Rare sports memorabilia at auction

Transcript

00:00It's not often you find Dubai's aristocrats fighting over other people's signatures, but

00:14this auction at Medina Jumeirah featured some rare sporting memorabilia.

00:19And behind the glitz, the proceeds from the night are to go to improving the health and

00:22fitness of Emiratis.

00:24The NGO Right to Play, which has projects in the Middle East and Africa, has begun working

00:28with the Dubai government on creating a more effective national sports curriculum.

00:53Some of the lots went for hefty sums.

00:56Prince Haya himself donated this horseshoe, once worn by the faithful steed of the late

01:00King Hussein of Jordan.

01:02It fetched a cool 340,000 dirhams.

01:05And what about a trip to the Augusta Masters, with two scorecards signed by Tiger Woods

01:09and Jack Nicklaus thrown in?

01:11A private telephone buyer thought 380,000 dirhams was worth the prize.

01:28But interest in some of the lots was low.

01:30Some got no bids at all, and about a third went unsold.

01:33A cricket bat signed by special guest and former Indian cricketing star Kapil Dev didn't

01:38get any interest during the proceedings, although organisers say a buyer took it for 70,000

01:43dirhams after everyone went home.

02:08Many lots went for below-reserved price.

02:19Like the final offering, a visit to a refugee camp in Lebanon, where Right to Play is working.

02:24That left some of the organisers disappointed.

02:46Still the more than 2 million dirhams raised will go some way in greasing the wheels for

02:50the NGO to operate on the ground in Dubai.

02:53And for them, that's a festive Ramadan gift worth savouring.

02:57Ashraf Helmi, Gulf News.