Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 7, 2008 - The Arabian Peninsula will be the site for the next two men’s SWATCH FIVB World Tour events as the United Arab Emirates hosts an international Beach Volleyball stop for the first-time featuring double gender competition.

The US$350,000 Dubai Open started Sunday and Monday at Jumeirah Beach Park with women’s Country Quota playoff and Qualification Tournament matches. The men’s qualifier will be held here Tuesday as the women start Main Draw competition. The men’s “money” rounds start Wednesday. The semi-finals for both genders will be held Friday with the medal matches Saturday as the winning teams share the $28,000 first-place prizes.

Under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, MCO Sports is promoting and organizing the event as the company has staged SWATCH FIVB World Tour stops in Paris and Marseille, France.

"The SWATCH FIVB World Tour will offer the public a great opportunity to see this hugely popular sport for the very first time here in the UAE,” said Mohammad Abdul Karim Julfar, President of the UAE Volleyball Association. “Dubai enjoys wonderful weather and has glorious beaches. I think that both fans and players will really enjoy coming to this event."

While the men will be participating on the Persian Gulf for the second-straight season, the women will be competing in the region for the first-time in the 3,500-seat stadium with seven outside courts at Jumeirah Beach Park. The event is open and free to the public during the entire competition.

A total of 45 men’s and 34 women’s teams have enterd the Dubai Open (as of October 7, 2008) from 31 countries, including Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Russia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and the United States.

After the Dubai stop, the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar concludes with single gender events in Bahrain for men (Manama, October 27-November 1) and Thailand for women (Phuket, November 4-9). The season-ending SWATCH FIVB World Tour stop is the final double gender event as Sanya hosts Chinese third international tournament of the season November 10-16.