Lacoste Celebrates the Sporting Spirit

- A special time for children with special needs -

Dubai, UAE, February 21st, 2007: Lacoste Fashion and Fragrances celebrated its sponsorship of the Dubai Tennis Championships 2007, for the fourth year, by hosting a "Lacoste Tennis Clinic Day" for children with special needs. Forty children from Al Noor Centre for Children with Special Needs, Dubai Centre for Special Needs and Rashid Pediatric Therapy Centre enjoyed a fun-filled morning of tennis coaching.

"The Children at Al Noor Training Centre are great fans of the Lacoste Tennis Clinic and this gives them an opportunity to have a first-hand experience with the game and to meet one of the prominent stars of tennis. The professionals involved ensure that the children enjoy their time spent on the courts as well as pick up key skills of the game," said Khalid Al Halyan, Chairman Al Noor Training Centre with Special Needs.

Held during the third day of the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, the tennis clinic engaged the eager children with a training session on basic racquet skills and coordination exercises. Infusing the whole day was Lacoste's sense of team spirit and personal development through cooperation with others.

After a lively workout, the children were already in high spirits when their moods were further raised with the surprise arrival of Greek tennis star Stephanie Cohen-Aloro, who encouraged the children and offered a few words of advice on the finer points of the game.

To conclude their exciting day, the children paid a visit to the Lacoste Booth in the sponsor village. There for the duration of the championships, tennis enthusiasts can win instant prizes by successfully aiming a tennis ball into a replica crocodile's moth. Tickets to the final men's game can also be won by guessing the length of string inside a tennis racquet on display.

The Lacoste legend began with Rene Lacoste, a tennis superstar of the 1920's who won the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open at Forest Hills. He made a wager with his team captain that if he won a certain match he would buy him an alligator suitcase. Alligator became crocodile and soon Lacoste's tennis blazers were sporting an embroidered crocodile.

In 1933, Lacoste manufactured the perfect shirt for tennis that featured a crocodile on the left breast; the first time a logo was used on the outside of a shirt. Rene Lacoste not only transformed tennis-wear but also invented the ball machine and the first steel tennis racquet.

Authenticity, naturalness, quality and elegance have been some of the characteristics of the brand since its creation and they are reflected in the whole process of making a Lacoste shirt. Nowadays, these qualities run through a whole range of products from clothing to sunglasses, perfumes, watches and footwear - a style and spirit which can be traced back to the brand's sporting origins.

For further information & visuals, please contact:
Lacoste Fragrances: Sara Migally, Manning Selvage and Lee
(T) +971 4 367 6158, Sara.migally@dubai.mslpr.com
Lacoste Fashion: Fouad Hammad, Euro RSCG Dubai
(T) +971 4 366 4100, Fouad.Hammad@eurorscgme.com