Posted: April 12, 2005

Triathlon: Endurance Sports with Middle East Accent

BOULDER, Colorado & DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2005--A sports venture between two diverse communities might just be the right avenue for building relationships with the new Middle East.

The Human Interest Group, Inc., is a newly formed endurance sports management and marketing firm, serving the interests of the royal family of Dubai, UAE. With offices in Boulder, Colorado, and Dubai, The Human Interest Group focuses on sports partnerships to increase awareness of Dubai as a rapidly expanding tourist destination and business center. The first of The Human Interest Group's sports ventures is the development of "Tri-Dubai," a 10-athlete super-team of the world's best long-distance triathletes.

Seeking to redefine the nature and scope of sports partnerships, the city of Dubai, often referred to as the "The City of Gold", has brought its sporting passions to bear on the triathlon world. Tri-Dubai represents a new paradigm for the support of elite athletes. With the winners of the past 5 men's Ironman World Championships, and 44 Ironman championships to its credit, Tri-Dubai has assembled the most potent collection of elite triathletes the sport has ever seen on a single team. Not content to simply assemble the best possible team, The Human Interest Group added another dimension to the team's international appeal - a charity partner program. This means that a Tri-Dubai athlete selects a local charity for designated races and the team promotes the charity in their marketing materials. If the team members make the podium, The Human Interest Group makes a donation to the partner charity.

"It's an opportunity to be a part of something that could potentially change our sport and make an impact globally as well," said two-time Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom.

Team member and three-time Ironman World Champion Peter Reid agrees. "For me, racing with some of the sport's top guys as teammates is definitely great motivation. But knowing that when we do well it benefits other people is a far greater motivation. As athletes, we value the chance to have a tangible, positive effect on other people's lives. Not many athletes have this kind of opportunity."

Although new to the world of endurance sports sponsorship, Dubai has led the way in promoting sports culture in the Middle East. Dubai's support of triathlon joins its legendary hospitality in hosting famous world sporting events, such as the Dubai Desert Classic Golf Tournament, the Dubai Tennis Championships, and the Dubai World Cup (world's richest horse race). By supervising training camps and conditioning clinics in Dubai, Tri-Dubai team members will help develop the core fitness of the local elite athletes in an area of the world with tremendous interest and potential.

"It is amazing how the city of Dubai has become a global leader in utilizing sports to promote their city as a world-class business and tourism destination," says The Human Interest Group's Franko Vatterott. "With the creation of the Tri-Dubai team, Dubai is supporting the team's positive impact on the sport (triathlon) via partnerships with local charities all over the world."

Tri-Dubai is a professional triathlon super-team made up of elite triathletes from all over the world. Sponsored by the city of Dubai, UAE, the team focuses on generating international attention for Dubai as a world-class tourist and business destination, and sharing success by partnering with local charities at designated competitions. Tri-Dubai is managed by The Human Interest Group, Inc.

For additional information, visit www.tridubai.com.