Issue 7 - Qatar Olympic Committee
Issue 7 - Qatar Olympic Committee
Issue 7 - Qatar Olympic Committee
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<strong>Issue</strong> 7 September - November 2009 $10<br />
the official magazine of the qatar olympic committee<br />
LEADERS IN SPORT<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s strategy<br />
under the spotlight<br />
THE NEW SEASON<br />
Major events<br />
2009/2010<br />
FIT FOR LIFE<br />
Getting active<br />
with ASPIRE<br />
RALLY CHAMPION, SH0OTING STAR<br />
LOCAL HERO
Our<br />
services<br />
include
QATARSPORT.ISSUE 7.CONTENTS<br />
04 QOC Comment Message from the Secretary General<br />
05 News World-class event round-up<br />
13 Greetings from Berlin Promoting the World Indoors<br />
14 QOC Sports Awards Heroes of season 2008-09<br />
16 Season Preview Outstanding events in Doha<br />
18 Schools <strong>Olympic</strong> Day <strong>Qatar</strong>’s Culture Club<br />
21 Nasser Al-Attiyah Rally champion, shooting star<br />
24 Global Sport Fund New horizons for youth<br />
26 Partners in Sport Burrda’s style and substance<br />
29 Sports Diary Highlights of the sporting season<br />
30 Health & Society First steps to a healthy lifestyle<br />
34 The Big Interview Professor Simon Chadwick<br />
No article in this publication or part thereof may be reproduced without proper permission and full acknowledgement of the source:<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Sport, a publication of the <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong>.<br />
© <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong>, 2009.<br />
www.olympic.qa<br />
qoc@olympic.qa<br />
Maroon<br />
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Silver Meta<br />
Designed and produced for the <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> by SportBusiness Group, London.<br />
Cover photo: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Rally and Shooting champion / VW Motorsports<br />
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 3
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General, <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong><br />
Welcome...<br />
With the summer break now behind us, we are<br />
eagerly looking ahead to what promises to be one of the<br />
busiest, most intense and exciting years in the history of<br />
sport in <strong>Qatar</strong>.<br />
We do so in the knowledge that while <strong>Qatar</strong> is<br />
building its reputation as a world-class host of major<br />
sports events and for our innovative commitment to<br />
youth, our own sportsmen and women are creating<br />
an impact both domestically and overseas.<br />
Earlier this year, we were proud to organise the<br />
2009 QOC Sports Awards, which recognised the<br />
achievements of individuals and organisations across<br />
the sporting spectrum.<br />
A full report of the Awards starts on Page 14. It was<br />
a truly memorable event which emphasised the wealth<br />
of talent developing in <strong>Qatar</strong> and the commitment of<br />
our government, the QOC, our sports federations, and<br />
many outstanding individuals to building the sporting<br />
future of our country.<br />
In the coming months we will be proud to welcome<br />
some of the biggest stars in football, volleyball, tennis,<br />
golf and athletics to Doha. But we are equally proud<br />
to be hosting events and programmes which may not<br />
achieve the same level of international media coverage<br />
but will be of immense benefit to the youth of our<br />
country and the world.<br />
This month (September) sees the launch of the third<br />
edition of the Schools <strong>Olympic</strong> Day Programme (SOD)<br />
which has done so much to introduce youngsters living<br />
in <strong>Qatar</strong> to sport and the lessons it holds for life.<br />
The programme is central to achieving one of the key<br />
objectives of the <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> (QOC)<br />
and our government - to encourage the adoption of<br />
healthy lifestyles throughout our population. And of<br />
course it all starts with the youngsters.<br />
SOD offers many different sporting opportunities,<br />
experiences and lessons over a nine-month programme<br />
- taking an holistic approach to introducing youngsters<br />
to sport. Each edition has focused on a different, highly<br />
relevant theme. Last year our theme was Sport and<br />
the Environment and in 2009-10, it will be Sport<br />
and Culture. The links between sport and culture are<br />
deeply rooted and recognised in the core pricniples<br />
of the <strong>Olympic</strong> Movement, of which the QOC is<br />
a committed and active member. It is, of course,<br />
particularly appropriate that culture is our theme as<br />
Doha has been appointed by UNESCO as the Capital<br />
of Culture of Arabic Nations for 2011.<br />
Our commitment to youth will also be evident in<br />
December when Doha will welcome 3,000 students<br />
from all parts of the world to take part in 2009<br />
Gymnasiade. The youngsters, aged between 15 and<br />
18, will compete in acquatics, athletics and gymnastics.<br />
Hosting such an event will be an inspiration for all of<br />
us and you can be sure that a number of the <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
competitors will be youngsters who have been part<br />
of previous SOD.<br />
During this memorable year of sport <strong>Qatar</strong> will also<br />
host a range of other world-class events. Some, like<br />
the WTA Sony Ericsson Championships have become<br />
regular features of our sporting landscape. But in<br />
November, we will be delighted to host a new event,<br />
the 2009 FIVB Men’s Club Volleyball Championship<br />
(www.fivb.org/en/volleyball/Competitions/<br />
WorldClubChampionships/2009). The championship<br />
games features the eight leading volleyball club teams<br />
from all continents and ASPIRE will provide an fitting<br />
stage for the best players on earth.<br />
In March 2010, the world’s elite athletes will<br />
arrive in Doha to take part in the IAAF Indoor<br />
Championships (www.dohawic2011.com). It promises<br />
to be three days of exhilarating action and a number<br />
of world records are sure to come under threat.<br />
There is so much to savour and enjoy - and we<br />
remain committed to our objective of creating<br />
opportunity for youth and hosting events which we<br />
can share with the world. We hope you will join us.<br />
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani<br />
Secretary General, <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> Commitee<br />
4 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7
ISSUE 7 NEWS<br />
DOHA<br />
AWAITS<br />
CLASSIC<br />
ENCOUNTER<br />
Doha has been pencilled in as the venue for<br />
a classic friendly match between Brazil and<br />
England, promoted by <strong>Qatar</strong>i broadcasters<br />
Al Jazeera.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Football Association General<br />
Secretary Saud Al Mohannadi revealed that<br />
plans for the friendly, set for November 14,<br />
have been in place for some time.<br />
The match, however, is dependent on<br />
England finishing top of their World Cup<br />
qualifying group so avoiding a play-off<br />
game for second place teams scheduled for<br />
that date.<br />
“The game will indeed be held in Doha<br />
in November,” Al Mohannadi confirmed.<br />
“Al Jazeera Sports Channel is in charge of<br />
this game and they have been planning it<br />
for a while.<br />
“The role of the <strong>Qatar</strong> FA is to coordinate<br />
with the Al Jazeera channel<br />
regarding the venue of the match and the<br />
training schedules and stadiums.”<br />
The match is likely to be staged in<br />
Doha’s 50,000 capacity Khalifa Stadium,<br />
the main venue for the 2006 Asian Games,<br />
and is sure to attract a full house to see two<br />
of the game’s most iconic national teams<br />
in action.<br />
The 23rd meeting between the two<br />
national teams is a return match promised<br />
by the English Football Association to their<br />
Brazilian counterparts for the appearance<br />
of the five-time world champions at the<br />
launch of the new Wembley Stadium<br />
in 2007. That match ended in a 1-1 draw,<br />
but the classic status of England versus<br />
Brazil matches has much deeper roots in<br />
an unforgettable match-up between the<br />
Pele and Bobby Moore<br />
embrace after the World<br />
Cup classic between Brazil<br />
and England in 1970.<br />
two countries at the 1970 World Cup in<br />
Mexico. The famous encounter between<br />
Brazilian attacking flair, embodied by the<br />
great Pele and courageous English defence,<br />
personified by Bobby Moore, resulted in a<br />
1-0 victory for the South Americans and a<br />
lasting mutual respect.<br />
More recently, the passion of the English<br />
Premier League and the brilliance of Brazil’s<br />
footballing exports, have added lustre to the<br />
reputations of both national teams.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i fans are more than familiar with<br />
names like Kaka, Beckham, Robinho,<br />
Rooney, Pato and Gerrard - and can look<br />
forward to a feast of football in November.<br />
Although not billed as a promotion for<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup, the<br />
match will provide another opportunity for<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> to showcase its world-class facilities<br />
and event management skills.<br />
The <strong>Qatar</strong> World Cup 2022 Bid<br />
<strong>Committee</strong>, headed by Sheikh Mohammed<br />
Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, son of<br />
the Emir of <strong>Qatar</strong>, unveiled the bid logo<br />
in May and the bid proper campaign is<br />
expected to get underway this September.<br />
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 5
NEWS<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
Members of the AFC<br />
Organising <strong>Committee</strong> for<br />
the 2011 AFC Asian Cup,<br />
to be hosted by <strong>Qatar</strong>, have agreed<br />
on the use of five stadiums for the<br />
tournament, which kicks off in Doha<br />
on January 7, 2011. Khalifa Stadium,<br />
plus the stadiums belonging to Al<br />
Gharafa SC, Al Sadd SC, Al Rayyan<br />
SC and <strong>Qatar</strong> SC, will stage matches<br />
during the 16-team competition. <strong>Qatar</strong>,<br />
Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India and South<br />
Korea have all qualified for the finals.<br />
“ABSOLUTELY<br />
OUTSTANDING”<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i riders HE Sheikh Ali<br />
Bin Khalid Al-Thani and Ali<br />
Bin Yousef Al Rumaihi put in<br />
year’s-best performances in the fourth<br />
round of the Global Champions Tour<br />
Grand Prix in Cannes, France in June.<br />
HE Sheikh Ali clinched 15th place in<br />
the 1.40m event, while Al Rumaihi<br />
finished in 17th position. The three-day<br />
international featured the participation<br />
of 27 riders from across the world.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> sent a team to the<br />
3rd International Athletics<br />
Meeting in Rades, Tunisia,<br />
organised by the International<br />
Paralympic <strong>Committee</strong> and National<br />
Paralympic <strong>Committee</strong> of Tunisia. The<br />
June meeting featured 391 athletes<br />
representing 24 countries taking part<br />
in running, discus, javelin, shot put<br />
and long jump events.<br />
The <strong>Qatar</strong> Billiards and<br />
Snooker Federation entered<br />
12 cueists from the national<br />
team for the <strong>Qatar</strong> Open 9-ball<br />
Championship that took place from<br />
June 27 to July 7, 2009 in Doha. The<br />
overall winner was Mika Immonen of<br />
Finland who beat the 2006 Doha Asian<br />
Games champion Antonio Gabica of<br />
the Phillipines in the semi-finals and<br />
Ko Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei in the final.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s Al Rayyan club<br />
will participate in the 12th<br />
Asian Clubs Handball<br />
Championship scheduled for<br />
November 7-20 in Lebanon. HH Emir<br />
Handball Cup champions Al Rayyan<br />
will be accompanied by Al Ahli, the<br />
runners-up to Al Sadd in last season’s<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Handball League.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s credentials as a high-performance<br />
training hub have been given a ringing<br />
endorsement by a top official from the English<br />
team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.<br />
An English delegation visited Doha in July<br />
on a two-day tour to discuss the potential for<br />
hosting a pre-Games holding camp in the capital<br />
in preparation for the 20th Commonwealth<br />
Games to be held in New Delhi, India<br />
next October.<br />
Donald Parker, Sports Director,<br />
Commonwealth Games England confirmed<br />
that <strong>Qatar</strong> had impressed on every level.<br />
“I have been involved in five or six holding<br />
camps both for the <strong>Olympic</strong> Games and<br />
Commonwealth Games over the last 15<br />
years so I’ve been there and done it. In my<br />
view, <strong>Qatar</strong> is absolutely outstanding. For<br />
around ten days Doha would have to be a<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Stars League club Umm Salal will face<br />
Korea’s FC Seoul in the quarter-finals of the<br />
AFC Champions League in September.<br />
The Champions League newcomers<br />
qualified for Asia’s leading club competition by<br />
winning last season’s HH Emirs Cup and upset<br />
the form books by beating Saudi Arabia’s Al<br />
Hilal in the round of 16 on penalties.<br />
Umm Salal team manager Ali Mohamed<br />
Ibrahim said the <strong>Qatar</strong>is were capable<br />
of an upset. “We got this far and we are<br />
confident of going further - our team is<br />
home from home for the athletes and there is<br />
a strong feeling of welcome from the QOC<br />
and outstanding facilities. World-class is<br />
often an overused phrase, but the facilities,<br />
accommodation, medical support, even the<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Airways airline, are really world-class. We<br />
have an excellent relationship with the QOC<br />
and now it’s just down to the logistical details.”<br />
The delegation, which included<br />
representatives from England Hockey, as well<br />
as key sport sciences, medical and security<br />
personnel, were taken on a tour of the Aspire<br />
Indoor Hall (pictured), the state-of-the-art<br />
Lusail Shooting Range and the hockey field at<br />
the Al Rayyan Sports Club.<br />
The training camp is expected be held<br />
for five to ten days in advance of England<br />
taking around 550 athletes, coaches and team<br />
managers from 17 different sports to India.<br />
UMM SALAL’S DATE WITH DESTINY<br />
pretty settled,” he said.<br />
The club’s prospects were boosted over the<br />
summer when Umm Salal bought the Brazilian<br />
striker Davi in a $4.2 million transfer from<br />
Japan’s Nagoya Grampus.<br />
Davi, 25, was the J-League’s top scorer with<br />
10 goals from 16 games when he signed for the<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Stars League outfit.<br />
Umm Salal will play the first leg of the<br />
quarter final at the <strong>Qatar</strong> Sports Club in Doha<br />
on September 23. The return leg takes place in<br />
Seoul World Cup Stadium on September 30.<br />
6 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7
ISSUE 7 NEWS<br />
SILVER LINING FOR YOUTH<br />
Clockwise: Reema Thomas, Fatima Omar and Mohammed Al Manni won silver medals for <strong>Qatar</strong> at this summer’s major championships for youth.<br />
Two silver medals plus a host of personal<br />
bests were packed up and taken home by<br />
the young <strong>Qatar</strong>i team participating at the<br />
1st Youth Asian Games in Singapore, June<br />
29 to July 7.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s female athletes took the glory<br />
with Reema Thomas clinching silver in<br />
the long jump on the opening day of<br />
competition at the Bishan Stadium and<br />
teenage shot-putter Fatima Omar making it<br />
a double on day two.<br />
Elsewhere, medals were tough to come<br />
by for the 32-strong <strong>Qatar</strong>i contingent, but<br />
the nation’s young swimmers and shooters<br />
received special praise for some outstanding<br />
individual performances.<br />
Four <strong>Qatar</strong>i swimmers - Abdulrahman<br />
Al Olan (200m freestyle), Mohammed<br />
Ali (50m backstroke), Abdulrahman<br />
Issa Al Ishaq (100m butterfly) and<br />
Hussein Abdulhameed Al Lingawi (100m<br />
backstroke) - beat their personal bests,<br />
as did shooters Mohammed Al Kowari<br />
(pistol), Mohammed Zain Al Sunaidi (rifle)<br />
and Mashael Marzouq (girl’s pistol).<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> competed in six events (athletics,<br />
beach volleyball, basketball, sailing,<br />
shooting and swimming) at the inaugural<br />
Games for Asian youth between 14 and<br />
17 years old. Singapore hosted some 1,400<br />
athletes from 43 countries for the Games<br />
which acted as a test event for the 2010<br />
Youth <strong>Olympic</strong> Games, which takes place<br />
in Singapore next August.<br />
And with just one year to go before<br />
the main event, the QOC sent <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
youngsters with Youth <strong>Olympic</strong> Games<br />
potential further afield to championships<br />
in Italy and Syria over the summer.<br />
The 6th IAAF World Youth<br />
Championships, held in Sudtirol, Italy,<br />
saw <strong>Qatar</strong>’s Mohammed Ahmed Al-Mannai<br />
claim the silver medal in the Octathlon<br />
event, which comprises long jump, discus,<br />
javelin, 400m, 100m hurdles, high jump,<br />
shot put and 1,500m.<br />
Al-Mannai became the first <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
ever to medal at the championships when<br />
he took second place with 6,232 points,<br />
behind France’s Kevin Mayer.<br />
Encouragingly, a 32-member <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
team also took home a host of medals from<br />
the Arab Athletics Championships for<br />
Youth and Juniors, staged in Aleppo, Syria<br />
in July. Mohammed Al Qarni, Muhammad<br />
Qaeda and Khalid Al-Saari won gold<br />
medals in the 1500m, javelin and high<br />
jump respectively, with both Qaeda and<br />
Al-Saari breaking <strong>Qatar</strong>i national records<br />
in the process.<br />
In the hammer throw event,<br />
Abdulrahman Shahrani took the silver<br />
medal, while <strong>Qatar</strong>’s star of the First Asian<br />
Youth Games in Singapore, Reema Thomas,<br />
added to her summer bounty with a bronze<br />
medal in the long jump event.<br />
Young speedster Eid Alkawari clocked<br />
a personal best of 11.03 in the 100m to<br />
clinch another bronze for <strong>Qatar</strong>.<br />
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 7
NEWS<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
The <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong><br />
<strong>Committee</strong> has taken its<br />
‘Sports for Life’ message<br />
to <strong>Qatar</strong>i students abroad with the<br />
renovation of sports facilities at<br />
the <strong>Qatar</strong> Students Club in Cairo.<br />
Founded in 1975, the club now<br />
features a new gym for amateur<br />
sport and physical fitness and a table<br />
tennis hall. QOC Secretary General,<br />
Sheikh Saoud inaugurated the<br />
upgrade, which was supported by the<br />
Heir Apparent and QOC President, HH<br />
Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s men’s basketball<br />
team finished a creditable<br />
sixth in the 16-team 2009<br />
FIBA Asia Championship, staged<br />
August 6 to 16 in Tianjin, China.<br />
The <strong>Qatar</strong> team lost its final match<br />
against Chinese Taipei in the fifth<br />
place play-off having previously<br />
registered four wins and four losses<br />
during the tournament.<br />
The International<br />
Motorcycling Federation<br />
(FIM) has renewed its<br />
sponsorship contract with the <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
Motor & Motorcycle Federation<br />
(QMMF) and Qtel Company for the<br />
World Endurance Championship.<br />
QMMF President Nasser Bin Khalifa<br />
Al Attiyah signed the three-year<br />
deal at the second round of the<br />
World Endurance Championship in<br />
Oschersleben, Germany.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s badminton players<br />
made history in July when<br />
they won the GCC Open<br />
Badminton Tournament 2009 in<br />
Bahrain. <strong>Qatar</strong> took the top spot<br />
against players from Saudi Arabia,<br />
Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai and Abu<br />
Dhabi. <strong>Qatar</strong>’s Arun Vijaykumar won<br />
the men’s singles title.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s Al Arabi SC<br />
clinched third place in<br />
the Asian Clubs Volleyball<br />
Championship after defeating Al<br />
Naser of United Arab Emirates 3-0<br />
in Dubai. Al Arabi had lost to the<br />
holders, Payakan SC of Iran in the<br />
semi-finals of the championships.<br />
which was won by the Iranian club.<br />
JUNIORS UP THEIR GAME<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s tennis stars of the future are<br />
getting a clearer shot at success thanks to<br />
new competitions launched by the <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
Tennis Federation.<br />
According to Karim Alawi, Technical<br />
Director for the WTA’s end-of-season Sony<br />
Ericsson Championships in Doha, the <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
youngsters now have a better chance to shine<br />
in a much more challenging domestic scene.<br />
“We used to have just seven or eight<br />
tournaments a year, but in the new calendar<br />
there are 26 tournaments from under-10<br />
upwards, which gives an opportunity for<br />
everyone to compete,” says Alawi.<br />
“The big thing that was missing for our<br />
juniors was that they played only a couple of<br />
competitive tournaments in <strong>Qatar</strong> and then had<br />
to travel abroad if they wanted to play more.<br />
“Now, there are opportunities maybe twice<br />
a month to see these kids against players from<br />
abroad, which helps us see how they need to<br />
develop at international level.”<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s junior tennis season spans from<br />
A leading <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> official<br />
has given the green light to <strong>Qatar</strong>i women<br />
wanting to compete in the martial arts sports<br />
of judo, taekwondo, and karate.<br />
Tarek Al Ali, Head of QOC technical<br />
affairs and <strong>Qatar</strong> Chef de Mission to the<br />
inaugural Asian Martial Arts Games, which<br />
took place in Bangkok, Thailand in July, said<br />
that talented women would be encouraged to<br />
compete in international competition.<br />
Al Ali told <strong>Qatar</strong> Sport: “If a woman<br />
proves to be good enough to get a medal<br />
or compete seriously and have an impact,<br />
then definitely she would be encouraged. It’s<br />
September to May and in that period,<br />
the <strong>Qatar</strong> Tennis Federation also has a<br />
chance to promote the sport to newcomers,<br />
especially young girls, via <strong>Qatar</strong>’s major<br />
event programme.<br />
“We have agreements to promote the Sony<br />
Ericsson Championships in French, British<br />
and American schools in <strong>Qatar</strong>, as well as<br />
local schools,” says Alawi.<br />
“Out of 100 kids who come to the<br />
tournament, about 10 will want to start to<br />
play tennis. We’re trying to get more women<br />
and more kids playing tennis and change the<br />
mentality so that kids get into sport instead of<br />
computer games.”<br />
The strategy appears to be paying off.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i teen Hamad Al Mulla, partnered by<br />
the Tunisian Ameur Ben Hassen, reached the<br />
doubles final of the <strong>Qatar</strong> ITF Junior Open<br />
2009 in February and the U-14 boys’ team,<br />
spearheaded by Mubarak Shanan, triumphed<br />
in the West Asia Tournament held recently<br />
in Doha.<br />
GREEN LIGHT FOR WOMEN JUDOKAS<br />
all about the dress code and in martial arts<br />
like judo this is not a problem so from our<br />
perspective, there’s no reason why they should<br />
not compete.”<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> sent six athletes to compete at the<br />
first Asian Martial Arts Games in August on a<br />
trip, said Al Ali, to “interact with some of the<br />
best players in the world from Japan, Korea<br />
and China”.<br />
Two <strong>Qatar</strong>i athletes represented each of<br />
three sports - judo, taekwondo, and karate.<br />
Al Ali expalined: “It’s a preparation stage for<br />
Asian countries to raise their standard so they<br />
can do better in the <strong>Olympic</strong>s.”<br />
8 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7
ISSUE 7 NEWS<br />
DOHA TO HOST FIVB CHAMPS<br />
The FIVB Men’s Club World<br />
Championship featuring eight of the<br />
world’s best volleyball clubs will take<br />
place from November 3-8 in <strong>Qatar</strong> after<br />
organisers signed a new hosting contract<br />
in Lausanne, Switzerland.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Ambassador Abdullah Al-<br />
Dosari, Kuwaiti FIVB Board Member<br />
Hamza Al Failakawi, and <strong>Qatar</strong> Volleyball<br />
Association (QVBA) General Secretary<br />
Faraj Moftah Al-Abdulla visited FIVB<br />
headquarters in Lausanne to sign off on<br />
the deal, which will see the event revived<br />
after its discontinuation in 2002 due to<br />
organisational and financial difficulties.<br />
“The QVBA has received great support<br />
from all the <strong>Qatar</strong>i authorities, especially<br />
from the <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong>, to<br />
help make this event a reality,” explains<br />
QVBA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Mal.<br />
“The Club World Championship in<br />
Doha in November will make volleyball<br />
one of the elite sporting events organised<br />
by our country. We will work diligently<br />
every day to produce a world-class event<br />
that will showcase the best of what<br />
volleyball has to offer.”<br />
Commenting on the ground-breaking<br />
agreement, FIVB Executive Vice Pesident<br />
Theofanis Tsiokris said he saw clear<br />
benefits in <strong>Qatar</strong> hosting the event: “We<br />
strongly believe that volleyball will make<br />
massive inroads in all Arab countries<br />
thanks to this great and important event<br />
in Doha.”<br />
The competition will be held at the<br />
Aspire Zone (with Al Arabi and Al Sadd<br />
Sports Clubs providing the training<br />
facilities) and will feature eight clubs<br />
from all continents: Italy’s Trentino<br />
Volley, Egypt’s Zamalek, Iran’s Payakan,<br />
and <strong>Qatar</strong>’s Al Arabi have qualified for<br />
the event. The wild cards are Poland’s<br />
PGE Skra Belchatow, Russia’s Dinamo<br />
Kazan, Puerto Rico’s Corozal and the yet<br />
to be determined champions of South<br />
America. The competition will consist of<br />
12 matches in the two group stages, plus<br />
semi-finals, final and a third place play-off<br />
with a total prize-money pool of $750,000<br />
on offer.<br />
For the first time in the FIVB’s<br />
tournament history, the FIVB and <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
organisers have also agreed to apply the<br />
‘Golden Formula’ for the championships,<br />
a playing system which requires that the<br />
first attack for each team begins from the<br />
back row in an attempt to produce longer<br />
rallies. Devised by Hussein Imam Ali,<br />
QVBA Technical Director, the Golden<br />
Formula has been used in <strong>Qatar</strong>i national<br />
competitions to great effect in recent years.<br />
Imam Ali believes the concept “restores<br />
equality in the attack and defence, in a<br />
sport which is presently heavily loaded in<br />
favour of attack”. If successful, the FIVB<br />
will consider rolling out the rule in other<br />
FIVB competitions.<br />
Pool A: Trentino Volley, Dinamo<br />
Kazan, Corozal, Zamalek<br />
Pool B: PGE Skra Belchatow. Payakan,<br />
Al Arabi, South American champion<br />
Russia’s Dinamo Kazan (top) and <strong>Qatar</strong>’s Al Arabi<br />
(in red) will compete in the FIVB Men’s Club World<br />
Volleyball Championship in Doha this November.<br />
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 9
NEWS<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
Olympians Samuel Francis<br />
(100m), James Kwalia<br />
(5,000m) and Essa Rashed<br />
(10,000m) led the <strong>Qatar</strong> team’s gold<br />
medal charge at the 43rd World<br />
Military Athletics Championship<br />
in Sofia, Bulgaria in June. <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
finished in fourth place overall<br />
behind Poland, Italy and Bulgaria in<br />
the medals table for the 35-country<br />
event. The <strong>Qatar</strong> team also won<br />
medals in the triple jump (silver<br />
and bronze), 3,000m steeplechase<br />
(bronze) and 5,000m (silver).<br />
Saleh Al Humeidi,<br />
Secretary General<br />
of the <strong>Qatar</strong> Fencing<br />
Federation (QFF) has acclaimed<br />
the organisation of the Arab U16<br />
Fencing Championships held at the<br />
Al Gharafa Sports Club indoor hall in<br />
July. Al Humeidi said that the event<br />
augured well for the QFF’s hosting<br />
of the Asian Fencing Championship<br />
in November 2009. <strong>Qatar</strong>i fencers<br />
bagged 13 medals at the event,<br />
including one gold medal from the<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i girls team in the Epee.<br />
The <strong>Qatar</strong> national chess<br />
team topped the standings<br />
of the West Asia Chess<br />
Championship in Sana’a, Yemen<br />
in June. <strong>Qatar</strong>’s Grand Master<br />
Mohammed Al Modaihki clinched<br />
first place overall in the men’s<br />
category, sharing the lead with<br />
Mohammed Naser Al Saeed. Grand<br />
Master Zhu Chen of <strong>Qatar</strong> took first<br />
place overall in the women’s event.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s national karate<br />
team finished third<br />
overall in the GCC Karate<br />
Tournament, which took place in<br />
Bahrain in July. The <strong>Qatar</strong>i team won<br />
11 medals including two gold, four<br />
silver and five bronze.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i rally star Nasser Al-<br />
Attiyah (see pages 21-23)<br />
swapped race leadership<br />
four times with Carlos Sainz over ten<br />
days during the Sertões International<br />
Rally in July. Al-Attiyah finished just<br />
one minute behind Sainz and is now<br />
targeting victory in the Dakar Rally.<br />
QATAR PASSES ITS MEDICAL<br />
Aspetar, <strong>Qatar</strong>’s state-of-the-art orthopedic<br />
and sports medicine hospital, will become the<br />
first port of call for the treatment of injured<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i athletes under a new agreement with<br />
the <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong>.<br />
Building on existing relationships between<br />
the two organisations, the agreement calls<br />
for Aspetar to use its extensive capabilities to<br />
provide QOC athletes with a holistic range of<br />
services and treatments.<br />
The partnership will also work to<br />
establish treatment standards at both club<br />
and federation levels in <strong>Qatar</strong> and run<br />
programmes targeted at injury prevention.<br />
“Aspetar was established with a mission<br />
to assist athletes in achieving their full<br />
potential,” said Aspetar Director General Dr<br />
Mohammed Al Maadheed, who added, “The<br />
A SPORTING EDUCATION<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> University, the country’s national<br />
institute of higher education, is to launch a<br />
Sports Science Programme in September that<br />
could inspire the next generation of <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
leaders in sport.<br />
The programme offers male and female<br />
students a BSc degree with specialisations in<br />
Sport Management, Physical Education, and<br />
Exercise and Fitness and is supported by the<br />
QOC, which has backed the QU’s ‘Partners<br />
in Sports Education and Training’ initiative.<br />
Having signed a memorandum of<br />
understanding with QU which covers QOC<br />
internships and scholarships for students,<br />
QOC General Secretary Sheikh Saoud said,<br />
“It will be a major plus point for us to receive<br />
formalising of an agreement with the <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> is a testimony to the<br />
capabilities and bandwidth within Aspetar to<br />
contribute to the all-round development of<br />
sports and athletics in <strong>Qatar</strong>.”<br />
The move is the latest endorsement of<br />
Aspetar’s world-class credentials following this<br />
year’s accreditation on FIFA’s Medical Centres<br />
of Excellence network.<br />
So far, just ten football medicine centres<br />
have received the official accreditation after an<br />
evaluation by the FIFA Medical <strong>Committee</strong>.<br />
The selection was based upon a<br />
comprehensive application process to prove<br />
Aspetar’s clinical, educational and research<br />
expertise, its practical involvement in the<br />
care of teams and active commitment to<br />
injury prevention.<br />
graduates from this programme, who will be<br />
the best [future] employees for the QOC.”<br />
The <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> will also follow<br />
the performance of high-achieving students<br />
with a view to offering support in the form<br />
of awards and encouraging collaborations in<br />
further education between students, sports<br />
officials, coaches and other individuals in the<br />
field of sports.<br />
The Programme’s director Professor<br />
Dr Dieter Hackfort said that QU is also<br />
in partnership with the ASPIRE Academy<br />
which, along with the QOC, has formed a<br />
“magic triangle” contributing to the future<br />
of sports, sport management and sports<br />
education in <strong>Qatar</strong>.<br />
10 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7
ISSUE 7 NEWS<br />
UN Special Advisor Wilfried Lemke applauds <strong>Qatar</strong>’s work with the Global Sport Fund.<br />
LEMKE PRAISES MODEL BEHAVIOUR<br />
Wilfried Lemke, the Special Adviser to<br />
the United Nations Secretary General on<br />
Sports for Development and Peace, has<br />
forecast a bright and thriving future for<br />
youth and sport in <strong>Qatar</strong>.<br />
In an exclusive interview with the<br />
QOC website (www.olympic.qa), Lemke<br />
said that <strong>Qatar</strong>’s development in sport<br />
reflected the country’s forward-looking<br />
agenda and that its sporting leadership<br />
was an example to the world.<br />
“I am absolutely convinced they<br />
(<strong>Qatar</strong>) will progress and improve their<br />
international presence in various fields…<br />
economically, socially, and with respect<br />
to the environment,” he said.<br />
“Needless to say, in the field of sports,<br />
they are absolutely spot-on. <strong>Qatar</strong> is<br />
definitely on the rise.”<br />
Lemke said that sport serves as an<br />
important tool in helping the United<br />
Nations achieve its youth development<br />
objectives and that the <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong><br />
<strong>Committee</strong> has played a key role in the<br />
success of UN projects like the Global<br />
Sport Fund, the joint initiative that uses<br />
sport to prevent drug use and crime among<br />
young people (see page 24).<br />
“I mentioned to [QOC General<br />
Secretary] Sheikh Saoud, at the Global<br />
Sport Fund International Youth Camp<br />
in Cairo, that he has indeed become<br />
extremely popular in the world of sports,”<br />
Lemke said.<br />
“I genuinely appreciate Sheikh Saoud’s<br />
visionary approach for groundbreaking<br />
projects and his efforts in bringing people<br />
from governments and organisations<br />
together to formulate joint ventures.<br />
“I am convinced that we need more<br />
role models in the world, and this is very<br />
easy to arrange through sports. And I am<br />
not only talking about the international<br />
sport stars.<br />
“For example, if, in one of the slum<br />
areas of Nairobi, a youth is offered<br />
an opportunity to participate in a<br />
popular sport programme because she<br />
or he renounces drugs and crime and<br />
contributes to his community through<br />
voluntary services, he becomes a perfect<br />
role model against drugs and delinquency<br />
for other kids.<br />
“This is exactly our target in the various<br />
youth camps and initiatives.”<br />
Lemke describes the Global Sport<br />
Fund as an “important mosaic stone”<br />
in the bigger picture of the UN’s youth<br />
development programme and is also<br />
grateful for the support of the wider<br />
“We need more role<br />
models in the world”<br />
sporting community in helping the UN<br />
to pursue its goals.<br />
“This is a hard job because we want to<br />
change things. It’s hard to accomplish all<br />
our goals with only seven [employees], but<br />
we are very glad that we have the support<br />
of foundations, governments, National<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> Commitees, the Internatiional<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong>, FIFA, UEFA and<br />
other organisations.<br />
“IOC President Jacques Rogge is very<br />
close to us. The IOC spends a lot of<br />
time discussing with us issues of youth<br />
development.<br />
“They invite us to attend congresses,<br />
workshops and seminars where we can<br />
share our ideas with them and others, and<br />
garner support for various sport projects.”<br />
Lemke was appointed Special Adviser<br />
by the UN Secretary General in March<br />
2008 and was in <strong>Qatar</strong> as part of a 10-<br />
day tour of the Middle East that took in<br />
Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza City.<br />
“I would like to see with my own eyes<br />
the situation of the children there and<br />
explore thoroughly how sport can address<br />
their problems,” he said.<br />
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 11
o o o o o o o o o<br />
EVENT<br />
UPDATE<br />
DOHA REVEALS WORLD<br />
INDOOR AMBITIONS<br />
QATAR UNVEILED ITS PLANS TO HOST THE 13TH IAAF WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN<br />
DOHA (MARCH 12-14, 2010) AT THIS SUMMER’S IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BERLIN.<br />
James Kwalia hits the front<br />
during his bronze medalwinning<br />
perfromance in<br />
the 5,000m at the 2009<br />
IAAF World Championships<br />
in Berlin.<br />
The 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships will be the<br />
biggest IAAF World Athletics Series event held in 2010. It<br />
will feature some of the world’s top athletes, competing in<br />
one of the world’s most advanced indoor venues - the<br />
Aspire Dome in Doha.<br />
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2009 IAAF World<br />
Championships in Berlin where the <strong>Qatar</strong>i delegation had<br />
established a promotional stand, the Event Director of the<br />
Doha 2010 Organising <strong>Committee</strong>, Abdullah Al-Zaini<br />
highlighted these key messages and revealed the wider<br />
ambitions of the event organisers.<br />
“We aim to deliver an experience that will challenge<br />
and excite the world’s greatest athletes, whilst also<br />
encouraging the development of a wide-ranging<br />
development programme for our own youth,” he said.<br />
Al-Zaini, who is also President of the <strong>Qatar</strong> Association<br />
of Athletics Federation, said that the choice of Doha as<br />
hosts of the Championships was a coup for the region and<br />
demonstrated the IAAF’s confidence in <strong>Qatar</strong>’s ability to<br />
inspire a new legion of supporters for its showcase event.<br />
“Hosting the World Indoor Championships in 2010 is<br />
a great honour,” said Al-Zaini.<br />
“We are hoping this will be pivotal in bringing <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
and the entire region closer to peers in Europe and North<br />
America in terms of top-of-mind awareness when it comes<br />
to hosting headline athletics events.”<br />
Al-Zaini anticipates that the event will do for athletics<br />
in Asia and the Middle East what Beijing did for the<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong>s in Asia, spreading a positive message to <strong>Qatar</strong>is<br />
and people from all over the region about the value of a<br />
career in athletics. “That would be a great achievement in<br />
itself,” he said.<br />
Speaking in Berlin, IAAF President Lamine Diack added<br />
his support to the Organising <strong>Committee</strong>’s ambitions.<br />
“<strong>Qatar</strong> is very keen to promote itself through sport and I am<br />
happy that athletics is part of that general strategy. I am<br />
confident that the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships<br />
will be one of the best in history,” he said.<br />
The IAAF President said he expected many of the<br />
world’s top stars to compete at the Aspire Dome, the stateof-the-art<br />
venue, which played a major role in <strong>Qatar</strong> being<br />
awarded the Championships. The venue is currently<br />
undergoing a series of upgrades to inspire peak<br />
performances from the world’s best in early 2010.<br />
Doha is a familiar stop-off for many of these athletes<br />
having hosted IAAF championship events since 1997,<br />
leading up to the 2009 Super Grand Prix, which will be<br />
replaced with the IAAF Diamond League meet in Doha,<br />
just a few weeks after the World Indoor Championships.<br />
As for <strong>Qatar</strong>’s performance on the track in Berlin,<br />
fortune shone on <strong>Qatar</strong>i James Kwalia, who won bronze in<br />
the 5,000m. Kwalia’s bronze is the fourth major <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
international medal at an IAAF championship, after Saif<br />
Saeed Shaheen won two gold medals in the 3,000m<br />
steeplechase in 2003 and 2005, and Mubarak Hassan<br />
Shami’s silver medal in the marathon in 2007.<br />
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 13
A YEAR TO<br />
REMEMBER<br />
THE QOC AWARDS FOR THE 2008/09<br />
SEASON HIGHLIGHTED QATAR’S<br />
GROWING CONFIDENCE AND<br />
COMMITMENT TO SPORTING SUCCESS.<br />
When the <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> invited the country’s<br />
top sportsmen and women to the Closing Ceremonies for<br />
the 2008-09 domestic sports season at the Grand Hyatt<br />
Doha they came to honour a glittering array of uniquely<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i achievements.<br />
During the season, <strong>Qatar</strong> hosted some of the world’s<br />
biggest sports stars across a raft of major international<br />
events, but it was the continuing progress of <strong>Qatar</strong>i athletes<br />
at home and abroad that took centre stage on a memorable<br />
night’s celebration of sport.<br />
Setting the tone for the season’s review and the award<br />
ceremonies to follow, QOC Secretary General Sheikh<br />
Saoud highlighted the huge support of <strong>Qatar</strong>’s leadership<br />
in promoting the country as a sports hub in the region and<br />
outlined the QOC’s strategy in developing youth and<br />
encouraging talented students to practice sport.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i athletes, he said, took part in a number of major<br />
international events abroad during the season, including<br />
the season’s highlight, the Summer <strong>Olympic</strong> Games in<br />
Beijing, where <strong>Qatar</strong> sent a 22-strong team, the 1st Asian<br />
Beach Games at Bali and the 19th Gulf Cup in Oman,<br />
where <strong>Qatar</strong>’s volleyball and basketball teams took home<br />
the Gulf titles.<br />
The award ceremonies, however, reflected <strong>Qatar</strong>’s<br />
growing competitiveness in a range of sports at regional<br />
and world championship level. The best male athlete of<br />
the season award went to a shooter, Rashid Hamad Al<br />
Adhba, who came second in the double trap at the ISSF<br />
World Cup Shotgun Championship in Egypt and third in<br />
the same category at the ISSF World Cup in Germany.<br />
The talented 10m air-rifle shooter Maytha Al Kubaisi took<br />
the equivalent women’s award.<br />
The best male national team of the year award went to<br />
the <strong>Qatar</strong> National Endurance Team, which took second<br />
place at the Malaysia Equestrian World Cup, while the<br />
women’s national team award went to the <strong>Qatar</strong> Women’s<br />
Chess Team for clinching bronze at the Chess <strong>Olympic</strong>s<br />
in Germany.<br />
The encouragement of youth was a theme that shone<br />
throughout the ceremony. The prestigious ‘Sport Pioneer’<br />
Prize went to His Excellency Sheikh Thamer Bin<br />
Mohammed Al-Thani, Vice President of <strong>Qatar</strong>’s Supreme<br />
Council for Youth, who is one of the founders of the sport<br />
movement in <strong>Qatar</strong>. Meanwhile, the prize for ‘Sports<br />
Innovation’ went to the ‘Schools <strong>Olympic</strong> Day’ project, an<br />
idea which embodies the policy of the QOC and His<br />
Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the QOC<br />
President, in supporting youth and building solid<br />
foundations for a healthy, active life. It should also be<br />
noted that this second edition of the Schools <strong>Olympic</strong><br />
Day, which finished in March at the Aspire Indoor Hall,<br />
14 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport ISSUE 7
o o o o o o o o o<br />
SPORTS<br />
AWARDS<br />
generated great interest from international organisations<br />
and, in particular, the International <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong>.<br />
The performance of youth at elite level was also celebrated<br />
when the <strong>Qatar</strong> Handball Federation won the prestigious<br />
‘Golden Federation’ prize for the performance of its U-16<br />
and U-19 national teams in qualifying for the Handball<br />
Word Cup Finals.<br />
Of course, in a country where football is a national<br />
obsession, the 2008-09 season was especially memorable<br />
for last September’s launch of the revamped <strong>Qatar</strong> Stars<br />
League (eventually won by the Al Gharafa Club) and the<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Football Association’s official bid submission to host<br />
the FIFA World Cup in 2022, which was tabled with FIFA<br />
in May. <strong>Qatar</strong>’s national football team made it to the final<br />
group stage of the Asia-zone World Cup 2010 qualifying<br />
competition, an achievement which will give great<br />
encouragement to new coach Bruno Metsu as he prepares<br />
the team for <strong>Qatar</strong>’s hosting of the Asian Cup in<br />
January 2011.<br />
Preparations have already begun for hosting Asian<br />
football’s showcase tournament, but there will be plenty of<br />
world-class sport in <strong>Qatar</strong> for sports fans to savour<br />
before then.<br />
Last season, said Sheikh Saoud, <strong>Qatar</strong> successfully<br />
organised “a number of mega-events, which helped in<br />
placing the country firmly on the world sports map”.<br />
As part of the Closing Ceremonies celebrations, the<br />
QOC unveiled the logo for the prestigious World Indoor<br />
Athletic Games Championship, to be hosted by <strong>Qatar</strong> in<br />
March 12-14, 2010. This quadrennial ‘mega-event’ will<br />
bring the cream of world athletics to the peninsula, just as<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>’s other sporting spectaculars have attracted some of<br />
the most famous names in their respective sports.<br />
In the 2008/009 season, the highlights included Venus<br />
Williams winning the inaugural Sony Ericsson<br />
Championship in Doha in front of a packed crowd at the<br />
Khalifa Tennis Complex and Andy Murray’s win at the<br />
same venue in the <strong>Qatar</strong> ExxonMobil Open. In<br />
motorsports, Australian rider Casey Stoner won the<br />
MotoGP Grand Prix, staged for the second consecutive<br />
year under lights at the Losail track, and, in cycling, the<br />
Belgian Tom Boonen won his third Tour of <strong>Qatar</strong> in a row,<br />
seeing off the challenge of Tour de France mutiple stage<br />
winner, Mark Cavendish of Great Britain.<br />
The Sony Ericsson Championship was a new event to<br />
Doha, as was the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix at<br />
Doha’s Equestrian Centre and the FINA Diving World<br />
Series at the Hamad Aquatic Centre. All three events<br />
produced great sport, dramatically staged. There was the<br />
same world-class standard of organisation for <strong>Qatar</strong>’s<br />
major golf, table-tennis, athletics, squash and fencing<br />
events.<br />
In a testimony to <strong>Qatar</strong>’s maturing event management<br />
credentials, the <strong>Qatar</strong> Table Tennis Federation received the<br />
‘Ideal Federation’ prize for organising ‘events with highefficiency<br />
which covered the organisation costs’, proof that<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> is no longer reliant on spending power alone to<br />
make great events happen.<br />
Above all, last the season reflected the remarkable<br />
commitment of <strong>Qatar</strong>’s sporting authorities in making<br />
sport an integral part of <strong>Qatar</strong>i life from the top down -<br />
and increasingly from youth level upwards. As Rashid<br />
Hamad Al Adhba Al Adhba, the 20-year-old male athlete<br />
of the year, reflected at the Closing Ceremonies,<br />
“Honouring sport personalities and showing appreciation<br />
for their efforts and competency reflects the interest of our<br />
leadership in supporting young and upcoming talent. It is<br />
an incentive for future generations to aim higher.”<br />
Opposite page: <strong>Qatar</strong>’s<br />
Ibrahim Babakir<br />
Mohammedain competes in<br />
the triple jump at last year’s<br />
Beijing <strong>Olympic</strong> Games.<br />
This page: QOC General<br />
Secretary Sheikh Saoud<br />
presides over the 2008-2009<br />
QOC Sports Awards, where<br />
Khalid Al Mohannadi<br />
representing the Schools<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> Day programme<br />
(far left) received the ‘Sports<br />
Innovation’ Award and<br />
Maytha Al Kubaisi (left)<br />
won the prize for Female<br />
Athlete of the Year.<br />
ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 15
FIVE<br />
ALIVE!<br />
THE NEW 2009-2010 SPORTING<br />
SEASON IN QATAR WILL BRING<br />
SOME OF THE WORD’S GREATS<br />
TO THE PENINSULA IN SEARCH<br />
OF GLORY. BELOW ARE FIVE<br />
MAJOR EVENTS THAT WILL MAKE<br />
THE HEADLINES THIS YEAR.<br />
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League Doha Grand Prix<br />
For many of the world’s top athletes, the IAAF Grand<br />
Prix meeting in Doha signals the start of the competitive<br />
summer season. This season’s event on May 14, 2010,<br />
will launch the IAAF’s new Diamond League series,<br />
which has replaced the Europe-based Golden League as<br />
the top-level athletics series.<br />
History<br />
The first <strong>Qatar</strong> Super Grand Prix took place in April<br />
1997. The event has grown in stature over time and this<br />
year was confirmed among the IAAF’s elite Diamond<br />
League series of 14 athletics meetings worldwide.<br />
Star Performers<br />
A number of famous Olympians have launched their<br />
season successfully in Doha with women’s sprinter<br />
Allyson Felix of America and world javelin number one,<br />
Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen, among the most highprofile<br />
repeat winners.<br />
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships<br />
Some 1,200 athletes and over 500 journalists from around<br />
the globe are expected to descend on Doha when the<br />
capital hosts the 13th IAAF 2010 World Indoor<br />
Championships, which takes places at the Aspire Indoor<br />
Hall, March 12-14.<br />
History<br />
The IAAF World Indoor Championships was inaugurated<br />
in 1985 in Paris, France and is held every two years<br />
alternating with the outdoor IAAF World<br />
Championships. It has been staged primarily in Europe,<br />
except for events in the United States (1987), Canada<br />
(1993) and Japan (1999).<br />
Star Performers<br />
Mozambique’s Maria de Lurdes Mutola claimed an<br />
incredible seven gold medals in the women’s 800m from<br />
1993 to 2006. American decathlete Bryan Clay is the<br />
reigning <strong>Olympic</strong> champion and World Indoor champion<br />
and will be one to watch in Doha.<br />
16 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7
o o o o o o o o o<br />
MAJOR<br />
EVENTS<br />
The 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Championships<br />
The Sony Ericsson Championships Doha 2009, the season-ending showcase of the WTA<br />
Tour, will take place at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, October 27-<br />
November 1. Based on results throughout the 2009 season, the top eight singles women’s<br />
singles players and the top four doubles teams in the Race to Doha will compete for total prize<br />
money of $4.55 million.<br />
History<br />
The Tour Championships were established in 1972 and staged at various US venues before<br />
taking up a 22-year residence at Madison Square Garden, New York. In 2001, the event<br />
moved to Olympiahalle, Munich for one season and in 2006, the Championships were staged<br />
for the first time in Madrid, Spain. In 2008, Doha made its successful debut as hosts..<br />
Star Performers<br />
In the 1970’s and 1980’s Martina Navratilova won eight championship titles, including five<br />
in a row between 1981 and 1986. Last year’s winner was Venus Williams, who beat Russia’s<br />
Vera Zvonareva in three sets in the final.<br />
The 2010 Commercialbank <strong>Qatar</strong> Masters<br />
Doha Golf Club will host the prestigious <strong>Qatar</strong> Masters<br />
tournament, sponsored by Commercialbank (from 2006-<br />
2015) in January 2010 as part of the European and Asian<br />
PGA tours schedule. Since 2007, the tournament has put<br />
up total prize money of $2.5 million.<br />
History<br />
The <strong>Qatar</strong> Masters has been a regular feature on the PGA<br />
European Tour schedule since 1998 and has attracted<br />
some of the world’s best players to the magical desert<br />
course. In 2008, eight of the top 20 players in the world<br />
took part, while, in 2009, 18 from the top 50 competed<br />
for the right to lift the famous oyster shell trophy.<br />
Star Performers<br />
The <strong>Qatar</strong> Masters has been won by some of golf’s<br />
Major-winning greats such as Ernie Els and Retief<br />
Goosen, but Australia’s Adam Scott is the only player to<br />
have won it twice. (2002 and 2008). Last year’s surprise<br />
winner was Alvaro Quiros of Spain (pictured above).<br />
The 2010 <strong>Qatar</strong> ExxonMobil Open 2010<br />
The <strong>Qatar</strong> ExxonMobil Open 2010 will attract 32 of the<br />
world’s best men’s tennis players to the Khalifa<br />
International Tennis & Squash Complex for six days<br />
from January 4- 9 2010, competing for prize money of<br />
over $1 million.<br />
History<br />
In December 1992, the QTF unveiled the state-of-theart<br />
Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha and<br />
within the month, it was hosting its first ATP <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
Open. The event has been graced by the likes of Boris<br />
Becker, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Last year, Rafa<br />
Nadal of Spain (pictured) made his <strong>Qatar</strong> Open debut.<br />
Star Performers<br />
Stefan Edberg (1994 and 1995) and Roger Federer (2005<br />
and 2006) are the only players to have won the <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
Open twice. Last year’s winner was Britain’s Andy Murray<br />
who beat Andy Roddick of America in straight sets in<br />
the final.<br />
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 17
CULTURE OF<br />
EXCELLENCE<br />
This season’s Schools <strong>Olympic</strong><br />
Day programme will focus on<br />
the link between culture and<br />
sport, one of the key principles<br />
of the <strong>Olympic</strong> Movement.<br />
The Opening Ceremony at<br />
the 15th Asian Games Doha<br />
2006 highlighted the rich<br />
artistic and scientific legacy<br />
of Middle Eastern culture.<br />
‘Sport and Culture’ will be the theme behind the third<br />
Schools <strong>Olympic</strong> Day programme, which gets underway<br />
for thousands of <strong>Qatar</strong>i school children this November.<br />
Following the successful promotion of ‘Sport for<br />
Health’ and ‘Sport and the Environment’ in the previous<br />
two editions, the cultural theme was an inspired choice by<br />
the organisers, highlighting as it does, the key role played<br />
by culture in the modern <strong>Olympic</strong> movement.<br />
Page one of the IOC’s <strong>Olympic</strong> Charter states that<br />
“blending sport with culture and education” is a<br />
fundamental principle of Olympism. It’s a philosophy,<br />
moreover, that has its roots in the Games of ancient Greece<br />
more than 2,000 years ago.<br />
The original Olympians not only competed in athletics,<br />
but in literary and musical competitions, and this link<br />
between sport and culture was nurtured by the founder of<br />
the modern <strong>Olympic</strong> movement, Baron Pierre de<br />
Coubertin, who defined Olympism as the “simultaneous<br />
training of the human body and the cultivation of the<br />
intellect and spirit”.<br />
De Coubertin’s dream was to create an environment<br />
where artists and athletes could again be mutually inspired<br />
and today the <strong>Olympic</strong> movement can look back on nearly<br />
a century of cultural achievement.<br />
The first <strong>Olympic</strong> Games to run artistic and sporting<br />
competitions in parallel was the 1912 Games in Stockholm,<br />
Sweden but it wasn’t until Melbourne 1956 that the<br />
organisers staged the first official <strong>Olympic</strong> Arts Festival.<br />
More than three decades later, Barcelona introduced<br />
the first four-year programme in the form of a ‘Cultural<br />
Olympiad’ before the 1992 Games. The Cultural Olympiad<br />
model has now become the norm with organisers typically<br />
designing four thematic festivals - one for each year in the<br />
quadrennial <strong>Olympic</strong> cycle.<br />
One of the most memorable was Sydney’s Cultural<br />
Olympiad, which started with a celebration of indigenous<br />
aboriginal art in its first year and finished with a 75-day<br />
event focused around the iconic Sydney Harbour and<br />
Opera House.<br />
For <strong>Qatar</strong>, the cultural theme at this year’s Schools<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> Day programme will inevitably be more modest<br />
in scale, but it will still strive to develop the link between<br />
sport and culture in all its forms, and encourage cultural<br />
exchange and diversity.<br />
“Introducing kids to sport is not the only goal of the<br />
Schools <strong>Olympic</strong> Day programme,” Khaleel Al Jabir,<br />
Director of of the QOC’s Sports Affairs Department told<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Sport.<br />
“What makes this programme unique in global terms is<br />
that it goes beyond sport into culture and education.<br />
“Last year’s environmental theme, for example, was a<br />
tremendous success and this year, we will ensure that it’s<br />
not just the physical development of the students we<br />
address, but their awareness and understanding of culture<br />
and diversity.”<br />
Al Jabir adds, “The <strong>Olympic</strong> movement regards culture<br />
as the second dimension of Olympism, alongside sport,<br />
and we fully support its philosophy of life, balancing the<br />
qualities of body, will and mind.”<br />
This year’s programme should see some 10,000 students<br />
from more than 100 schools, both public and private,<br />
participate in Schools <strong>Olympic</strong> Day, which is run jointly<br />
by the <strong>Qatar</strong> <strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> and the Ministry<br />
of Education.<br />
18 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport ISSUE 7
o o o o o o o o o<br />
SCHOOLS<br />
OLYMPIC DAY<br />
CULTURE AND THE OLYMPIC<br />
MOVEMENT: SNAPSHOTS<br />
FROM the CULTURAL OLYMPIcS<br />
Clockwise from top left:<br />
Cultural scenes relating to the<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> Games in Athens,<br />
London, Sydney and Beijing.<br />
Atlanta 1996<br />
The Atlanta 1996 Cultural Olympiad developed its<br />
programme around three key themes: Southern [USA]<br />
arts, international arts and young people and the arts. The<br />
programme culminated with the <strong>Olympic</strong> Arts Festival,<br />
which took place throughout the Games and featured<br />
“Rings: Five Passions in World Art,” the first global art<br />
exhibition ever planned in conjunction with the Games.<br />
Sydney 2000<br />
In showcasing the development of modern Australia, the<br />
Sydney Organising <strong>Committee</strong> also presented Sydney<br />
2000 as “an opportunity to show the world the rich culture<br />
of Australia’s indigenous people”. The first year of the<br />
Cultural Olympiad included a festival dedicated to<br />
aboriginal culture and the indigenous culture also featured<br />
strongly in the Sydney <strong>Olympic</strong> Torch Relay (see<br />
photograph) and the Opening Ceremony.<br />
Athens 2004<br />
Between 2001 and 2004, the Cultural Olympiad for the<br />
Athens <strong>Olympic</strong> Games organised events based on the<br />
underlying theme of a ‘Culture of Civilizations’ - a quest<br />
for peace, social cohesion and dialogue through the<br />
exploration of culture. In this context, the culture of<br />
ancient Greece was highlighted with a particular focus on<br />
the ancient Games, as illustrated by the lighting of the<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> Flame at the ancient Olympia site.<br />
Beijing 2008<br />
The <strong>Olympic</strong> Cultural Festival for the Beijing <strong>Olympic</strong><br />
Games was held once a year from 2005-2008 and<br />
combined sports and cultural activities such as mass sports<br />
events and cultural performances to spread the <strong>Olympic</strong><br />
spirit and culture, while introducing the unique<br />
characteristics of Beijing and China to the world. In the<br />
photograph (bottom right), the work of a Chinese sculptor<br />
is showcased at the <strong>Olympic</strong> Sculptures Exhibition in<br />
Beijing in 2006.<br />
London 2012<br />
The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad aims to give<br />
communities throughout the UK the opportunity to<br />
participate. The programme began in September 2008<br />
with an Open Weekend featuring more than 650 arts and<br />
music events, including the stand-out event of the<br />
weekend, a performance art piece where former Olympians<br />
joined with contemporary athletes to run in 30-second<br />
relays through the distinguished halls of Tate Britain, one<br />
of London’s leading public art galleries.<br />
ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 19
o o o o o o o o o<br />
sport<br />
in qatar<br />
Four-time <strong>Olympic</strong> shooter and international<br />
rally star, Nasser Al-Attiyah, is an authentic<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i sporting hero with global appeal.<br />
Above: Nasser at the<br />
wheel of his Red Bull<br />
Volkswagen Touareg<br />
rally car.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> has yet to produce an <strong>Olympic</strong> gold medallist<br />
or world championship winning team, but in Nasser<br />
Al-Attiyah, they have a sporting hero like no other.<br />
A champion in two sports, rallying and shooting,<br />
his extraordinary career path reflects the upward<br />
trajectory of <strong>Qatar</strong>i sport over the last 20 years.<br />
From local champion to multiple Olympian and<br />
international rallying star, he carried the <strong>Qatar</strong> team<br />
flag at the Beijing <strong>Olympic</strong> Games Opening<br />
Ceremony and now has his eyes firmly set on medal<br />
triumph at the London 2012 <strong>Olympic</strong> Games and<br />
the winner’s laurels at the world renowned<br />
Dakar Rally.<br />
His switchback career began in 1990 when, aged<br />
just 20, he won the first of four <strong>Qatar</strong> National Rally<br />
Championships, between 1990 and 1995. But the<br />
story of Nasser Al-Attiyah the skeet shooter has its<br />
origins even earlier on hunting trips with his father<br />
in the formative years of <strong>Qatar</strong>’s sporting<br />
development.<br />
“Having learnt to shoot with my father, I heard<br />
a shooting range was being built by the new shooting<br />
federation that was setting up in <strong>Qatar</strong>,” Al-Attiyah<br />
explains. “I decided to go with a friend and after<br />
entering a small competition, a coach who was<br />
working with the federation came up to me and said<br />
he might give me a chance.<br />
“I laughed and said ‘Maybe’, but he said he’d<br />
seen something in me…so I went into training and<br />
after six months I was entered into a competition in<br />
Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1995.<br />
“I travelled with the <strong>Qatar</strong> team and thought it<br />
would be a holiday. Instead I found that I had got<br />
second place in the Asian Championships and the<br />
coach was jumping up and down because it meant<br />
we’d qualified for the <strong>Olympic</strong> Games! Out of 5,000<br />
shooters in the world, there are only 36 places – and<br />
I’d got the last licence for Atlanta.”<br />
From that moment onwards, Nasser experienced<br />
the kind of commitment and support from <strong>Qatar</strong>’s<br />
ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 21
sporting authorities that would become a feature of his<br />
double career.<br />
“I am proud to represent my country and of the<br />
government and the Emir’s support for all sports because<br />
they have given everyone a chance to do well. Before the<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong>s in Atlanta, I had six months training in Austria<br />
and one month training in Atlanta and I really began to<br />
understand what the <strong>Olympic</strong>s was all about.”<br />
After the 1996 Atlanta Games, he made a choice<br />
between his two sporting passions. “At the time, motorsport<br />
in the Middle East was not strong enough, so I decided to<br />
stick to shooting and really push myself and travel<br />
everywhere for training and competitions. Every year I<br />
improved. At the Sydney <strong>Olympic</strong> Games [in 2000] I got<br />
sixth place and in Athens [2004] I was fourth. It was an<br />
incredible experience.”<br />
Before the Athens Games, however, his sporting career<br />
took another dramatic and unexpected twist. “Suddenly in<br />
2003, the <strong>Qatar</strong> Motor and Motorcycle Federation said<br />
we need someone who can win the <strong>Qatar</strong> International<br />
Rally, which had not been won by a <strong>Qatar</strong>i since 1993,”<br />
says Al-Attiyah.<br />
“I said I will try but I will need many things, including<br />
the approval of the shooting federation and the full<br />
[technical] support of <strong>Qatar</strong>’s motorsports federation. So<br />
we went to England to talk to David Richard at Prodrive<br />
and he said he had a car, a Subaru, which had been driven<br />
that year by Tommi Makkinen. We took this car back to<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> and won the race!”<br />
With the <strong>Qatar</strong> International Rally under his belt, the<br />
federation encouraged him to stay behind the wheel for<br />
the entire FIA Middle East Championship series. “I was so<br />
busy preparing for the <strong>Olympic</strong> Games in Athens, but it<br />
was a strange feeling. I said I wanted to stop rallying, but I<br />
also wanted to do motorsports! In the end, I won three<br />
more races and we won the Middle East Championship.”<br />
In Athens, Al-Attiyah’s good form continued. He<br />
scored a brilliant 25 out of 25 in the second round of the<br />
skeet competition to reach a shoot-off for third place,<br />
where a miss on his third shot denied him the bronze<br />
medal. Does he blame his rally-driving commitments for<br />
this marginal error? Not one bit. On the contrary, he says,<br />
“Rally driving has helped me a lot with my shooting. It’s<br />
all about concentration and confidence. In rallying, if you<br />
make a mistake you will have a crash, but if you don’t you<br />
will get good times. In shooting, if there are no misses you<br />
will get good results. One helps the other. Sometimes I’d<br />
get bored of the shooting and rallying would be a real<br />
pleasure and vice versa.”<br />
Perhaps the only exception to this rule was at the 2008<br />
Beijing <strong>Olympic</strong>s where he admits that his preparations<br />
were far from perfect - the result of an intense competition<br />
schedule in rallying which coincided with a period of<br />
stunning success.<br />
In a flurry of Grand Prix wins, Al-Attiyah won the<br />
2006 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship<br />
(PWRC) at only his third attempt and then, in 2008, he<br />
entered the history books as the first driver ever to win a<br />
22 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport ISSUE 7
Opposite page: Nasser<br />
prepares to shoot during the<br />
2007 ISSF World Shooting<br />
Championship. This page:<br />
Nasser carries the <strong>Qatar</strong> flag<br />
at the Opening Ceremony to<br />
the Beijing <strong>Olympic</strong>s.<br />
o o o o o o o o o<br />
star<br />
in qatar<br />
“EVERYONE OF US HAS A<br />
DREAM AND YOU HAVE<br />
TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF<br />
TO REALISE YOUR DREAM<br />
BECAUSE NOTHING<br />
IS IMPOSSIBLE.”<br />
hat-trick of FIA Championships in the same year. He<br />
followed his victories in the FIA Cup for Cross Country<br />
Baja, and the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies<br />
with a new title in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship<br />
2008 (MERC) .<br />
His international success, he says, has not only brought<br />
satisfaction for himself but important sporting recognition<br />
for the country he represents. “<strong>Qatar</strong> is a very small<br />
country but winning sends out a message that we have<br />
good sports people, good support and we are trying to<br />
improve,” he says.<br />
“Sport can change a country and how people perceive<br />
it: when you win, the flag of <strong>Qatar</strong> goes up and it helps to<br />
make the country more famous. When I first competed in<br />
Argentina in 1994, for example, they didn’t know about<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>; now they follow what I do and search the internet<br />
to find out more about <strong>Qatar</strong>’s history.”<br />
More broadly, he is proud of his country’s event-hosting<br />
achievements and ambitions over recent years. “We were<br />
the first country in the Middle East to put on the Asian<br />
Games in 2006 and afterward I was really happy we tried<br />
for the <strong>Olympic</strong> Games. It didn’t work out, but I think we<br />
will try again.<br />
“As for the 2022 FIFA World Cup bid, I spoke to<br />
Sheikh Mohammed, who is leading the bid and offered to<br />
put advertising on my car for the event, which I will start<br />
to do from next year. I will be an ambassador for the bid<br />
and do all I can to support it.”<br />
Al-Attiyah clearly appreciates the backing he has<br />
received from the <strong>Qatar</strong>i leadership, which has been a<br />
constant source of inspiration throughout his career.<br />
“I decided early on in my career that I must do<br />
something for my country. The government, the Emir and<br />
Sheikh Tamim have always been very supportive in terms<br />
of resources but also on a personal level. Sheikh Tamim<br />
said to me, ‘Nasser. we will win the Middle East<br />
Championships’, then ‘We will win the Production Car<br />
Championships’ and now the Dakar Rally.”<br />
In fact, as the official driver for the Volkswagen Red<br />
Bull team, Al-Attiyah believes he has “a real chance” to<br />
fulfil this ambition before going on to win a medal at<br />
London 2012.<br />
“It was a great moment to carry the flag at the Opening<br />
Ceremony [in Beijing] and I had so many friends<br />
supporting me but I also knew I was not really ready for<br />
the competition. Now I am 100 per cent geared to the<br />
next <strong>Olympic</strong>s. I cannot drop rallying, it helps me to<br />
produce a lot of good performances in the shooting, but<br />
what I will do is reduce my schedule from 22 to six races<br />
[just the PRWC] in 2011.”<br />
If he succeeds, Al-Attiyah’s place in the hearts of <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
sports fans will be secure. “People here need local heroes. I<br />
remember that the shooting federation used to have just<br />
10 shooters, now there are 80, including women. I also see<br />
it in the schools where the children want to be like Nasser.<br />
Everyone of us has a dream and you have to believe in<br />
yourself to realise your dream because nothing<br />
is impossible.”<br />
ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 23
FROM DOHA<br />
TO THE WORLD<br />
The QOC-based<br />
Global Sport Fund<br />
is breaking new<br />
ground with sports<br />
camps in three<br />
continents.<br />
The Global Sport Fund (GSF), the unique partnership<br />
between the QOC and the United Nations Office on<br />
Drugs and Crime, will roll out its third youth camp in this<br />
calendar year when it takes its youth-in-sport message to<br />
Banten, Indonesia in November.<br />
The camp will be the culmination of the most successful<br />
year yet for the global initiative, which uses sport to teach<br />
young people about healthy life skills.<br />
In February, the GSF hosted 180 students and coaches<br />
from 17 different countries in Cairo, Egypt, and, in July,<br />
around 150 participants from 14 countries spent six days<br />
at the <strong>Olympic</strong> Training Centre in Spala, Poland.<br />
The camp in the West-Javan province of Banten will<br />
conclude the year’s activities as the GSF reaches out to 11-<br />
13 year-olds from the Association of Southeast<br />
Asian Nations.<br />
It’s a fast expanding programme and according to GSF<br />
Project Coordinator, Carl Marsh, the campaign is<br />
continuing on a steep learning curve. “In Cairo earlier this<br />
year, we were challenged not only by the sheer size of the<br />
gathering, but the complexity of training in two distinct<br />
disciplines - football and volleyball – with participants<br />
coming from many language groups.<br />
“You also had to consider in the fact that not only are<br />
the youngsters learning, but the coaches are learning the<br />
technique of using sport as a teaching tool.<br />
“Cairo showed us once more that when the activities<br />
promote fun and learning, rather than winning and<br />
competition, everyone benefits from an experience that is<br />
both innovative and do-able.”<br />
The Cairo model, says Marsh, was ‘refined and expanded’<br />
for Spala, Poland. “We focused, for example, on getting<br />
more girls to participate in the youth camp. We also<br />
simplified the message to promote after-school sporting<br />
activities in the schools themselves using the GSF model.<br />
“We want to encourage more after-school sporting<br />
activities, using school facilities as well as private facilities,<br />
so that children do more productive things in what you<br />
might call their idle hours,” says Marsh.<br />
Significantly, it’s an aim that chimes with the<br />
programmes currently advanced by the Polish government,<br />
which is laying down some 3,000 sporting areas across the<br />
country, featuring artificial turf football pitches (30m x<br />
62m) and multifunctional basketball and volleyball courts,<br />
for children and parents to practice on at the end of the<br />
school day.<br />
Turning to the role of coaches in Poland, Marsh adds,<br />
“The distinction in terms of what we do from that of many<br />
other sporting bodies is that we pay serious attention to<br />
making the sports coach into a teacher.<br />
“We show coaches how they can present discussions<br />
about teamwork, fair play, and character-building to these<br />
kids and then test the learning in practice by playing<br />
matches. Many organisations use sport for sport itself with<br />
an emphasis on winning and getting the prizes. If winning<br />
is the only thing, however, then this approach can lead to<br />
behaviours that do not bring out the best in youth.”<br />
The Spala project came about as a result of the visit to<br />
the QOC by the Polish Minister of Sport and Tourism,<br />
Mirosław Drzewiecki; and the encouraging trend for<br />
24 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport ISSUE 7
o o o o o o o o o<br />
GLOBAL<br />
SPORT FUND<br />
“WE SHOW COACHES HOW THEY<br />
CAN PRESENT DISCUSSIONS<br />
ABOUT TEAMWORK, FAIR PLAY,<br />
AND CHaracter-BUILDING.”<br />
Marsh is that the joint QOC and UNODC initiative is<br />
getting positive feedback and developing cooperative<br />
relationships with governments, sporting organisations<br />
and leading figures in sport from around the world.<br />
When <strong>Olympic</strong> sprint legend Carl Lewis visited the<br />
QOC building earlier this year, he communicated sport’s<br />
role as a confidence builder for disabled students. A<br />
subsequent visit by the former National Football League<br />
(NFL) Commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, saw another<br />
meeting of minds on youth development.<br />
“When high-profile sports personalities come to the<br />
QOC building they also include a stop to see the GSF<br />
operations on the 15th floor,” says Marsh. “It’s an<br />
opportunity to show the sports world what we do and to<br />
explore common approaches, which could lead to<br />
collaboration and possible joint efforts.<br />
“Sports personalities are natural allies. The former NFL<br />
Commissioner is still very connected to that world and<br />
recognises that the foundation for any professional athlete<br />
begins in amateur sport. Social skills development is part<br />
of the preparatory work needed for the professional world<br />
- and perhaps if professionals better understood the<br />
principles of fair play and were educated about the harm<br />
caused by drug abuse and doping, it would make for<br />
better sport.”<br />
It should be added that the initiative has had another<br />
beneficial side effect: putting the QOC at the forefront of<br />
leading-edge thinking on sport and social change worldwide.<br />
“<strong>Qatar</strong> became our partner when we needed one to combat<br />
worrying trends of youngsters ending up in prison systems<br />
and drug treatment facilities,” Marsh explains.<br />
“We are looking at a preventative approach as the best<br />
way to find solutions and <strong>Qatar</strong> is of the same mind. The<br />
GSF gets significant logistical support for the programme<br />
from <strong>Qatar</strong>. This capacity is evident when it comes to<br />
arranging the support needed for youth camps.<br />
“The involvement also gives <strong>Qatar</strong>i youngsters a chance<br />
to participate in all GSF youth camps, gain experience and<br />
share ideas and work to become the future sports leaders<br />
in <strong>Qatar</strong>.”<br />
For now, however, the QOC’s existing leadership is<br />
doing all that it can to make the project work and grow as<br />
an international movement. “The QOC is a National<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> with a very international outlook,”<br />
says Marsh. “We see it providing other countries such as<br />
Palestine, Eritrea and Tunisia among others, with help to<br />
develop human talent and sports assets. Sport is a way to<br />
reach out to the world.<br />
“In many ways, Sheikh Saoud is a torch-bearer for the<br />
Global Sport Fund. For him it is a unique programme. It<br />
is the only one, as far as we know, to involve a National<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> <strong>Committee</strong> as a partner with a UN programme<br />
and like the Schools <strong>Olympic</strong> Day, it is very close to<br />
his heart.<br />
“He once told me that whenever he meets The Heir<br />
Apparent Sheikh Tamim, the President of the QOC, the<br />
Schools <strong>Olympic</strong> Day and the Global Sport Fund are<br />
always discussed. Given this attention, it is even more<br />
important that we seize this opportunity to reach out and<br />
make sport a regular and positive part of children’s lives.”<br />
Scenes from the Global<br />
Sport Fund Camp held this<br />
summer in Spala, Poland..<br />
For more information<br />
on the Global Sport<br />
Fund please go to:<br />
http://www.<br />
globalsportfund.com<br />
ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 25
DRESSED<br />
TO IMPRESS<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>i football has become a key marketing platform<br />
for Burrda, the Swiss-owned sportswear brand.<br />
In the Middle Eastern sportswear industry, it’s tough to<br />
hold your own against massive market-leaders like Nike<br />
and Adidas. And then there’s the challenge from Chinese<br />
brands such as Li Ning and Anta.<br />
But one company doing a good job is Switzerlandbased<br />
Pilatus Sports Management, which has emerged as a<br />
key player in the Gulf thanks to the roll-out of its flagship<br />
Burrda brand. In recent times, Pilatus has secured<br />
partnerships with the <strong>Qatar</strong> Football Association and six<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Stars League clubs as well as the Kuwait Football<br />
Association. As a result, Burrda has quickly established<br />
itself as one of the best-known sports brands in the region.<br />
In the case of the QFA deal, Burrda now provides kit to<br />
the <strong>Qatar</strong> national football team, a relationship which has<br />
significantly increased its exposure.<br />
Just as importantly, it has also gained access to the<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Stars League (QSL), the elite division, which<br />
launched at the start of 2008/09 and has expanded from<br />
10 to 12 clubs for the 2009/10 campaign.<br />
For Burrda, the decision to launch in the Gulf makes<br />
sense for a number of reasons. Firstly, because Europe and<br />
the US are dominated by big brands, it’s harder for startups<br />
like Burrda to get a look in. Secondly, the Gulf is a<br />
fast-growing sports market with a reputation for being<br />
innovative and leading edge, which suits ambitious<br />
new brands.<br />
As the company said, in support of its deal with the<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Football Association, “<strong>Qatar</strong> has the vision to<br />
promote traditional sports and to introduce modern events<br />
on a worldwide stage. Sporting facilities are among the<br />
finest in the world and fans have a passion equal to other<br />
world-famous sporting hubs around the globe. This makes<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> a perfect launch pad for us.”<br />
But there is third reason why outfitting <strong>Qatar</strong>’s best<br />
26 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport ISSUE 7
Burrda’s kit for the <strong>Qatar</strong> national team<br />
during this year’s World Cup qualifiers<br />
featured an all-white away strip and a classic<br />
maroon uniform worn by the <strong>Qatar</strong>i squad for<br />
home matches.<br />
o o o o o o o o o<br />
Partners<br />
in sport<br />
makes business sense for the Burrda brand: the sportswear<br />
has been specially designed to help maximise performance<br />
in hot and humid conditions. With this in mind, where<br />
better to stress-test this proposition than the sun-drenched<br />
shores of the Gulf?<br />
According to Pilatus, the key difference between its<br />
own sportswear products and those of its major rivals is<br />
that they have developed “lighter materials than the heavy<br />
cottons that are often used in the field of elite sport”.<br />
At the same time, the Pilatus team has introduced a new<br />
fabric construction, which helps regulate the athlete’s<br />
temperature. Overall, this means Burrda clothing can help<br />
athletes endure the rigours of the Middle Eastern climate.<br />
The Burrda brand proposition, however, is not just built<br />
on the notion that it aids elite performance, but also that it<br />
looks stylish and is very comfortable to wear. While the link<br />
with the <strong>Qatar</strong> national team is the ultimate in terms of<br />
prestige, Burrda’s involvement in <strong>Qatar</strong>’s new-look soccer<br />
league has been a coup for Pilatus.<br />
As the QSL’s apparel partner, Pilatus is responsible for<br />
providing QSL management with official uniforms and<br />
licensed merchandise, while being official kit supplier for<br />
six QSL teams, including the current champions<br />
Al Gharafa. Last season, the Swiss international Hakan<br />
Yakin acted as a brand ambassador for Burrda during his<br />
one-year stint with Al Gharafa and this season, Juninho,<br />
the Brazilian midfielder who made his name with<br />
Olympique Lyonnais in France, will become the latest<br />
high-profile international player to wear the brand in Al<br />
Gharafa’s colours.<br />
Burrda, it should be added, is also official apparel<br />
merchandise partner for nine QSL clubs, which allows it<br />
to provide items like kits, caps, t-shirts, scarves and other<br />
accessories to <strong>Qatar</strong>’s leading clubs.<br />
Being given the opportunity to update the kits and provide<br />
merchandising apparel is a fantastic way for Burrda to<br />
become part of a widely-reported story, according to<br />
Pilatus sales and marketing manager, Joe Thorburn.<br />
As Thorburn points out, part of the appeal of the QSL<br />
deal is that Burrda can be seen in-stadium at match-time.<br />
And by linking up with clubs, rather than just the league<br />
itself, the brand is able to make an emotional connection<br />
with fans via some of the most popular club teams in<br />
Middle Eastern football.<br />
Drilling down even further, Burrda has started signing<br />
up individual stars as brand ambassadors, including <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
national team star Bilal Abdelrahman who now plays for<br />
Al Kharaitiyat. The fact that both <strong>Qatar</strong>i and Kuwaiti<br />
professional football have jumped on board the Burrda<br />
bandwagon is seen as a resounding endorsement of the<br />
brand’s claims - and a point of great pride for Pilatus.<br />
It should also trigger the rollout of licensed products<br />
and merchandise in the region, an ambition that has been<br />
bolstered by a further deal to supply QSL ball-boys with<br />
their match kits at all QSL matches, adding to Burdda’s<br />
presence on match-day.<br />
Pilatus started by targeting elite football with the<br />
Burrda brand because football is so high profile and lends<br />
itself well to a merchandising strategy. However going<br />
forward the company’s goal is to expand the range of its<br />
activities across a number of major sports.<br />
Alongside its work with <strong>Qatar</strong>i soccer, for example,<br />
Burrda also supplied the apparel for <strong>Qatar</strong>’s <strong>Olympic</strong> Team<br />
and officials during the 2008 Beijing <strong>Olympic</strong>s. In<br />
particular, it has identified sports such as golf, basketball<br />
and running as potential areas for growth.<br />
Burrda hasn’t just sat back and waited for the<br />
sponsorship to have an impact either. It has been running<br />
ad campaigns which illustrate Burrda’s USP: the ability to<br />
stay cool in hot and competitive conditions. Using the<br />
strapline ‘Wear The Cool’, a number of Arabic and<br />
English-language poster designs have been rolled out<br />
across <strong>Qatar</strong>. In them, athletes from different sports are<br />
seen competing inside a giant ice cube - set against a desert<br />
backdrop!<br />
Clearly, Burrda has made a good start on the road to<br />
being regarded as a major player - and respected partner -<br />
in this competitive sector.<br />
While <strong>Qatar</strong> may not be big in population terms,<br />
Burrda - like many other players in the sports marketing<br />
sector - clearly believes it is a country which punches above<br />
its weight. As the 2006 Asian Games in Doha showed, the<br />
sporting world takes notice of what is happening in <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
and the QSL already looks like one of the best football<br />
leagues in Asia. Pilatus will hope that its new <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
connections will boost the company’s own ambitions in<br />
the region...and further afield. With Asian football’s<br />
showcase event, the Asian Cup, coming to <strong>Qatar</strong> in 2011,<br />
the Burrda brand will never have a better chance to make<br />
its mark across the wider Asian market.<br />
ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 27
Arab Cycling Championship<br />
Sony Ericsson Championship<br />
Global Champions Tour<br />
IAAF Golden League: Memorial Van Damme Brussels, Belgium 04/09/2009<br />
IAAF Grand Prix rieti, Italy 06/09/2009<br />
FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix Monza, Italy 13/09/2009<br />
The Walker Cup (golf) Pennsylvania, USA 12/09/2009<br />
Tour of Britain (cycling) Great Britain 12/09/2009<br />
FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Singapore 25/09/2009<br />
Technical Gymnastics International Tournament aspire 28/09/2009<br />
FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix Fiji Speedway, Japan 04/10/2009<br />
China Open (tennis) Beijing, China 03/10/2009<br />
Presidents Cup (golf) California, USA 06/10/2009<br />
World Gymnastics Championships London, England 12/10/2009<br />
FIA Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix Sao Paulo, Brazil 18/10/2009<br />
Arab Cycling Championship <strong>Qatar</strong> 23/10/2009<br />
Sony Ericsson Doha 2009 Tournament Khalifa Tennis Complex 26/10/2009<br />
Track Cycling World Cup Classic Manchester , England 30/10/2009<br />
FIA Formula 1 United Arab Emirates Grand Prix abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 01/11/2009<br />
New York Marathon new York, USA 01/11/2009<br />
Global Tour International Equestrian Tournament Equestrian Federation Facilities 11/11/2009<br />
Asian Adults Fencing Championship aspire 13/11/2009<br />
Doha 4th. International Handball Championship al Gharafa Sports Club 17/11/2009<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> 2009 Classic Squash Championship Khalifa Tennis Complex 17/11/2009<br />
The Dubai World Championship (golf) dubai, United Arab Emirates 19/11/2009<br />
ATP Barclays World Tour Finals (tennis) London, England 22/11/2009<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> Golden Cup Championship Weightlifting & Body Building Sheraton Hotel 29/11/2009<br />
Events diary - International and <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 29
GettiNG<br />
StARteD<br />
THE ASPIRE ACTIVE PROGRAMME IS HELPING QATARIS TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP<br />
TOWARDS AN ACHIEVABLE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.<br />
Around the world, <strong>Qatar</strong>’s ASPIRE Academy has become<br />
synonymous with sporting excellence. But, closer to home, it<br />
is just as well-known for its commitment to health and fitness<br />
exercise in the community. Under the ASPIRE ACTIVE<br />
banner, the Academy has created a series of fitness and health<br />
exercise programmes to cater for every strata of society.<br />
Regardless of age, status or gender, the goal is to create a<br />
society which understands the importance of leading a<br />
healthy, active lifestyle - and what it requires to achieve this.<br />
This commitment is more important than ever right now,<br />
says Maryam Mohamed Bakheet, Programme Assistant for<br />
the Special Active programme at ASPIRE ACTIVE. “The<br />
pressures of modern living are the same in <strong>Qatar</strong> as in the US<br />
and Europe. Lack of movement, easy availability of fast foods<br />
and our increasing pace of life means there is less time for<br />
important matters such as exercise, eating correctly and taking<br />
care of your body and your family’s health.”<br />
ASPIRE ACTIVE has been set up to combat this problem<br />
by helping people to help themselves. The indications are that<br />
this is beginning to deliver results. “We have had thousands of<br />
people coming to our classes - from mothers with babies right<br />
through to the older generation,” says ASPIRE ACTIVE’s<br />
Project Coordinator Dr Leonieke Richardson. “Our state-ofthe-art<br />
facilities, exercise and fitness training expertise have<br />
started to have a real impact on people’s lives.” ASPIRE’s<br />
sporting and exercise facilities are now world-famous. Less<br />
well-known perhaps is the quality of its sports science-certified<br />
exercise and fitness training staff, who have been selected both<br />
from within <strong>Qatar</strong> and internationally.<br />
For instructors like Maryam, ASPIRE ACTIVE is more<br />
than just a job, it’s part of a great nation-building exercise.<br />
“My purpose here is to serve <strong>Qatar</strong> as a role model,” she<br />
explains. “Our instructors are here to educate and inform<br />
people about how to take the first step towards leading an<br />
achievable healthy lifestyle.”<br />
This isn’t just about turning up at ASPIRE and working<br />
out in the gym or group fitness exercise class. For many people<br />
who have not participated in physical activity for a long time,<br />
there is a psychological barrier to starting again.<br />
“I think one of ASPIRE ACTIVE’s greatest strengths is<br />
its sensitivity to the needs of different groups,” explains Nayla<br />
Saad Massoud, a Children’s Course instructor at AA. “To get<br />
people participating, activities must be structured and<br />
designed so as to grab the interest of specific local target<br />
audiences. Importantly, we offer classes in separate locations<br />
for men and women.<br />
30 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport ISSUE 7
Opposite page: Mothers<br />
and their children<br />
participate in “Mothers<br />
Day” part of the ASPIRE<br />
ACTIVE programme<br />
to encourage health and<br />
fitness among <strong>Qatar</strong>i<br />
people of all ages.<br />
o o o o o o o o o<br />
Health &<br />
Society<br />
“Our classes are carefully structured so that there is a wide<br />
variety available - catering for beginners, those who haven’t<br />
exercised for a long time and those who have never participated<br />
in formal exercise classes. We also offer introductory<br />
movement classes for children aged five and under and<br />
mother-child classes.<br />
“We offer dance, fitness swimming and general fitness<br />
classes for teenagers and for children in grades 1 through 9<br />
who want to learn sports, we send them to the ASPIRE<br />
Academy Sport Skill Development Centre which has the<br />
same programme and instructor quality but focuses on<br />
teaching sports skills.”<br />
The point about separate female facilities is crucial in<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong>, says Nayla. “At AA, we respect cultures, values and<br />
traditions. So, for example, our ladies and their families know<br />
they can safely participate in an all-ladies environment.<br />
Making all your clients feel comfortable and safe in your<br />
location is the key to keeping them.” Dr Richardson expands<br />
on this point. “We don’t just import fitness programmes from<br />
other countries. We design programmes that have cultural<br />
appeal. For us, the issue is how to balance the traditional<br />
culture within <strong>Qatar</strong> with the needs of a modern society.”<br />
Great facilities, instructor expertise and excellent exercise<br />
programmes are all important, but they are only part of what<br />
it takes to get a country’s population on the move. “ASPIRE’s<br />
communications team works hard to market the full range of<br />
services available at the Academy,” says Dr Richardson.<br />
“AA focuses strongly on hosting schools, kindergartens<br />
and clubs at the ASPIRE Dome for fun educational activity<br />
sessions. We also visit with local organisations and liaise<br />
closely with key partners when it comes to spreading the<br />
message about exercise and healthy lifestyle.<br />
“We also make sure that we have a presence at major events<br />
so that people can talk to us about what we have to offer.<br />
People often call us the ‘Blue Brigade’ because of the blue<br />
ASPIRE activewear uniform we wear to make our presence<br />
more visible.”<br />
ASPIRE ACTIVE’s own regular fitness exercise challenge<br />
events are popular and varied. In addition to a wide range of<br />
exercise and recreational activities, there is an aquatic fitness<br />
and exercise programme, which has generated a very good<br />
response among men, women and children in its first year.<br />
Underlining AA’s social inclusiveness message, the core<br />
aim of the programme is to improve day-to-day fitness levels<br />
- not produce <strong>Olympic</strong> athletes, explained Swimming<br />
Programme Leader, Csilla Winteroube, in a recent media<br />
interview. “It enables the participants to achieve fitness and<br />
shed body weight through its various training methods,” she<br />
adds. As with ASPIRE ACTIVE’s other programmes, it has<br />
worked wonders for women, says Winteroube. “More and<br />
more women are coming forward. Arabic women find it ideal<br />
to train in the closed aquatic centre at the Ladies Club.”<br />
Another aspect that the ASPIRE Active team focuses on<br />
is winning over members within extended <strong>Qatar</strong>i families.<br />
Experience shows that support from family members is very<br />
valuable because they can spread the health message to close<br />
relatives. This ‘hearts and minds’ strategy is not just valuable<br />
in terms of encouraging exercise but also in changing diet,<br />
says Hala Daher, LifeStyle Instructor and Nutritionist at<br />
ASPIRE ACTIVE. “Diet and exercise walk hand in hand<br />
when it comes to maintaining your health. So talking to<br />
family members means we can influence the food they<br />
prepare at big social gatherings. <strong>Qatar</strong>i social life is based a<br />
lot around such gatherings so it is a good way for us to spread<br />
the health message.”<br />
Once again, there is need for a balance, says Hala. “We<br />
do need to change some of the bad eating habits in the<br />
Gulfto combat health problems connected to obesity, but<br />
our special nutrition and lifestyle sessions are not about<br />
putting people on a starvation diet. They are about educating<br />
people to understand what is at stake. Our programmes<br />
must be enjoyable and realistic if they are to work.”<br />
ASPIRE ACTIVE’s ambitions are also helped by the<br />
fact that the commitment to national health is high on the<br />
political agenda. “The <strong>Qatar</strong> government takes the nation’s<br />
health and well-being very seriously,” says Maryam. Nayla<br />
agrees. “Look at its investment in ASPIRE. The Academy is<br />
a shining example of how a healthy and active lifestyle can<br />
be encouraged across all sectors of the community.” In a<br />
similar vein, Doha’s decision to host the Asian Games in<br />
2006 has had a knock-on effect across the wider community.<br />
“I think it has encouraged people to try and lead a healthier<br />
lifestyle,” says Dr Richardson. “It has also encouraged people<br />
to consider physical education as a career. We were talking<br />
to one young ASPIRE ACTIVE female staff member<br />
recently who was inspired to study physical education work<br />
at ASPIRE as a result of the Games. That’s the kind of story<br />
that makes us very happy!”<br />
Panel: ASPIRE ACTIVE’s Core Goals:<br />
Through ASPIRE ACTIVE, the ASPIRE Academy has<br />
educated the community about the importance of<br />
regular physical activity and its relationship to<br />
prevention of chronic diseases related to sedentary<br />
lifestyles. To further advance this effort, Aspire Active<br />
has drawn up the following goals:<br />
• Spread a culture and understanding of the value<br />
and importance of leading a healthy lifestyle<br />
• Build trust and enjoyment through exercise<br />
and recreational physical activity<br />
• Develop participants’ capabilities and technique<br />
• Strengthen muscles and build endurance<br />
Improve fitness through a strong heart and lungs<br />
•<br />
For further information on ASPIRE ACTIVE exercise<br />
and fitness programs for children, teenagers and adults,<br />
call 413 6219 - 413 6245 - 413 6489 - 413 6472<br />
For information on ASPIRE Sport Skill Development<br />
Centers for children in grades 1 through 9, call 413 6570<br />
• Erase back pain and imbalances in muscles/joints ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 31
www.doha2010wic.com<br />
Challenging the limits<br />
The only<br />
barrier...<br />
Myself<br />
The 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships, Doha 2010<br />
Aspire Dome 12 - 14 March<br />
See the greatest athletes of our time challenge the limits of human ambition and their<br />
own limits of personal achievement.<br />
Witness the enthralling, exhilarating and explosive drama unfold.<br />
World class athletes. World class event. World class venue.
WORLD SPORTS<br />
RANKINGS<br />
THE BEST OF THE BEST IN SPORT… AT A GLANCE<br />
Brazil claimed the<br />
FIFA number one<br />
spot after winning<br />
the Confederations<br />
Cup; Roger Federer<br />
and Dinara Safina<br />
are back on top of the<br />
men’s and women’s<br />
tennis rankings.<br />
World Football - at 01/07/09<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
11<br />
12<br />
13<br />
14<br />
15<br />
85<br />
86<br />
86<br />
88<br />
89<br />
Brazil<br />
Spain<br />
Netherlands<br />
Italy<br />
Germany<br />
Russia<br />
England<br />
Argentina<br />
France<br />
Croatia<br />
Greece<br />
USA<br />
Switzerland<br />
Serbia<br />
Denmark<br />
--<br />
Cuba<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong><br />
Peru<br />
Grenada<br />
Congo<br />
1672<br />
1590<br />
1379<br />
1229<br />
1207<br />
1161<br />
1135<br />
1091<br />
1082<br />
1031<br />
1001<br />
983<br />
930<br />
925<br />
909<br />
383<br />
380<br />
380<br />
379<br />
378<br />
World Basketball - at 12/07/09<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
26<br />
27<br />
28<br />
29<br />
30<br />
Argentina<br />
USA<br />
Spain<br />
Greece<br />
Serbia<br />
Lithuania<br />
Germany<br />
Italy<br />
China<br />
Australia<br />
--<br />
Korea<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong><br />
Uruguay<br />
Mexico<br />
Panama<br />
881.0<br />
868.2<br />
739.0<br />
509.0<br />
469.0<br />
381.0<br />
329.0<br />
308.0<br />
257.7<br />
234.0<br />
49.5<br />
39.8<br />
36.0<br />
35.2<br />
34.6<br />
Men’s Tennis - at 06/07/09<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
Roger Federer (SUI)<br />
Rafael Nadal (ESP)<br />
Andy Murray (GBR)<br />
Novk Djokovic (SRB)<br />
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)<br />
Andy Roddick (USA)<br />
Giles Simon (FRA)<br />
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)<br />
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)<br />
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)<br />
11,220<br />
11,220<br />
10,735<br />
9,450<br />
8,150<br />
5,705<br />
5,440<br />
4,000<br />
3,600<br />
3,500<br />
3,185<br />
World Golf - at 02/07/09<br />
Women’s Tennis - at 06/07/09<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
Tiger Woods (USA)<br />
Phil Mickelson (USA)<br />
Paul Casey (ENG)<br />
Kenny Perry (USA)<br />
Sergio Garcia (ESP)<br />
Henrik Stenson (SWE)<br />
Geoff Ogilvy (AUS)<br />
Steve Stricker (USA)<br />
Jim Furyk (USA)<br />
Vijay Singh (FJI)<br />
10.28<br />
8.44<br />
6.91<br />
6.42<br />
6.19<br />
5.96<br />
5.93<br />
5.34<br />
4.98<br />
4.92<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
Dinara Safina (RUS)<br />
Serena Williams (USA)<br />
Venus Williams (USA)<br />
Elena Dementieva (RUS)<br />
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)<br />
Jelena Jankovic (SRB)<br />
Vera Zvonareva (RUS)<br />
Victoria Azarenka (BLR)<br />
Carolina Wozniacki (DEN)<br />
Nadia Petrova (RUS)<br />
10,521<br />
8,758<br />
6,617<br />
6,591<br />
6,071<br />
5,980<br />
5,400<br />
5,066<br />
4,780<br />
3,300<br />
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 33
QAtAr is getting it<br />
right – top-leVel<br />
support, A coherent<br />
nAtionAl strAtegy,<br />
recognising the<br />
Multiple roles<br />
thAt sport fulfils.<br />
34 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport ISSUE 7
Asia will the be the greatest influence on<br />
sport in this century with the Middle East<br />
taking a leading role, says sports analyst,<br />
Professor Simon Chadwick.<br />
Professor Simon Chadwick is a founder and director<br />
of CIBS - the Centre for the International Business of<br />
Sport at Coventry University in the UK. He has worked<br />
as a consultant on a number of sports projects, including<br />
those related to the economic and commercial impact of<br />
sporting mega-events and the international development<br />
of sports markets. In recent months Professor Chadwick<br />
has become well-known for his work with Mastercard on a<br />
series of reports examining the economic and commercial<br />
impact of the UEFA European Championships and the<br />
UEFA Champions League. Below, he casts his expert eye<br />
over the Middle East and the dynamic role played by sport<br />
in the region and, in particular, <strong>Qatar</strong>.<br />
How has the role of the Middle East in world sport<br />
changed in recent years?<br />
Over the course of the last decade, the Middle East has<br />
really begun to emerge as an important constituent of the<br />
world sporting landscape. I think there are a number of<br />
elements to this. Firstly, the Middle East has become a<br />
major source of finance that is helping to sustain and build<br />
sport, both regionally and globally. Secondly, the Middle<br />
East has emerged as a location for sport and as an event<br />
destination, attracting governing bodies and administrative<br />
organisations to the region, as well as major sporting<br />
events. Thirdly, the value of Middle East sporting markets<br />
is being recognised across the world, with countries in the<br />
region becoming important target markets,. Fourthly, the<br />
political influence of countries, and of specific individuals,<br />
is becoming much more obvious.<br />
The final elements in the region’s sporting profile, and<br />
something I know countries are working towards, is a<br />
successful bid to host one of the world’s leading sporting<br />
mega-events, and to deliver a succession of top-level<br />
athletes and teams that are able to consistently compete<br />
and succeed at the highest levels of world sport.<br />
Overall, I think the next century is a very important<br />
one for the Middle East. In the 19th century, the European<br />
socio-cultural model of sport was globally predominant.<br />
In the 20th century, a North American model of<br />
sport replaced this as the more influential global force.<br />
In my view, the predominant sporting model in the 21st<br />
century will be Asian. This model will be different to<br />
what has gone before in the way that it links not only<br />
to sporting goals, but also much more closely to overall<br />
national government strategy.<br />
Why is it important that the Middle East (and in<br />
particular <strong>Qatar</strong>) plays a full role in world sport?<br />
For the sake of strong global sport and to ensure fairness,<br />
equality and democracy too, it is vital that states from<br />
across the Middle East are playing a full and active role<br />
in the promotion of world sport. It is important too<br />
that global sport embraces as many countries, and their<br />
different perspectives, as possible.<br />
My view is that different models of organisation and<br />
management in sport need to be employed and that the<br />
Middle East has an important role to play as we learn<br />
how to ensure that sport continues to fulfil important<br />
economic, social, physical and psychological roles across<br />
the world. Given what I perceive to be a 21st century<br />
global mega-shift eastwards in the world’s sporting power<br />
base, I think the west has to pay much much more<br />
attention to Asian sport and can, indeed, learn a great deal<br />
from the integrated strategic models of sport now being<br />
implemented across the Middle East.<br />
The Asian Games in <strong>Qatar</strong> were seen as something of a<br />
landmark for sport in the region. What messages did it<br />
send to the world?<br />
Sport is such a wonderful thing and I have a strong<br />
conviction that we are all entitled to share the joys of being<br />
able to stage the world’s leading sporting mega-events. Over<br />
recent decades however, it concerns me that the award and<br />
staging of events has been dominated by a relatively small<br />
number of countries. I don’t think this helps sport: either<br />
its popular appeal or its long-term development.<br />
In my view it is therefore essential that a much broader<br />
range of countries are in a position to successfully bid for<br />
the right to host sporting mega events. This is why the<br />
Asian Games in <strong>Qatar</strong> was so important for the region.<br />
The Games announced to the world that the Middle<br />
East is an appropriate, a legitimate and a suitably wellresourced<br />
location for such events. The event was thus not<br />
only good in marketing and PR terms, but also in terms of<br />
setting some benchmarks for the standard of delivery that<br />
governing bodies can expect if they were to award megaevents<br />
to the region<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> failed in its bid to stage the 2016 <strong>Olympic</strong> Games<br />
– should they try again and why?<br />
There is no doubt in my mind: I think it is imperative<br />
that <strong>Qatar</strong> bids again for the <strong>Olympic</strong> Games. We need as<br />
many countries as possible to be in a position to bid for<br />
such events to create a vibrant global sport environement.<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> must try agin - we need them to. We need an<br />
equitable distribution of events across the world, not just a<br />
distribution that favours specific regions. More specifically<br />
in terms of <strong>Qatar</strong>, I think it would bring an expertise<br />
and a competence, as well as a level of investment, that<br />
would add a significant new dimension to the industrial<br />
architecture of world sport.<br />
Otherwise, I particularly liked the way in which <strong>Qatar</strong><br />
had considered how staging the <strong>Olympic</strong> Games would<br />
contribute to the nation’s broader strategic objectives. In<br />
my view, if sport is not to lose its way, if it is to demonstrate<br />
that it has a clear and tangible role to play in the 21st<br />
century, and if sustainability and legacy are to remain as the<br />
cornerstones of successful sport, then <strong>Qatar</strong> is appropriately<br />
placed to contribute to this global vision of sport.<br />
the big interview<br />
ISSUE 7 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport 35
“QAtAr would bring An eXpertise And<br />
A coMpetence, As well As A leVel of<br />
inVestMent [to hosting the olyMpic<br />
gAMes], thAt would Add A significAnt<br />
new diMension to the industriAl<br />
Architecture of world sport.”<br />
the big interview<br />
How important are schools programmes to creating an<br />
understanding and culture of sport in a nation?<br />
Essential, as is education at all levels of society - in<br />
colleges, in universities, and throughout one’s life. I think<br />
the connection between sport and lifelong learning is of<br />
paramount importance.<br />
In schools though, there is a particular importance<br />
because sport has a major contribution to make in so<br />
many different ways. In terms of skills and lifelong<br />
learning, sport can contribute to young people learning<br />
how to, for example, work as a team, make decisions, learn<br />
and win, resolve conflict, and so forth. In terms of their<br />
pastoral development, sport helps them, for example, in<br />
their understanding of people and cultures that may be<br />
different to their own; it helps them consider how they<br />
engage with and interact with others, and so one. In terms<br />
of leading a full and healthy life, sport can teach so much<br />
about how to care for one’s body, and indeed one’s mind;<br />
it helps in emphasising a healthy lifestyle, whether this<br />
comes from following a good diet of food, or from using<br />
sport as a way of relieving stress.<br />
I also think that sport can perform what one might call<br />
a technical role, to which there are two aspects. Sport can<br />
be a future career for many children, whether as an athlete,<br />
a coach, a physiotherapist, marketer or an administrator<br />
etc. It can also be a vehicle for delivering the more general<br />
curriculum, providing a foundation for young people to<br />
become more closely engaged in successful learning.<br />
How important are ‘local heroes’ to creating a culture<br />
of sport in a nation?<br />
Such is the pervasiveness of global sport, that I think<br />
heroes in sport generally are needed, especially those<br />
that embrace a set of values and characteristics that<br />
people across the world can identify with and aspire to.<br />
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that local heroes are vital<br />
in generating national interest and engagement in sport. If<br />
one looks at some of the great sports people throughout<br />
history, they have such an important role to play. If you<br />
look at someone like the former footballer George Weah,<br />
his contribution to Liberia was immense - he enhanced<br />
national self-esteem, he helped to bring different societal<br />
groups together, and he raised the country’s profile in such<br />
a positive way.<br />
Beyond this, sport clearly plays an important role of<br />
engaging young people in sport, raising participation<br />
levels, and stimulating economic activity. For instance, if<br />
you look at the investment the UK has made in cycling, the<br />
returns are becoming increasingly clear. Britain’s double<br />
<strong>Olympic</strong> cycling gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy is now an<br />
important ambassador for the power of sport and a role<br />
model to many people. At the same time, following the<br />
country’s performances at the 2008 <strong>Olympic</strong> Games, the<br />
sales of new cycles reportedly increased by 20 per cent. In<br />
short, local heroes are so important in fostering affiliation,<br />
engagement and activity.<br />
What lessons can the world learn from <strong>Qatar</strong>’s<br />
investment in sports facilities and infrastructure<br />
and general approach to integrating sport into every<br />
element of special and economic policy?<br />
One of my big concerns for sport across the world is that<br />
historically, sport existed and was played for sports sake.<br />
In no way would I suggest that this should be lost - the<br />
joy of sport is something we should value and promote.<br />
However, at the macro level, sport is increasingly being<br />
scrutinised for the way in which it contributes or helps<br />
to deliver performance outcomes. Hence, continued<br />
investment in sport, in too many cases, is being linked<br />
too much to the returns from, and not enough to the joy<br />
of, sport. A personal philosophy that I adhere to closely is:<br />
‘doing well, while doing good’.<br />
As such, I don’t see sport as simply being, for example, an<br />
entirely commercial activity, an exclusively social activity,<br />
or simply just a joyous way to spend one’s time. Rather,<br />
it is all of these things and more, but what is required of<br />
nations is for them to integrate the multiplicity of roles<br />
that sport fulfils. To do this requires national political<br />
intervention; this doesn’t mean state-run sport; it does<br />
mean that governments have to stimulate the creation of<br />
an environment in which doing well while doing good can<br />
flourish. That is why I think <strong>Qatar</strong> is getting right - toplevel<br />
support, a coherent national strategy, recognising the<br />
multiple roles that sport fulfils, investing appropriately,<br />
promoting a sporting culture - all are important in working<br />
towards the success of sport in its broadest terms.<br />
What further steps does <strong>Qatar</strong> have to take to establish<br />
itself as a major player on the world stage?<br />
At this point, my advice would be not to deviate from<br />
its strategy. Patience and perseverance will ultimately yield<br />
the desired outcome. The strategic intent is there, the<br />
investment is there, and the justification for wanting to<br />
do it is there. My main advice would be that <strong>Qatar</strong> needs<br />
to more actively and effectively reach out to the rest of<br />
the world. Although personally I am aware of the efforts<br />
<strong>Qatar</strong> is making, I am not sure that other westerners, in<br />
particular, know what is happening in the Middle East.<br />
Indeed, when people here in the UK discuss Asian sport,<br />
they instinctively refer to China, then India and often<br />
don’t consider what is happening in places like <strong>Qatar</strong>.<br />
As such, I would say that external engagement is vital...<br />
and a more active, strategic and coordinated approach is<br />
probably required.<br />
36 <strong>Qatar</strong>Sport ISSUE 7
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