June 28: HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, chairman of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC), hosted HE Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and president of IOTA - the organisers of the UIM WPPA Class One World Powerboat Championship, to discuss exciting plans for Abu Dhabi to host a round of the prestigious series in the future. Class One is one of the most popular marine sport disciplines and has a strong Middle Eastern heritage, with races already taking place in the calendar in Qatar and Dubai. This year's calendar currently utilises six race venues in Qatar, Norway, Italy, Romania and Dubai, although championship officials are looking to expand the series in the future.

The Dubai-based Victory Team are the defending World Champions and the most successful team in the history of the series. They are currently fighting against Sheikh Hassan's Qatar Team for supremacy in this year's championship. After the opening round of the series in Qatar back in April, the Victory Team took first position and Sheikh Hassan finished second to emphasise the Arab world's current domination of the sport.

HRH Sheikh Sultan and Qatar's Sheikh Hassan discussed a strategy by the ADIMSC to progress the concept of hosting a race in the future. The reputation of the ADIMSC to host rounds of the UIM F1 World Championship has earned the facility an excellent reputation in powerboat racing circles and Sheikh Hassan admits that it was no coincidence that the Abu Dhabi venue has been chosen to host a round of the series.