EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee
EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee
EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee
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o o o o o o o o o<br />
PARTNERS<br />
IN SPORT<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> National Bank has been sponsoring<br />
sports events FOR two decades and is now a<br />
key supporter OF QATAR’S NATI<strong>ON</strong>AL STRATEGY<br />
It’s not unusual for blue-chip brands to support their<br />
local sports industry through sponsorship and official<br />
supplier agreements.<br />
But you definitely get the sense with <strong>Qatar</strong>’s leading<br />
companies that they like to go the extra mile. Over and<br />
above their commercial objectives, there seems to be a<br />
genuine desire to participate in <strong>Qatar</strong>’s great nationbuilding<br />
agenda.<br />
A great case in point is QNB – the <strong>Qatar</strong> National<br />
Bank which has been sponsoring set-piece sports events<br />
for the best part of two decades. Whether it is football,<br />
tennis, motorsports, traditional sports or flagship events<br />
like the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, it’s a given that QNB<br />
will have played a pivotal role.<br />
In recent years, the driving force behind the bank’s<br />
emphasis on sports sponsorship has been QNB chief<br />
executive Ali Shareef Al Emadi. And he has made it clear<br />
on numerous occasions that QNB’s commercial success<br />
goes hand in hand with <strong>Qatar</strong>’s prosperity as a nation. For<br />
Leading from t<br />
him, sports sponsorship is not just about articulating the<br />
bank’s core values, it’s about fulfilling its responsibility to<br />
the wider <strong>Qatar</strong>i community.<br />
Aside from QNB’s commitment to achieving its own<br />
commercial objectives, Mr Al Emadi’s approach to sports<br />
sponsorship consists of three main elements. Firstly, a<br />
desire to put <strong>Qatar</strong> on the international map by sponsoring<br />
iconic events. Secondly, a commitment to developing<br />
young <strong>Qatar</strong>i talent. And thirdly, an attempt to keep the<br />
local population healthy and active by supporting local<br />
community sporting events.<br />
The classic example of how to achieve all three of these<br />
goals at the same time was QNB’s support for the<br />
2006 Asian Games. A brilliantly-executed event, QNB’s<br />
36.5 million Riyal (US $10 million) financial contribution<br />
was undoubtedly a key element of Doha’s success.<br />
But just as important to the smooth running of the overall<br />
planning process were the bank’s logistical expertise and<br />
sponsorship experience.<br />
For QNB, active involvement with the Asian Games<br />
actually began in early 2005 when it signed its deal with<br />
the local organising committee [DAGOC]. Straightaway,<br />
Mr Al Emadi set up a permanent supervising committee<br />
to manage the bank’s preparations for the Games. By<br />
overseeing the committee himself, Mr Al Emadi sent out<br />
two messages. Firstly, that the bank’s sponsorship strategy<br />
would not be executed in a way which would affect its core<br />
banking services. And secondly, that the Games really<br />
Above: QNB was at the<br />
heart of the action during<br />
the 2006 Asian Games.<br />
Below: QNB Chief Executive<br />
Ali Shareef Al Emadi awards<br />
Maria Sharapova with the<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Open trophy.<br />
mattered to the bank (something he also demonstrated by<br />
taking part in the Doha torch relay).<br />
Indeed, QNB made sure its involvement with the<br />
Games touched the bank at every level. For example, it<br />
issued a special credit card to commemorate the Asian<br />
Games - donating part of the card’s revenues to the Reach<br />
Out To Asia campaign. It also worked with DAGOC to<br />
create an Information Emergency Centre – equipped with<br />
state-of-the-art technology to help tackle any emergency.<br />
As the Games approached, QNB employees became part<br />
of a vast field force of volunteers which ensured the Games<br />
ran smoothly.<br />
In terms of maximising exposure for both the bank and<br />
the event itself, QNB sponsored the official uniforms of<br />
10,000 volunteers from 93 nations.<br />
The bank’s commitment to the success of the event also<br />
required a lot of activity around arrivals from abroad.<br />
Temporary bank branches within the Athletes’ Village,<br />
the temporary airport and the main media centre were all<br />
built to serve QNB clients and to promote the Bank’s<br />
products and services. QNB also ran a well-organised<br />
corporate hospitality programme. This played a key role in<br />
showcasing the capabilities of both the bank and <strong>Qatar</strong> to<br />
partners.<br />
Of course, it would be wrong to suppose that QNB’s<br />
interest in sport was limited to a few weeks at the end of<br />
2006. Mr. Al Emadi has often stressed that the bank’s role<br />
in supporting the 2006 Doha Asian Games was not an<br />
26 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport Q3.08