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Air Miles and Dubai Sports Academy strengthen sports skills of young athletes

World's leading loyalty programme sponsors Dubai Sports Academy

Air Miles, the world's leading multi-participant loyalty programme, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Dubai Sports Academy, based at and supported by JESS Arabian Ranches School, with the aims of strengthening the talent and skills of athletes in the UAE.

As part of their commitment to the development of sports in the country, Air Miles and Dubai Sports Academy have recently sponsored Josh Warburton, a 15-year old promising rugby player and an ex- JESS Arabian Ranches pupil, who received a scholarship to Sale Sharks Rugby Club in Manchester, England.

"The Dubai Sports Academy, as the leading high performance club in the Middle East, supports Air Miles' strong belief of helping young athletes realise their full potential. Through this partnership with the academy, we will fully support players with the help of international and Middle Eastern sports trainers to further enhance their skills," said Air Miles' Middle East CEO, Dave Battiston.

"JESS has a strong history of promoting sporting excellence. It is rewarding to see Josh is working so hard to realise a significant potential," said R.D. Stokoe, JESS Arabian Ranches Director.

Through the Sale scholarship, Josh will study and train with professional rugby players. He will also be schooled on and off the field, immersing himself in all aspects expected of a professional athlete.

"I am really grateful to JESS, Dubai Sports Academy, Air Miles and my parents for the support they've given. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to live my dream of becoming a professional rugby player. Air Miles and Dubai Sports Academy's joint project motivates young athletes like me to strive harder to achieve our goals and succeed in our chosen career," Warburton expressed.

"We are also pleased to support Josh in achieving his ambition. His superb pace, balance and strong tackling prowess sets him apart from his contemporaries. This is an unrivalled opportunity for him to become a promising star in the future," added Battiston.

Additionally, Air Miles has also supplied the latest Gym and sporting equipment to Dubai Sports Academy. The academy, known for providing one of the most advanced and state-of-the-art high performance units in the world, is packed with customised facilities and systems that focus on the key performance of one's speed, power, elasticity and strength.

John Mamea-Wilson, Director of Dubai Sports Academy said: "We pride ourselves on our established relationships with professional clubs, unions and sport brands to represent the best in sport. Our collaboration with Air Miles and our team of experienced professionals offer an elite and personal service delivered with passion and commitment to international and local kids wanting to further their sporting careers."

Air Miles and Dubai Sports Academy will also fly in top sports professionals to the emirate in order to host training sessions for potential 'stars of the future'.

-Ends-

About Air Miles, Middle East:
Air Miles is the Middle East's leading multi-participant loyalty programme. Since its launch in 2001, the programme, which is free to join, has grown exponentially, with more than 1.4 million members enrolled from over 700,000 households in the UAE, Qatar & Bahrain. Now, over 80% of all Air Miles members have either redeemed or have enough Air Miles to do so, making Air Miles the largest and most active retail database in the region.

Air Miles is managed by Rewards Management Middle East (RMMEL) in the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, and is part of the Loyalty Management Group that has been running successfully in the UK ('Air Miles' & more recently 'Nectar'), Canada, the Netherlands and Spain for the past 20 years.

Members can collect Air Miles from a massive total of over 100 market-leading participants including: HSBC, Spinneys, Damas, Lamcy Plaza, Al Rostamani International Exchange, Al Rostamani Travel And Holidays, Gulf Greetings, Royal & Sun Alliance, Hertz, Bin Sina Pharmacy, Hilton Hotels, CineStar Cinemas, Pan Emirates Home Furnishings, Rotana Hotels, Jawad Business Group (FCUK, Monsoon, Hush Puppies, Brantano Shoe City), Al Futtaim Watches and Jewellery, Al Ghandi Electronics, JW Marriott Hotel, Renaissance Hotel, SNTTA Travel & Tours, Abela, African & Eastern, Adidas, Oriental Stores, Emax, Al Jaber Optical, Compume, Al Ansari Exchange, Emirates Post and many more.

Air Miles offers a wealth of rewards and experiences to members such as electronics, jewellery, family days out, adventure experiences, hotels suites and airline tickets.

RMMEL also operates the business performance recognition programme Air Miles Incentives, which gives companies the opportunity to capitalise on a wealth of rewards for employees, sales teams, operators, trade partners and corporate customers.

For more information, please visit www.airmilesme.com and www.airmilesincentivesme.com

© Press Release 2008