IN a lavishly furnished marquee at the Emirates Golf Club last Wednesday night, it was the duty of an expatriate Irishman to propose a toast to Seve Ballesteros. The occasion was the so called Ryder Cup Dinner where Dubai's finest were gathered for the social highlight of Desert Classic week. And as club captain, Colm McLoughlin did the honours.

Last month at a brand new venue, they were celebrating the fourth successful staging of the Dubai Open tennis championship. And a week next Tuesday, the focus will be on horse racing and the inaugural Dubai World Cup which, at a value of $4 million, is the world's richest race. Against that background, Dubai can justifiably claim to be the sporting capital of the Middle East.

The profile of this oil rich emirate was much more modest back in November 1986 when it played host to the 27th World Chess Olympics. But developments have been so spectacular since then, that some observers have been prompted to speculate that it may actually bid for sport's biggest prize, the Olympic Games, in the not too distant future.

McLoughlin considered such talk to be somewhat premature, though he added: "It is clearly a possibility, even if there is no active effort in that direction at the moment. At a more moderate level, the police are having their international Olympics in Dubai next year. In the meantime, attention is being focused on the eminently realistic objective of joining the international motor racing grand prix circuit.

Back in 1983, when Dubai sought the help of Aer Rianta to open an airport duty free shop, McLoughlin was sent there on secondment, to spearhead the operation. He liked it so much that accepted the offer of a job and is now managing director of a facility that is widely regarded as the best duty free shop in the world.

Born in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, he is a younger brother of Ray McLouglin, the former Lions prop forward and Ireland rugby captain. Not surprisingly, he is deeply interested in sport, is a useful squash player and a nine handicap golfer. Interestingly when he completes his term as captain of the Emirates GC, he will be replaced in May by another Irishman, Paul Thornberry from Dublin.

On visiting Dubai, one is immediately struck by the scale of the development. Indeed from my hotel window, it is possible to look down on construction work in almost every direction blocks of flats, shopping centres, roads and schools. And on the approach to the 27 hole Emirates club with its highly distinctive clubhouse resembling a group of Bedouin tents, work is in progress on a fourth nine, to be opened within the next few months.

A golf revolution in the area, started in 1988 with the inauguration of the Emirates club, which was followed by Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club in 1993 and more recently the Dubai Golf and Racing Club. The last of these is a nine hole, floodlit stretch in the centre of the race course, surrounded by two tracks grass on the inside and sand on the out side. Development work is also taking place here, with a view to extending the course to 18 holes by next winter.

The main architect on these projects is the American golf course designer Karl Litten, whose main challenge was to plant grass which would withstand the harsh summer sun. He achieved this with carefully selected, hybrid Bermuda grass, while irrigation problems were solved by desalination plants pumping water from the Persian Gulf.

Maintaining an emphasis on local culture, the clubhouse at the Creek Club takes the form of majestic show sails filled by the wind, evoking bygone days when pearl fishing was the traditional occupation of the region.

McLoughlin is especially proud of the Aviation Club where his company provided the £3.6 million for the construction of the superb, new tennis stadium which, incidentally, was completed in six months, despite severe setbacks due to bad weather in December and January. The centre court area can accommodate more than 5,000 spectators and is illuminated by four 20 metre high light towers. There are also five side courts and ancillary areas.

"The advantages are enormous," said McLoughlin. "The stadium provides a sense of permanence which we lacked before now. We expect it to become another symbol of Dubai's highly regarded sports facilities." Meanwhile, Dubai Duty Free, which had a turnover of $173 million last year, sponsors the tennis tournament won by Goran Ivanisevic last month at a total cost of $7 million.

"I consider the tournament to be excellent value for money, given that the value of the international television exposure could be worth as much as an estimated $100 million," he went on. "Essentially, the objective of these international sporting activities is to promote Dubai, to promote sport locally and to make life here generally more attractive.

He also acknowledged that the ruling shieks are keenly aware of the tact that the oil, which brought untold wealth to the region, is expected to be exhausted in about 20 years. As an alternative, they consider it imperative to establish Dubai as the commercial, tourist and sporting capital of the Middle East with the help of television.

Irish racing enthusiasts will be familiar with the sporting achievements of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum clown price, of Dubai, defence minister of the United Arab Emirates and chairman of the Economic Department. With 2.000 horses in training around the world, he has enjoyed enormous success in the classics.

Three years ago, 10 of the world's leading riders gathered at the Nad Al Sheba track for the first International Jockeys' Challenge. Now, they are to have the World Cup in which 14 of the sport's leading thoroughbreds race over 10 furlongs of sand for a top prize of $2.6 million. Antepost favourite is the American challenger Cigar, winner of 13 consecutive races.

"The entry was so strong 67, I believe that it has been decided to run a reserve race," said McLoughlin. "Our company will be sponsoring that to the extent of $500 000." He went on: "The entire project is terribly exciting and should do wonders for the image of Dubai internationally.

Dubai has also played host to international snooker and experienced a significant upsurge in its soccer fortunes through the endeavours of Don Revie.

The range of the various sporting activities exemplifies the manner in which Dubai has emerged from the past into a vibrant present with, the prospect of a fascinating future. Where desert sands once ruled, a population of 600,000 can boast a standard of living among the highest in the world.