Chinese world number one table tennis players Ma Long and Liu ShiWen have become the latest sports stars to take to the iconic Burj Al Arab helipad in Dubai.
The Dubai-sponsored Chinese National Table Tennis Team players, who are in the UAE for the ITTF Grand World Tour Finals, were joined by Jike Zhang and Xiao Xia Li, the 2012 London Olympic men’s and women’s gold medalists.
The helipad was transformed into a table tennis arena where the players participated in a series of friendly games.
It is not the first time the Burj Al Arab helipad has been converted into a make-shift sporting arena.
Recently, the Red Bull Formula One team and former driver David Coulthard pulled off donuts and wheel-spins on the helipad ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Golf superstar Tiger Woods took to the helipad prior to the 2004 Dubai Desert Classic and used it as a temporary driving range as he struck balls out to sea.
In 2005, tennis greats Roger Federer and Andre Agassi enjoyed a friendly match atop the helipad which was transformed into a tennis court to promote the Dubai Open.
At the end of last year, Skydive Dubai's H.E. Nasser Al Neyadi became the first skydiver to attempt and successfully land a jump on the helipad.
“It was a great privilege for me and my teammates to follow in the footsteps of sporting greats like Roger Federer and Tiger Woods,” men’s No1 Ma Long said.
“Playing on the Burj Al Arab helipad was an unforgettable experience and the view of Dubai was incredible.”
Heinrich Morio, General Manager of the Burj Al Arab, commented: “Burj Al Arab has had the honour of hosting many of the world’s number one sports stars on its helipad.
“We enjoy getting involved with anything that is extraordinary and we were delighted to both welcome the top Chinese table tennis players and be part of further strengthening the relationship between China and Dubai.”
The private helipad of Burj Al Arab has proven to be a magnet for world sporting greats. Much like these sports stars, Burj Al Arab has many number ones to its name: World’s Most Luxurious Hotel, world’s largest atrium (big enough to fit the Statue of Liberty inside), world’s highest staff-to-suite ratio (8:1), world’s largest butler brigade and the world’s tallest all-suite hotel.
On the evening of the table tennis challenge, a special message that read: ‘China – Dubai: one energy’ – was projected on to the Burj Al Arab sail to celebrate the growing ties between the Emirate and China.
The Chinese National Table Tennis Team has been sponsored by Dubai since January 2013 in an agreement facilitated by Falcon and Associates.
