Dubai has been awarded the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens ahead of an impressive list of candidates that included Australia , Russia , the Netherlands and USA .

The tournament, which will be held in February 2009, will be sponsored by Emirates, who along with the Government of Dubai and the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU) was actively involved in Dubai ’s successful bid.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said: “We are delighted to be behind what will undoubtedly be a tremendous showpiece for Dubai and the game of Sevens rugby.

“Hosting this prestigious event will help to further develop the game in the region and will leave a lasting legacy that will lift rugby to a whole new level.”

The 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens will bring in significant revenue to the region in terms of publicity and the number of rugby fans from around the world that will travel to Dubai .

David Skidmore, Chairman of the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union, says the successful staging of last year’s IRB Under 19 World Championship, along with the impressive growth of the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, proves Dubai has what it takes to deliver a successful Sevens World Cup in 2009. “ Dubai has a strong history of hosting successful and well attended Rugby Sevens tournaments.”

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 will be the fifth Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament. The inaugural tournament was held in Scotland in 1993 with tournaments following in Hong Kong in 1997, Argentina in 2001 and again in Hong Kong in 2005.