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The Loop

Are they sure they want to race to Dubai?

February 21, 2009

Dubai last week incited a controversy when it denied a visa to Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer, who was going to play in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Classic.

Then, Dubai's inaugural International Festival of Literature banned a work of fiction apparently because one of its characters in the book is gay. Margaret Atwood is among the authors who have chosen not to participate as a result.

Each of these episodes was included in this Associated Press story that carries the headline: "Latest flap calls Dubai's tolerance into question."

Golf, of course, plays an important role in Dubai's bid to enhance its international stature as an entertainment destination. It features the European PGA Tour's season-long Race to Dubai and its Dubai Desert Classic, as well as Tiger Woods Dubai, featuring the world's first Woods' designed golf course.

-- John Strege