DUBAI, 31 May 2005 — The Middle East PlayStation 2 GT4 Challenge came to its final climax over the weekend where 12 finalists from across the region battled it out against each other at the Ibn Batuta Mall in Dubai on Friday. After three hours of intense competition, 24-year-old Abdullah Khater, who won the Qatar GT4 heat in April, was crowned as the Middle East champion when he took on the Abu Dhabi winner in the final round.
As well as now being the proud owner of a Nissan 350Z sports car, Khater will travel to Le Mans in France next month to represent the Middle East at the GT4 World Championship. This will mark the first time the region has been represented at an international PlayStation2 gaming event of this scale. Twelve-year-old Canadian Bassem Al-Jajeh, who won the heat in Abu Dhabi last month, took home with him a cash prize of $2,500 for coming in second place, followed by Jeddah finalist 19-year-old Aseel Mohammed Al-Safyani who won $1,000 for coming in third place.
“I couldn’t be happier. This is all very exciting! I can’t believe that my gaming skills have won me a Nissan 350Z. I’m looking forward to representing the Middle East in France. It won’t be easy racing against gamers from all over the world but I’m counting on winning,” said Khater.
The event in Dubai represented the first and biggest of its kind, gathering hundreds of excited fans to the mall to watch the 12 finalists representing UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait race against each other for the Middle East champion title. The Middle East GT4 challenge has created a lot of excitement for gaming and car racing enthusiasts in the region over the last two months with more than 7,000 PlayStation fans having participated in the initial heats that took place in nine GCC cities.
“The response to the PlayStation2 GT4 Challenge has been nothing short of fantastic and shows the increasingly strong following that the game has in the Middle East market,” said Tim Stokes, sales and marketing director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. “We wish Abdullah all the best in France.”
