola Arena hot haunt for ritzy events

Article posted by Coliseum, October 25^th, 2021

Image: Dubai Sports Council

The spectacular Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai has become a hub for entertainment and sporting activities with ice hockey to be played at the eye-catching facility in December 2021.

The Dubai Sports Council and Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and the Russian professional ice hockey team from Siberia – Avangard – to develop hockey and promote the image of the KHL in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The ‘Dubai Sports Council’ stated that as a first step towards achieving the strategic objectives of the MoU, Dubai will host the ‘Dubai Ice Show’ (ice-dubai.com) from December 3^rd to 5^th, with the KHL regular season game between the most recent winners of the Gagarin Cup, Omsk (City in Russia)-based Avangard and Ak Bars Kazan being played here on December 3^rd at the Coca- Cola Arena, the multipurpose indoor complex with a capacity of 17,000.

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The Dubai Sports Council is the official sports governing body of the Government of Dubai. It is the lead entity tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the Emirate.

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing goal is to raise Dubai’s profile among global travelers by promoting the dynamic evolution of the City and its delivery of customizable experiences for every visitor.

Moscow (Russia)-headquartered the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Belarus, China, Finland, Latvia, Kazakhstan, and Russia for a total of 23.

Hockey Club Ak Bars, also known as Ak Bars Kazan, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Kazan. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.

The Coca-Cola Arena is a multipurpose arena located in the City Walk in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The venue was opened on June 6^th, 2019. It has a capacity of 17,000.

Coca Cola Arena is an ultramodern multipurpose arena located in the center of Dubai. It is the largest indoor arena in the Middle East with an area of 45,000 square meters. It operates year-round hosting concerts, a full range of sporting events, festivals, and comedy shows. The cylindrical facade of the Coca-Cola Arena is illuminated by hundreds of multicolored LED-lights at night. The indoor temperature is controlled by a modern air conditioning system. The highly adaptable design of the arena allows hosting events of any format. The arena also includes 40 corporate suites, a number of restaurants and cafés.

The Coca-Cola Arena will host ‘Coliseum’s’ first live and in-person conference since the pandemic on January 26^th, 2022. This will be Coliseum Summit’s 10^th anniversary in the region.

Mark Jan Kar, General Manager, Coca-Cola Arena, UAE, is a Member of Coliseum – Global Sports Venue Alliance.

The ‘Dubai Sports Council’ further stated that in addition, on December 4^th and 5^th, fans will be able to watch the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ ice show, directed by Olympic figure skating champion, Tatiana Navka (Russian ice dancer), the Olympic champion in figure skating. The lead will be performed by Tatiana Navka and Olympic figure skating champion Alina Zagitova (Russian figure skater).

The announcement was made during the official signing of the MoU at the Dubai Sports Council office on October 17^th, where His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishments at Dubai Tourism, Alexey Morozov, President of Kontinental Hockey League, and Alexander Krylov, Chairman of Avangard Omsk’s HC Board of Directors, represented the four sides.

Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, was present at the signing alongside other top officials from the Council, DTCM, KHL, and Avangard.

His Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, enthused, “We are really excited about Dubai Ice Show as we sign this MoU alongside Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, with our partners from Russia, Kontinental Hockey League and Avangard Hockey Club. Dubai is home to people from more than 195 countries, including a big number from Russia and other countries where ice hockey is a hugely popular sport. The Dubai Ice Show is going to be a fantastic event for them, as well as others, including Emirati fans of ice sports.”

Added Hareb, “The event is planned for early December, between December 3^rd-5^th. December 4^th will be the official Day of Russia at Expo 2020. It is going to be a perfect opportunity for families to spend some great time together. There are many activities planned, including a spectacular theatrical show on ice featuring world-famous stars of figure skating from Russia, as well as an ice hockey match between two top teams from Russia. We at Dubai Sports Council are always excited about bringing new events to Dubai for different members of our diverse community. Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in the world with millions of fans around the globe, including many in Dubai, and we are looking forward to three days of great action and entertainment on ice this December.”

His Excellency Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment at Dubai Tourism, exulted, “We are delighted to sign this MoU with the Kontinental Hockey League, the Avangard hockey club and Dubai Sports Council for a unique collaboration in sports entertainment. The Dubai Ice Show highlights Dubai’s position as a leading events destination and also supports the City’s ongoing efforts to boost sports tourism. With ice hockey being a very popular sport followed passionately by millions of fans around the world, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment is pleased to provide its utmost support and cooperation in promoting this game further in this part of the world, especially through our well known digital platform, Dubai Calendar, which curates and manages the official listing of key events and entertainment in Dubai.”

Added Al Khaja, “We look forward to welcoming to our City, the internationally acclaimed hockey teams, as well as world famous figure skating stars. With the health and safety of all guests, team members, performers, and staff remaining our top priority, the hosting of the ice hockey event also reaffirms Dubai’s position as one of the world’s safest destinations.”

Alexey Morozov, KHL President, maintained, “We are excited about the KHL World Games project being resumed after almost two years! The UAE will become the 15th country to host a KHL game, and we are very pleased that the most recent Gagarin Cup winner ‘Avangard’ Omsk and the only three-time champion of our League ‘Ak Bars’ will go to Dubai. The match-up of these two teams during the latest playoffs resulted in one of the best series in the entire KHL history. The upcoming game is bound to be hard fought and spectacular.”

Added Morozov, “We appreciate the cooperation with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, the Dubai Sports Council and the Avangard hockey club enabling the game to be played in such a remarkable location. The UAE is a promising market for the development of hockey, and we will make every effort possible to ensure that getting acquainted with the KHL and our game will become an outstanding and memorable event for Dubai.”

Alexander Krylov, Avangard HC Board of Directors Chairman, added, “Having received an offer from the League to hold a game in the UAE, Avangard was pleased to support this initiative. Significantly, the event will take place on the Day of Russia at Expo 2020 Dubai. It is an honor and a big responsibility for us. We are current champions not only on ice, but off ice as well – in marketing, interacting with mass media, social media, so I have no doubt that our expertise and experience will help us to organize the Dubai Ice Show perfectly well.”

Continued Krylov, “It is a great new challenge for our club. The arena that has not hosted any hockey games needs to be prepared for an official KHL game in a short span of time. We need to work out many details. I am confident that we will succeed in holding an event that will be a source of pride not only for the KHL, but for the country in general. We are planning to hold a number of bright and memorable events so that people in Dubai get a chance to explore Russian hockey and ice sports. We are looking forward to see you in Dubai in early December!”

Expo 2020 is an international exhibition that is a symbol of industrialization and a demonstration site designed to showcase the technical and technological achievements of the participating countries. It is being hosted in Dubai (UAE) from October 1^st, 2021 and will continue till March 31^st, 2022 under the slogan ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. As of October 18^th, 191 countries have confirmed their participation in the exhibition.

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