UAE swimming captain Obaid Al Jasmi has heaped praise on the venue for next month’s FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) saying: “Nothing can compare to this.”
Al Jasmi swam in competition at the new, state-of-the-art Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex on Friday and Saturday during the UAE President Swimming Championships.
The two-time Olympian won his first race, the 200m Individual Medley, and afterwards he said: “As soon as I entered the venue I said to myself, ‘Am I in the UAE or not?’”
“I cannot believe we have a swimming pool like this in this country. It is a dream come true and nothing in the world can compare to this.
“It was more than nice to swim here and I really like it. It will certainly mean we will have a great competition next month when the world championships take place.”
The venue, located on the Dubai Bypass Road, boasts two 50-metre pools, a diving pool and a giant octagonal video screen and scoreboard, and Al Jasmi said he felt sure it would be a magnet for swimmers both locally and internationally.
“All people from around the world will want to come. They will not believe how great this place is until they get here,” he said.
“When they do (come here) I am sure they will be surprised and delighted and will not want to leave. I am sure teams will want to stage training camps here because the facility is so good.”
Al Jasmi has been training in Germany and he said the time away, with UAE coach Jay Benner and team-mates, had been good preparation for the Championships, which will take place from December 15 – 19.
“Jay is the best coach I have worked with and I trust him completely. He knows what he is doing, he is flexible and I have complete confidence in him.
“My preparation has been good and I hope it means I can do something in the world championships,” added Al Jasmi.
Deputy Director of the Championships Dr Khalid Al Zahed said: “The fact that one of the country’s top athletes, Obaid Al Jasmi, is so happy with the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex is great news.
“It is a wonderful tribute to all the hard work that has gone into building the venue and with such a wonderful endorsement we can now look forward to welcoming the world for five days of superb racing when the Championships take place in December.”