Qatar sport COVERMG.indd - Qatar Olympic Committee

ISSUE 17 MAY 2012 $10
TRENDS SPORTS APPAREL AT
THE OLYMPICS SWIMMING
FREESTYLE FOR FITNESS
SUPERFAST
BOLT SPRINTS INTO HISTORY
TOP OF THE CLASS
SERIOUS ABOUT SCHOOL SPORT
SPORTS SHOES
THE DESIGN ICONS OF
ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR
LIFE SAVER
CARDIAC SCREENING
FOR SPORTS PEOPLE
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
OF THE QATAR
OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

The only Sport’s cardiology Centre in the Middle East that has screened over 4000
athletes from around the world, recently created and established a sports cardiology
genomics project in conjunction with Shafallah Medical Genetics Centre. In addition
to the comprehensive screening and research programme Aspetar provides team
physicians with resuscitation and automated external defibrillator training.

INSIDE
5 In Focus
Sporting life through a lens
13
8 Global Sports Update
Insight from around the world
11 Fit for Life
Swimming into shape made simple
13 Lightning Bolt
Keeping up with the fastest man on earth
16 Preview
Your essential sports event guide
24
20 Sole Providers
One hundred years of sports shoe innovation
24 Club on a Mission
Al Sadd thinks big on and off the pitch
26 Leaders
Opinion from Nick Keller and Ahmed Said Al Rumaihi
30 For the Record
Tendulkar’s century of centuries
20
32 School Sports
Lessons in sport from around the world
36 Trends
Apparel brands target London 2012
No article in this publication or part thereof may be reproduced without proper permission and full acknowledgement of the
source: Qatar Sport, a publication of the Qatar Olympic Committee.
© Qatar Olympic Committee, 2012.
www.olympic.qa
qoc@olympic.qa
Designed and produced for the Qatar Olympic Committee by SportBusiness Group, London.
Cover photo: Action Images
30

Welcome
In recent weeks Qatar has celebrated sport through two very different events, both of which symbolise
our commitment to the promotion of activity and healthy lifestyles. In February we broke new ground
by becoming the first country to hold a National Sports Day, a public holiday in which everybody was
encouraged to engage in sports events.
We were delighted with the response from all of the residents of Qatar, young, old, men and women, Qataris
and guests alike. National Sports Day was enthusiastically embraced and promoted by our ministries and the
business community and saw a fantastic range of events taking place.
Then, at the beginning of April, came the finals of our Schools Olympic Programme for 2012. This has
become a landmark event for the country and it has grown in scale and developed in purpose every year
since its launch five years ago.
This year more than 20,000 boys and girls took part with 2,200 involved in the prestigious finals events in nine
Olympic sports. Over 300 students from 25 schools in two Olympic sports also participated in the Schools
Olympic Programme 2012 Paralympic Day. These young people are the future of sport in our country and
we are already beginning to see the results of the programme. The aim is to introduce youngsters to the sheer
pleasure of taking part in sports and to help them learn to take care of their bodies through adopting exercise
programmes and a healthy diet. But the programme goes further than that. Each year the programme has had
a different theme. Last year it was Sport and Education and this year Sport and the Family. These themes lend
themselves to the teaching of vital life-lessons and skills from a sporting base.
We find it particularly gratifying that we are now beginning to see the fruits of the Schools Olympic
Programme blossom as youngsters who were inspired by the Programme mature and are selected for junior
national teams in a variety of sports. Both the Schools Olympic Programme and National Sports Day are clear
indications of Qatar’s clear and total commitment to sport at the grass roots.
Qatar is now known around the world as the host of many top international sports events and our 2012-13
sports calendar – now published and available online at www.olmypic.qa – is testament to the breadth and
quality of the world-class events we stage year-in, year-out. But while we are proud to host the world and of
our proven and growing event planning and management abilities, these can only ever be a part of the overall
picture. Our aim is ensure that sport is at the heart of our society and we understand that this can only truly
be achieved when taking part in as well as following sport becomes a way of life.
Naturally we are eager to continue to host world class events and it was with great pleasure that the Doha 2020
Committee submitted its Bid Book to the International Olympic Committee. It would be the greatest honour
imaginable for Doha to host the Olympic Games and we believe that our proposals to bring the Games to our
region for the first time in history will be truly inspirational, not only to the people of Qatar but the entire
world. We now look forward to working closely with the IOC in the months ahead as they scrutinise the detail
of our submission and we promise them every assistance.
Inspiring change is not only the slogan for our 2020 bid but a sentiment at the heart of our vision and thinking
in many other areas. With the build-up to London 2012 well under way, we are delighted to have 15 athletes
already qualified and selected for our team. Perhaps most pleasing is the inclusion of three female athletes –
swimmer Nada Mohamed Wafa, sprinter Noor al-Malki and shooter Bahiya Al Hamad – for the first time.
This is a significant step forward for sport in Qatar and the Gulf region and is evidence of the progress which
has been made in building our sporting future from the grass roots by focussing on young people.
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani
Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee
4 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

1
THE SPORTING WORLD
THROUGH THE LENSES OF
REUTERS AND ACTION
IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHERS
1 LOOKING UP
Ferrari Formula One technicians watch a screen during the
Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, March 18, 2012.
Photograph by: REUTERS/Brandon Malone
2 GRAND SLAM
Wales’ Alex Cuthbert (left) runs to score a try against France
during their Six Nations match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff,
March 17, 2012. Photograph by: REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
2
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 5

IN FOCUS
3
3 FLYING MACHINE
North Carolina guard Reggie Bullock
(35) controls a rebound against the
Creighton Bluejays during the NCAA’s
“March Madness”, March 18, 2012.
Photograph by: REUTERS/
Chris Keane
4 SURFER’S DELIGHT
A young surfer sails his board off a
wave as large swells hit the
California coastline earlier this year.
Photograph by: REUTERS/
Mike Blake
5 EYES ON THE BALL
Iran’s Mehrdad Pooladi (left in
picture) tussles with Qatar’s Lawrence
Quaye during their 2014 FIFA World
Cup qualifier in Tehran, February 29,
2012. Photograph by: REUTERS/
Mhammad Amin Jamali
4
6 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

5
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 7

UPDATE
Players from Bolton Wanderers show their support for team-mate Fabrice Muamba.
ON THE EDGE
ASPETAR TAKES THE LEAD IN SPORTS CARDIOLOGY
As the English Premier League player
Fabrice Muamba continues his recovery
from a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup
match, March 17, the feelings of relief
within the football world are mixed with
concern that its players remain vulnerable
to the causes of Muamba’s sudden collapse.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has hailed
the 23-year-old’s recovery from the
moment when his heart stopped beating
for 78 minutes as a “miracle” but believes
that cardiac screenings for players should
become even more commonplace.
The FIFA president has been a
campaigner for regular cardiac screening
since the Cameroon midfielder Marc-
Viven Foe died on the pitch during a
Confederations Cup match in 2003.
In Qatar, these issues have special
resonance due to the experience of
Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports
Medicine Hospital, where the medical
team, led by Dr Hakim Chalabi, Assistant
Chief Medical Officer and Executive
Director of Qatar’s National Sports
Medicine Programme (NSMP), has
screened thousand of athletes.
The most common cause of cardiac
event in an athlete is hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy (HCM). This condition,
thought to occur in 1 in 500 people, can go
undetected for years only to reveal itself
as a sudden cardiac arrest. In up to 80 per
cent of cases, sudden cardiac death is the
first presentation of the condition.
An inherited condition, it appears that
intensive physical exercise may have the
potential to act as a ‘trigger’ for a serious
arrhythmia in individuals who may have
HCM, which may explain why footballers
and other athletes with HCM are more at
risk than the average man.
Pre-participation cardiac screening
is the first line of defence for sports
people against this condition but remains
controversial. In most countries and in
most sports, this screening process is
not mandatory, but is recommended by
FIFA, the IOC, European Society of Sports
Cardiology, and the American Heart
Association.
As a result, the application of
screening and screening procedures vary
widely. All of Qatar’s athletes, on
the other hand, are able to be tested
with an echocardiogram (an ultrasound
of the heart chambers). Led by Dr Hakim
Chalabi, Aspetar is taking a lead in this
valuable work.
Over the last three and half years
Aspetar has not only screened more
than 4,000 athletes, Aspetar’s National
Sports Medicine Programme (NSMP)
has educated Qatar’s club and federation
doctors about screening procedures and
what symptoms (such as dizziness or
8 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

chest palpations) to look out for.
When Qatar Sport interviewed Aspetar’s
Cardiac Physiologist, Dr Mathew Wilson,
he was assisting the medical team and
the NSMP in the preparation for cardiac
screening the playing squads of the Qatar
Stars League clubs, at the rate of one club
per day in the space of three weeks.
The Aspetar screening team has also
worked with international teams like
Australia’s Socceroos before last year’s
AFC Asian Cup and believes the Aspetar
facility offers the perfect one-stop shop
for pre-season screening and training. But
football is not the only sport under his
remit. Supported by the Qatar
Olympic Committee, Dr Wilson says
that Aspetar aims to implement a
comprehensive screening programme for
all athletes in Qatar.
“We see a lot of athletes who have
never seen a physician before, and so for
them, we are a frontline screening centre,
and as a result see a lot of pathology.”
This influx of sports people from all
over the world into Qatar also provides
excellent data for research on ethnically
diverse populations, unavailable elsewhere
in the world. “Along with sports people
of Arabic descent, we have athletes from
west Africa, Persia, India, Pakistan and
South America which is very interesting for
clinical research,” says Dr Wilson.
As a result, Aspetar is undertaking
major research projects with partner
hospitals in London, Barcelona, Belgium
and Ireland to help understand the
impact of an athlete’s ethnicity upon their
cardiovascular adaptation to exercise,
thus helping the clinician identify what is a
normal versus what is an abnormal heart
response to exercise.
MY HOUSE IS YOUR HOUSE
NOC HOUSES ADD SPICE TO LONDON 2012
Iconic London landmarks will be taken
over by National Olympic Committees
(NOCs) during the London 2012 Olympic
& Paralympic Games. The NOC house
concept, which sees participating country
NOCs take charge of an existing building
or create a temporary home in the host
city, has become a growing feature of the
Olympic Games experience.
It allows NOCs to promote their
capabilities as sporting hosts, take care of
athletes, sponsors and VIPs, and, in some
cases, showcase their countries as a
tourist destination. The good news for
fans and visitors to London 2012 is that a
selection will be open to the public while
the Olympics is going on.
These include NOC houses for Belgium,
Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Germany,
Georgia, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands,
Nigeria, Jamaica, Russia and Switzerland.
There will also be an Africa house, where
all 53 National Olympic Committees of
Africa will come together under one roof.
Casa Brasil, the official Brazilian house,
will surely be one of the most popular
destinations. Located in Somerset House
on the banks of the River Thames, the
organising country for Rio 2016, will be a
hot house of Brazilian culture and a major
focal point during London 2012.
Not to be outshone, the Russian
NOC has planned Team Russia Park, the
official Russian House during the London
2012 Games, located next to Kensington
Gardens and Kensington Palace.
Team Russia Park will boast
entertainment and culture, a big screen,
media facilities, a conference centre and
a chance to meet some of Russia’s top
athletes. The French team have taken Old
Billingsgate market, where the French
Olympic Village, complete with restaurants
and shops, will host the French Olympic
Team and French media companies. As for
the German House, it will be based in the
Museum of London Docklands and on a
five-star cruise liner, MS Deutschland, in
nearby West India Docks.
For London’s tourism agencies, the
NOC houses will add a unique flavour to
the summer of sport and entertainment in
the Olympic capital. According to Martine
Ainsworth-Wells, director of marketing
and communications at London & Partners,
the NOC houses will have an important
role to play for the tourism industry,
acting as another selling point for both
international and domestic visitors.
“NOC houses are certainly a new
feature for the city, and as one-offs, they fit
perfectly into our ‘Limited Edition London’
offering, where we are presenting the
world with one-off and unique reasons to
visit London,” she says. “I think residents
and visitors will be inquisitive about the
different countries represented and be
keen to see what’s inside.”
Sandie Dawe, CEO of VisitBritain agrees
that these NOC houses will add to the
sense of festival in London: “What is
interesting is the concept of these Olympic
houses will be completely new to the
general public. Unless you know all about
the Olympic Movement you won’t have
heard of them before.”
Carrying on the festival theme, there
will be live sites similar to the fan parks set
up for Germany’s 2006 FIFA World Cup
where spectators without tickets can meet
to watch the action on a big screen while
listening to live music. There will be 22 live
sites situated around the UK in cities like
Liverpool and Cardiff, as well as one on the
Olympic doorstep in east London.
LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC FACTS
• 30.7 million overseas visitors expected
in the UK, 2012
• 9.3 million a year expected to visit the
Olympic Park from 2014
• Increase of 250,000 jobs supported by
tourism in UK between 2010 and 2020
• £2.34 billion in tourist expenditure in
the UK expected to be generated by 2012
London Games from 2007 to 2017 (£1.85
billion in London)
• 10 per cent increase in 2005 inbound
visitors in Athens attributed to 2004 Games
• Number of international visitors
doubled in Barcelona in decade following
the 1992 Games
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 9

UPDATE
INBRIEF
Security first in Qatar
The 2nd International Sport Security
Conference (ISSC), staged at the
Qatar National Convention Centre in
Doha, March 14-15, brought together
over 400 key decision-makers,
experts and practitioners in sport
from around the globe. Highlights
included a keynote address by Khoo
Boon Hui, President of Interpol, on
the prevention of terrorism at major
sporting events and a panel session
on the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games, examining the
key security challenges with Lord
John Stevens, Former Commissioner,
Metropolitan Police and Peter Ryan,
Security Advisor to the IOC.
The ISSC also signed partnership
agreements with the Pantheon-
Sorbonne University on the theme
of sporting integrity and Germany’s
Institute for Fan Culture on extreme
behaviour at sporting events.
FINA’s date with Doha
Doha has been awarded the right to
host the 12th FINA World Swimming
Championships (25m) in December
2014. FINA, together with the Qatar
Olympic Committee and the Qatar
Swimming Federation, announced the
decision which will see the biennial
championships staged at the Aquatic
Centre in Doha’s outstanding Aspire
Sports Complex. “I am sure that
all swimmers, coaches, officials, and
representatives of the participating
national federations will enjoy a great
competition and be impressed by
the Qatari hospitality,” said FINA
President Dr. Julio C, Maglione.
Good news Down Under
The 2011 Rugby World Cup in
New Zealand exceeded financial
expectations according to initial
results. Tournament owners Rugby
World Cup Limited said New Zealand
2011 will achieve a net surplus of
more than £90 million making it the
second highest revenue-earner in the
history of the tournament.
INSPIRED BY SPORT
SPORTS-THEMED DOCUMENTARIES HAVE UNIVERSAL APPEAL
The success of a sport documentary
at this year’s Academy Awards proves
that sport doesn’t necessarily have to be
watched as it happens to be meaningful.
The 2012 Academy Award Winner for
“Best Feature Documentary” went to
“Undefeated” a coming-of-age story
about a high-school American football
team from the wrong side of the track in
Memphis, Tennessee.
“Undefeated” is the first sports-themed
film to take Hollywood’s top documentary
award since “When We Were Kings” in
1996 – and is only the fifth sports
documentary to pick up an Oscar since
1942. Filmed on a shoestring budget,
the movie follows a volunteer American
football coach as he struggles to provide
the discipline, resources and inspiration his
young players need to overcome their bleak
surroundings – and win the first play-off
game in the high-school’s 110-year history.
The message is that American football
“doesn’t build character, it reveals character”
and the wider theme is one common to all
sports: the power to change peoples lives
for the better, even in the most unpromising
of environments.
The film has struck a chord with
audiences in America, who have warmed to
its tough but uplifting story. As the films codirecter
Dan Lindsay explains: “People are
clamouring for something genuine. I think
we’re sick of manufactured.”
“Undefeated” is just the latest in a
string of sports documentaries to win
international acclaim. In the last 18 months,
films such as “Senna”, “Fire in Babylon” and
“Out of the Ashes” have won awards all
over the world.
“Senna” charts the life and death of
three-time Formula One world champion
Ayrton Senna, and has become the biggest
British documentary in terms of box office,
grossing just under $5 million in its first four
months on release.
Interestingly the film also took $1.6
million across the United States, a market
where alternative forms of motor racing
have long overshadowed Formula One.
British film-maker, Asif Kapadia, says the
film has universal appeal. “It was Senna’s
genuine charisma that generated a fan-base
drawn from both sports and non-sports
fans,” he explains.
“Out of the Ashes” tracks the
extraordinary journey of the Afghan
cricket team to the ICC World Twenty20
tournament and “Fire in Babylon” is the
breathtaking story of the West Indian cricket
team’s period of unequalled ascendancy in
the 1970s and 1980s.
10 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

FIT FOR LIFE
SINK OR SWIM
Top tips for swimmers who just want to get fit.
SWIMMING IS a sport that helps you get
fit without wearing you down; an aerobic
activity with minimal risk of injury and one
that suits today’s 24/7 lifestyles.
It’s relatively inexpensive and can be
done any time. Simple? Well, the science
of swimming is actually extremely
complicated, involving the interaction of
propulsive forces from the swimmer’s arms
and legs and the drag caused by water.
The ‘sports ground’ for swimming
(H2O!) is often quoted as being one
thousand times denser than air. Trying to
move efficiently through this very dense
medium is not nearly as easy as other sports
that take place through air. For example,
top cyclists hit over 60kph in short events
on the track or in an end-of-stage sprint.
Elite runners average over 30kph for a
quarter mile and over 40kph at the end of
sprints. By contrast, even the world’s best
swimmers top just 8kph (5mph) over the
100m sprint. Yet that is still superhuman.
Most fitness swimmers would fail
to approach even half that speed. In
fact, swimming for fun and fitness is
not about speed but about technique
and regular training. Here, Qatar Sport
introduces Top Tips from the leading blog
“theswimmerscircle.com” to help you keep
it simple.
WARM UP
Warming up is essential to starting any
physical activity to prevent injuries and to
ensure the most effective workout. Start
your swimming workout with a few slow
laps just to make your blood run through
your muscles. Start slowly and gradually
pick up the pace.
SWIM THREE TIMES A WEEK
Regardless of what your goal is in the pool
(weight loss, building muscles, general
fitness) you should strive to swim at least
three times a week. One pool session is
better than none, but because of the way our
body gets accustomed to training, anything
less than three times a week is not optimal.
SWIMMING INTERVAL TRAINING
Swimming interval training is the most
effective in training your cardiovascular
system. Interval training is built on a cycle
of high and low intensity efforts. The low
intensity activity needs to be tailored so that
your body needs to work hard to recover
before the next high intensity activity starts.
FOCUS ON SWIMMING
TECHNIQUE
Regardless of why you’re looking to
improve your swimming, the key is never
lose your technique. The right technique
will help you prevent long-term injuries.
Make sure you are keeping your focus on
your technique – every lap, every stroke,
every swim.
USE THE FLIP-TURN
Although not necessary for beginners,
flip turns for backstroke and freestyle
keep the swimming rhythm and fitness
training continuous.
DO DRILLS
Swimming drills are a set of swimming
exercises aiming at improving the
technique and speed of swimmers. To
improve your coordination, drills such as
kicking fast with slow arms will help you
learn to feel the water. Feeling the water is
essential to becoming a better swimmer.
FILM YOURSELF SWIMMING
Increase your awareness by filming
yourself training and reviewing it
afterwards. If filming is out of the
question, ask someone with good
swimming knowledge to watch you swim
and ask for feedback.
AVOID PADDLES
Paddles can be dangerous in the hands of
a new swimmer and can lead to shoulder
damage if you don’t have the proper stroke
technique. Swimming involves a lot of
smaller, secondary muscles in addition
to the major muscle groups, and it takes
some time to build these up prior to safe
paddle use.
COOL DOWN
Just as warming up is key to perform a
successful training, cooling down is just
as important. After a hard training, your
muscles build up lactic acid. To flush that
lactic acid out of your body to prevent
soreness, swim at a slow and relaxed pace,
focusing on stretching and regaining the
right feeling in the water. This will help
your muscles recover.
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 11

THE BIG INTERVIEW
THE MAN
WHO SAVED
ATHLETICS
Usain Bolt is the undisputed superstar of world athletics. But with a string of
gold medals, world records and lucrative commercial deals behind him, what’s
next for this modern day icon?
THE HOTTEST TICKETS for London 2012 are
for events, which, together, are likely to take less than
30 seconds to complete. Any longer and the capacity
crowd at the Olympic Stadium will want to know why.
More to the point, it will want to know what’s
happened to Usain Bolt who must be about the
biggest favourite in track and field history to retain
the 100 and 200 metres golds he won at the 2008
Beijing Games. For good measure he took his gold
haul to three as a member of the victorious Jamaica
4x100 metres relay team.
Bolt set new world records in both the 100 and
200 metres events despite appearing to ease off to
enjoy the moment during his final giant strides.
And despite beating the records yet again at the
2009 World Championships in Berlin, Bolt says the
Olympics remain very special. “Winning three gold
medals and setting three world records in Beijing
was certainly my most memorable moment in
athletics and I am extremely excited about London
2012,” he told Qatar Sport. “I want to defend my
Olympic titles and become a legend.”
Become a legend? Surely the famously laid-back
Jamaican is having a laugh. The legend of Usain
Bolt was drafted in China and carved into stone
in Germany on the bright blue track of the Berlin
Olympic Stadium.
Pictures of Bolt’s post-victory ‘to di world’ pose after
those record-shattering performances have become
part of 21st century folklore, the images as iconic as
pictures of Marilyn Monroe or paintings by Andy
Warhol. Bolt is already a legend and then some. His
is a status which few other sportsmen or women ever
achieve. It’s not so much that he is a game changer,
more that he is the man who saved his sport.
Track and field has had a rough time over the
years. It appeared that the glory days of the sport
were well and truly in the past. This is a sport which
depends on its stars perhaps more than any other.
Around the world the audience for athletics was
dwindling and, according to most research, in many
major markets it was ageing. Lord Coe, head of the
London 2012 Organising Committee and Olympic
gold medal winner once lamented that the audience
for athletics today consisted of much the same
people who watched middle-distance champion
Coe during in his heyday in the 1980s.
The sport’s governing body, the IAAF
(International Association of Athletics Federations),
faced the slump in popularity head-on, revising its
competition schedule, re-inventing its elite series
– first the Golden and then Diamond Leagues –
and re-thought the way that athletics worked for
television and live spectators.
12 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 13

THE BIG INTERVIEW
But that alone was never going to be enough to
keep broadcasters and sponsors happy or to enthral
a new generation of fans to keep the flame of
track and field alive. That lack of superstars was
compounded by the issue of doping which had
tarnished many a reputation in athletics and created
a level of public scepticism over every outstanding
performance and performer.
But then came Bolt, the boy from Trelawny,
Jamaica who could turn his hand to almost any sport
but had a unique physique and talent for the track.
Bolt is 6ft 5ins tall (1.98m), the same height as he
was nine years ago as a 16-year-old, and the ability
to harness that physique and its potential to the
particular rigours and disciplines of sprinting have
been the secret to his success.
SUPERFAST
His talent has made him one of the most
recognisable sportsmen on the planet and he has
single-handedly made track and field cool among
youngsters. In many respects Bolt reinforces the
Jamaican stereotype, but in a good way. Those who
meet him say he is genuinely relaxed and passionate
about athletics and a lot else. On one occasion in
2010 for example, during a day off in Paris, Bolt
spent the afternoon playing a reggae DJ set in front
of City Hall to several thousand people.
As the fastest man who ever lived he has also
become a hot commercial property. In 2010 he signed
the biggest endorsement contract in history, worth
a reported $32.5 million with Puma, a deal which
was rationalised by the brand’s CEO and chairman
John Zeitz who reckons Bolt is bigger than David
Beckham. “He relates not just to the performance side
but to the lifestyle side as well,” he said.
In addition there are deals with Gatorade, watch
brand Hublot, sporting surfaces manufacturer
Repugol and mobile company Digicel. In the
UK, Bolt’s reputation has been done no harm by
appearing in a series of quirky, funny TV spots and
online, press and outdoor media ads for new banking
brand Virgin Media in which he appear as a spoof
Sir Richard Branson, the company’s high profile and
instantly recognisable founder.
All of which is a long way from Bolt’s origins in
Jamaica where his first medal was won in the 80
metres hurdles as a third year student in the Western
Jamaica championships. The almost freakishly tall
Bolt was a promising fast bowler but athletics held
sway even though he is said to have disliked running
the 400 metres which was one of his two main events
in his early years.
He was already considered one to watch when,
in 2002, he won the 200 metres at the western
Championships in 20.3 seconds before going on to
book himself a berth at the CARIFTA (Caribbean
Free Trade Area) Games by winning both the 200
metres and 400 metres at the trials. The Games
themselves were a momentous occasion for Bolt who
won four golds.
Later that year he provided further proof of his
undeniable potential when ran 20.61 seconds to win
the 200 metres in the World Junior Championships
in front of an ecstatic home crowd in Kingston.
Further success came at the 2004 CARIFTA
Games in Bermuda when he broke the world junior
200 metres record in 19.93 seconds but progress was,
for a while at least, slowed by a hamstring injury
which re-occurred to keep him out of the 2006
Commonwealth Games.
But by 2007 Bolt was well and truly back in the
saddle. He had already beaten Don Quarrie’s 30-yearold
the Jamaican 200m record before travelling to
the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan to
take silver in both the 200 metres and 4x100 metres
relay. And then came 2008, the year in which he
started to rewrite history. Bolt gave notice of what was
to come in New York at
“Few others have achieved his
status. It’s not so much that he is
a game changer, more that he is
the man who saved his sport.”
the end of May when, in
only his fifth 100 metres
race, he ran 9.72 seconds
to take Tyson Gay’s
world record.
It was a remarkable
achievement that set the
scene for the Olympic Games in Beijing when Bolt
seared himself into the consciousness of the watching
world with a stupendous performance. He set another
new world record in 9.89 seconds but clearly eased up
in the final yards leaving fans wondering just how fast
he could go if he powered through the finish.
A year later the IAAF World Championships
held in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium became an event
absolutely defined by the brilliance of Bolt. He was
on fire as the competition approached and in the 100
metres heats he recorded the fastest time ever set
outside a final before focusing his attention on yet
another world record.
Those who were in the stadium on the night Bolt
ran his word record 9.85 seconds 100 metres describe
it as one of the most memorable in the history of
sport. Here was the fastest man alive destroying all
opposition to demonstrate just what the human body
is capable of achieving.
Some have described it as Bolt’s Bob Beamon
moment, a perfect set of circumstances which
resulted in a single, perhaps unrepeatable, moment of
brilliance. But he wasn’t finished yet. His own world
record in the 200 metres also tumbled as he took
the line beating his chest in a time of 19.19 seconds.
There was also what might be considered an almost
14 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

THE BIG INTERVIEW
incidental gold medal in the 4x100 metres relay as
the products of Jamaica’s famous sprint factory did
the business once again.
The success of his compatriots on the track is a
happy side-affect of Bolt’s predominance, but not
one he takes sole credit for. “The success of people
like me, Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell has
inspired the next generation,” he says. “We have great
sprint talent, great sprint coaches and the athletes are
very motivated in Jamaica.”
EYES ON THE PRIZE
Indeed, when people come to reflect on the legacy
of Usain Bolt they will dwell not simply on his
speed, personality and the way that he reignited the
popularity of the track. They will also take note of the
impact that his own performances have had in raising
the bar for others. The pursuit of Bolt for several years
has been more or less futile quest, but has seen the
most marked improvement in the times of the world’s
top 25 sprinters in the history of the sport.
So what is next for a man who has the money, the
fame and even the restaurant (Records and Tracks
in Jamaica)? He is, of course, well and truly focused
on London 2012 and there has been some discussion
over running in the 4x400 metres relay in an attempt
to reach a gold standard of four while
post London he might be tempted to take the advice of
Olympian Mike Powell and have a crack at long jump,
just as another Olympic phenomenon, Carl Lewis, did
so successfully.
He has set himself a window through to the 2017
World Championships – also in London – to achieve
whatever can be achieved on the track. “And then,” he
says, “I will find something else to do.”
Bolt is unlikely to be short of options so how about
a career in football? In fact, would he swap all he’s
achieved on the track for a career with his beloved
Manchester United?
“That’s an unfair question,” he replies. “I would like
to have both but I have no regrets. My career has been
great so far.” There’s clearly a lot more to come.
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 15

COMING UP
APRIL-JULY 2012
APRIL/MAY
London Marathon
London UK 22/4/2012
NBA playoffs
United States 28/4/2012
Giro d’Italia
Around Italy 5-27/5/2012
UEFA Europa League final
Bucharest, Romania 9/5/2012
FIDE World Chess Championship
Moscow, Russia 10-31/5/2012
Diamond League
Qatar Sports Club, Doha 11/5/2012
UEFA Champions League final
Munich, Germany 19/5/2012
11/5 Diamond League Doha
The 2012 Samsung Diamond League gets underway at the Qatar
Sports Club in Doha – the first meeting of the 14-leg series.
JUNE
French Open
Paris, France 28/5-10/6/2012
Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo 27/5/2012
World Stadium Congress
Doha, Qatar 3-7/6/2012
UEFA EURO 2012
Poland /Ukraine 8/6-1/7/2012
US Open Golf
California, USA 14-17/6/2012
Wimbledon Championships
London, UK 25/6/-8/7/2012
European Athletics Championships
Helsinki, Finland 26/6-1/7/2012
Le Mans 24 hour
Le Mans, France 9/6/2012
Tour de France
Around France 30/6-22/7/2012
US Open Badminton
California, United States 3-8/7/2012
8/6–1/7 UEFA EURO 2012
Spain defends its title against Europe’s top soccer nations
in Poland/Ukraine.
JULY
The British Grand Prix
Silverstone,UK 6-8/7/2012
WSF World Junior Squash Championships
Doha 18/7/2012
Open Championships
Royal Lytham, UK 19-22/7/2012
3-8/7 US Open Badminton
The world’s’ badminton stars converge on Orange County,
California, for the pre-Olympic showcase.
16 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

COMING UP
19/5 UEFA Champions League final
The German city of Munich will host the final of the 2011-2012
UEFA Champions League.
28/5–10/6 French Open
Rafa Nadal of Spain equalled Bjorn Borg’s record of six Roland
Garros titles in 2011 and may go one better in 2012.
26/6 –1/7 European Championships
Europe’s track and field stars in competition before the London
2012 Olympic Games.
30/6–22/7 Tour de France
The 2012 Tour De France gets underway with the Prologue
Time Trial in the Belgian city of Liege.
6-8/7 British Grand Prix
The Silverstone Circuit hosts one of the world’s premier motor
racing events, which it first hosted in 1948.
19-22/7 The Open
Golf’s third Major of the year takes place on the eve of the
London 2012 Olympic Games.
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 17

Assistant Professor in Sport Management
Position Summary
Qatar University is the country's major institution of
higher education and consists of the following colleges:
education, arts and sciences, law, Sharia and Islamic
studies, business and economics, engineering, pharmacy
and two independent programs in international affairs and
sport science. The government also finances a large
number of students to obtain advanced degrees abroad.
The State of Qatar is a small, oil-rich peninsula projecting
northward from the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula
into the Arabian Gulf. With substantial oil and natural gas
reserves, Qatar is one of the wealthiest states in the
region and has developed high quality health care and
education systems.
The capital city of Doha lies on the east coast of the
peninsula and features a wide mixture of modern and
traditional Arabic architecture. Almost 90 percent of
Qatar's population lives in Doha and its surrounding
suburbs. Sunni Islam is the predominant religion.
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Position Category: Academic
Employment Type: Full Time
Position Term: Three Years Renewable
Duties and responsibilities:
Program Leadership
The program director is responsible for providing overall
leadership for the program and its faculty, which may
include: conducting periodic meetings of faculty to
discuss programmatic and departmental issues; ensuring
the flow of critical information between the department,
college or university and all program faculty; and soliciting
and submitting program budget requests to the Dean or
VPCAO.
Curriculum Oversight
The program director is responsible for all modifications
to the curriculum, course sequencing and scheduling;
and development and maintenance of the program's
curriculum guide. Faculty recruitment, load, and when
appropriate, evaluation. The program director, in concert
with the college dean or VPCAO is responsible for
management of the program faculty, which may include:
certifying and maintaining documentation related to
faculty credentials; assigning courses, in concert with the
college dean or VPCAO, to achieve workload balance and
to ensure adequate coverage for course offerings;
conducting faculty searches.

Program Planning & Evaluation
The program director is responsible for all program
planning and evaluation activities which may include:
coordinating program goals and strategies from the
strategic plan; assessment of student learning outcomes
including submission of the 5-year Program Assessment
Plan and the annual Assessment Report; oversight of
periodic program review including development and
submission of the Program Portfolio and Program
Development Plan; and when applicable, oversight of
programmatic accreditation. Student Recruitment and
Retention. The program director is responsible for
developing and maintaining materials and processes that
promote recruitment and retention, which may include:
creating and updating promotional brochures/literature,
program website, catalog copy and degree checklist;
oversight of all program-affiliated student organizations
and activities such as majors' clubs, honor societies,
recognition events, etc.: and (Graduate Program
Directors) recruiting graduate students and making timely
decisions on admissions (by checking the electronic
folders in order to make an admission's decision about
"completed" applications).
Outreach
The program director is responsible for representing the
academic program's interests in both internal and
external endeavors, which may include: coordinating
program advisory boards; serving as a liaison between
the program and other campus constituencies; and
participating in community events in which the program
is represented.
Competencies:
• Excellent verbal and written English communication
skills.
• Able to provide innovative and dynamic administration
and teaching.
• Creative scholarship skills and research strengths.
• Previous relevant administrative and academic
experience.
Qualifications: Applicants should possess a doctoral
degree in Sport Science or related field from an
accredited US or UK University with at least five years
of relevant experience.
Benefits:
1. Competitive tax-free salary.
2. Furnished accommodation in accordance with QU HR
policies.
3. Annual round trip air tickets for faculty member and
dependents in accordance with QU HR policies.
4. Educational allowance for candidate's children in
accordance with QU HR policies.
5. Annual leave in accordance with QU HR policies.
6. End-of-contract indemnity in accordance with QU HR
policies.
7. Private health care insurance and national health care
as may be available in the State of Qatar.
8. An annual increment that varies between 3% and up to
5% of the basic salary.
9. One and a half month salary as a bonus for recognition
of achievers.
10. QU gives an annual grant (up to 15% of the monthly
basic salary x 12 months), to those high achievers that
need to be recognized on the university level. Winning
of this award is based on merit in their teaching and
service to the university.
11. Opportunities for Faculty Development and continuing
education. We provide full support for attending
conferences. We offer a wide range of workshops
facilitated by well known local, regional and
international instructors.
12. Internal research grants equivalent to more than one
million dollars annually.
13. External research funding from QNRF (Qatar National
Research Fund). The Qatar National Research Fund
website (www.qnrf.org) has all pertinent information on
the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP), as
well as, the Undergraduate Research Experience
Program (UREP). Twenty Five million dollars was
recently granted to the awardees of the NPRP.
14. Interest-free car loans are available to all employees.
Contact Information:
Please apply on line http://recruit.qu.edu.qa/ also
please feel free to contact the following e-mail if you need
further information vpacademic.office@qu.edu.qa;
vpacademic@qu.edu.qa. If you need to talk to someone
please call us on the following telephones:
+(974) 403-4003 or +(974) 403-4004.
Required Documents:
Applications from interested individuals should be
submitted via our online application process at
http://recruit.qu.edu.qa/pls/recruitment/rec. Please
complete all application sections and ensure you attach:
1. A covering letter;
2. A copy of your current curriculum vitae;
3. Any additional documentation that you feel is relevant
to your application.

FROM
SPORT
TO THE
STREET
Athletic shoes have developed from simple
canvas and rubber constructions to high-tech,
high-fashion items designed for the urban jungle
as much as the sporting arena.
20 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

SPORTS SHOES
IF USAIN BOLT had wanted to break
the 100 metres world record back at the
start of the 20th century, he wouldn’t have
reached for his beloved gold Pumas.
Instead, he’d have grabbed himself a pair
of Joe Foster’s running pumps, hand-made
in Bolton, England. NBA basketball star
LeBron James, meanwhile, would have had
to ditch his treasured blue Nikes for a pair
of Keds made by the US Rubber Company
or a line of rubber and canvas footwear
touted by a new firm called Converse.
Chances are that both athletes would
find performance restricted by the
rudimentary nature of such products.
But compare their plight with that of
Lionel Messi, who would have had to
forsake his Adidas Predators for steel
toe-capped work boots that weighed a
kilogram when wet.
RUNNING PUMPS
Some historians credit the ancient Greeks
with the invention of athletic footwear –
an industry now worth $50-$60 billion
a year. But most observers agree that the
founding father of the modern industry
was the aforementioned Joe Foster, who
started producing shoes for top athletes
in around 1895. With the advent of the
modern Olympics in 1896, Foster’s shoes
were soon in high demand, says Rachael
Foster, a descendant who wrote a short
history of the period.
By 1898, she writes, Joe “had perfected
his Running Pump. It was ultra light and
used the softest and strongest leathers.
Most importantly it had six one-inch long
spikes in the front for ultimate grip. In
1904 the legendary Alf Shrubb, blistered
down the track at Ibrox Park (Stadium),
Glasgow, smashing three world records
wearing Joe Foster’s Pumps.”
Over the following decades, Foster’s
Pumps featured at many events, not
least the 1924 Olympics – where they
were worn by gold medallists Harold
Abrahams and Eric Liddell, the subjects of
the Oscar-winning feature film Chariots
of Fire. But as sport developed into a
mature industry, new footwear companies
appeared in other parts of the world.
In the US, Keds and Converse were
the dominant names in sports footwear
right through until the 1960s. Converse,
bought by Nike in 2003 for $300m,
developed its All Star shoe for elite
basketball players in 1917. In a move that
was well ahead of its time, it signed up a
basketball player called Chuck Taylor to
endorse and promote its footwear. Taylor,
who joined Converse in 1921, was part of
a team sponsored by the company, which
was called The Converse All Stars.
His commitment was 24/7. When not
playing for the team, he held basketball
clinics in high schools where he taught
the fundamentals of the game and sold
the shoes. Not content with this, he also
improved the design to provide increased
flexibility and support.
While Foster’s and Converse were
making their mark in the Anglo-
American world, a young German cobbler
called Adi Dassler was drawing up plans
in his mother’s laundry for a range of
lightweight shoes suited to different
running distances. Adi started alone but
by 1924 was working with older brother
Rudi at The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory.
Like Foster’s, Dassler’s footwear
proved its worth where it mattered – on
the track. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics,
the company provided US athlete Jesse
Owens with the shoes that would carry
him to a remarkable four gold medals.
THE DASSLER BROTHERS
There were other similarities between
Foster’s and Dassler. The first is that both
factories got drawn into making shoes for
soldiers (as did Converse). The second
is that family splits led to the launch of
rival firms. In the case of Foster’s, 1958
was a year of contrasts, says Rachael
Foster: “At the 1958 FA Cup Final Nat
Lofthouse scored the winning goal for
Bolton Wanderers in Foster’s boots. That
same year my father and uncle left under
a cloud to found Reebok.”
In Germany, the Dassler rift had
happened ten years earlier in 1948. No
longer able to work with each other, Rudi
left the Dassler Brothers company to
found Puma while Adi stayed on at the
original firm but renamed it Adidas.
The 1960s to 1980s saw the sportswear
industry lay the foundations for its
current extraordinary levels of success.
Economic growth and globalisation,
increased professionalism within sport,
the emergence of celebrity sports star,
the rise of jogging and closer links
between sport and fashion combined
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 21

SPORTS SHOES
to transform the landscape. The early
beneficiaries were adidas and Reebok,
which saw off Foster’s to become a
dominant force in the early 1980s.
Perhaps the highlight of Reebok’s
performance in this decade came in
1982, when it introduced the first athletic
shoe designed especially for women.
Dubbed the Freestyle, Reebok
historians say it “anticipated and
encouraged three major trends that
transformed the athletic footwear industry:
the aerobic exercise movement, the influx
of women into sports and exercise and
the acceptance of well-designed athletic
footwear by adults for street and casual
wear”. Explosive growth followed, with the
Freestyle soon accounting for more than
half of Reebok’s sales.
JUST DO IT
While the start of the 1980s will be
remembered as a good period for Reebok,
another company was on the rise that
would transform the sports footwear
industry for good. The start of this
company’s journey was 1964, when a
runner called Phil Knight and his coach
Bill Bowerman formed Blue Ribbon
“Nike signed up a young basketball player called
Michael Jordan on a five-year sponsorship contract in
1985. That decision transformed Nike from a successful
US firm into a sports brand of global proportions.”
Sports, a company which operated as a
distributor for Japanese firm Onitsuka
Tiger (now ASICS). The relationship
worked well until 1971 at which point BRS
cut its ties with ASICS and launched its
own shoe. The shoe was called Nike and it
carried a Swoosh-shaped logo.
BRS changed the company name
to Nike in 1978 and signed its first
endorsement deal with Ilie Năstase. Iconic
TV ads would come later - but what really
set Nike up at this stage was Bowerman’s
obsessive commitment to performance.
Bowerman’s design capabilities were
matched by Knight’s marketing prowess.
And between them they made the best call
of their lives when they signed up a young
basketball player called Michael Jordan on
a five-year sponsorship contract in 1985.
That decision transformed Nike from a
successful US firm into a sports brand of
global proportions.
PUMA REVIVAL
Jordan’s endorsement of the Nike Air,
with its innovative approach to colour
and style, redefined the relationship
between sportswear and high street
fashion. Backed up by iconic TV
advertising from Wieden + Kennedy
and the slogan “Just Do It”, Nike stole a
serious march on its rivals.
One of the first execs to react was
Jochen Zeitz, who had taken over Puma
in 1993 at the youthful age of 30. At that
time, Puma was in financial difficulties,
despite a heritage that involved producing
football boots for Pele, Eusebio, Cruyff
and Maradona.
But Zeitz recognised that the answer for
Puma was to create footwear and apparel
that reflected the zeitgeist of the times.
Speaking to the New York Times in 2004,
the man who recommended Zeitz for
the job, Swedish investor Thore Ohlsson,
22 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

SPORTS SHOES
said: “Back then, Puma was a loser, a
me-too brand, with a low image and lousy
performance. Jochen had a vision he could
revitalise the brand and restore its image. I
believed in him.’’
Two decades later, Zeitz has justified
Ohlsson’s faith, transforming Puma into
a leading sports fashion brand without
undermining its core performance
credentials. At the same time, he has
done more than most to push forward the
sportswear industry’s sustainability agenda.
STREET FASHION
The rise of the branded sports shoe has
worked well for the likes of Puma and
Nike and also drew a response from their
rivals. Reebok targeted street fashion
with the launch of its rbk strategy around
a decade ago. Adidas, recognising the
significance of this trend, acquired
Reebok in 2006. The big brands still
dominate but haven’t had it all their own
way. With the emergence of a counterculture
based around extreme and action
sports, a new wave of brands built a
formidable following, including Vans, DC
Shoes and G-Star.
Fashion apart, another powerful driver
of change is the sector’s constant attempt
to improve performance and well-being
through its footwear. Elite performance
is illustrated by the Nike Lunaracer
running shoe – while Japan’s Asics has
fought back against the iconic sports
brands by focusing its energy on improved
performance. With this has come
increased distribution, increased revenues
and the capacity to sign more high-profile
sponsorship deals.
What would Joe Foster have made of
it all? Would he admire the latest
generation of high-tech shoes – such as
the Nike+iPod Sports Kit (which records
the distance and pace of a walk or run)
and the NIKEiD, which allows customers
to customise clothing purchased from
Nike? Or would he have sounded a note
of caution? While elite athletes are 100
per cent focused on foot health, medical
specialists are now asking whether hightech
shoes make feet lazy and lead to an
increase in bio-mechanical injuries among
the general public.
Nike reacted to this issue with the Nike
Free range, which is designed to “reevolutionise”
running by enabling people
to run as if they barefoot; which maybe
begs the question – why buy sports shoes?
1895
1917
1982
1985
1987
2009
JW Foster’s
Running Pumps
The Running Pumps were
ultra light and had six one
inch long spikes in the
front for ultimate grip
Converse All Stars
Converse dominated the
basketball market until
a company called Nike
turned up. Nike now
owns Converse
Reebok Freestyle
The Freestyle was
introduced in 1982 and
propelled Reebok into the
athletic wear and fashion
scene. By 1984, the shoe
accounted for more than
half of the Reebok sales
Asics GEL
Asics introduced its GEL
Cushioning System in
the 1980s and still uses
variants. It absorbs shock
by dissipating vertical
impact and dispersing it
into a horizontal plane
Nike Air
Nike Air used air pillows in
the shoes’ soles. Backed by
NBA legend Michael Jordan,
they were introduced in the
1980s and transformed the
company’s fortunes
Puma Theseus
Puma is paying record-breaking
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt
an estimated $8-$9m a year in
sponsorship fees through 2013.
Seems like a bargain.
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 23

CLUBS AND COMMUNITY
THE BOSS TAKES
THE LEAD
Doha football club Al Sadd is nicknamed ‘The Boss’ or ‘The Leader’
and it is not only on the field that the club is blazing a new trail for
the sport in Qatar.
AL SADD is Qatar’s most successful
football club and its current team of local
and international players made a piece of
history in 2011 when they won the AFC
Champions League for the second time
before taking third spot in the FIFA Cup
World Cup in Japan.
To take the title of Asian champions
against competition from teams in the
supposedly stronger Korean, Japanese and
even Australian leagues was a magnificent
achievement and according to the club’s
General Secretary, Jassim Al Romaihi, the
triumph was the cause of immense pride in
Qatar, even among fans of their local rivals.
But Al Sadd is not only taking Qatari
club football to new levels in international
competition. It is at the forefront of
ambitious moves to introduce a vibrant
culture of social responsibility (CSR) into
Qatari soccer and sport in general.
The woman behind the Al Sadd CSR
initiative is Dalal AlDossary, founder of
Impact CSR Solutions. She is a business
graduate who worked on the 2011
AFC Asian Cup in Qatar and brings
tremendous enthusiasm and energy to her
role at the club. “Social responsibility is
not about philanthropy; it is about creating
a win-win for the club, its commercial
partners and society,” she says.
Her programmes kicked off last season
and she is already putting the final touches
to plans for 32 fresh initiatives for the next
eight month long season. That’s one every
week. But to understand the platform from
which she is able to deliver the programmes
it is first necessary to understand a little
about Al Sadd and its influence.
First of all it is not simply a soccer club.
Sitting at the heart of the Al Sadd district
of Doha it follows the Qatari model of
providing a wide range of state-of the art
sports facilities for community and elite
use and has teams in a number of sports.
HIGH PROFILE
Football has the highest profile and, according
to Jassim Al Romaihi, who has
been involved with Al Sadd for much of his
life, it is the best supported in the country
with some 35,000 fans regularly following
its progress through the club website.
Over the years Al Sadd’s football teams
have won a sack full of trophies, both
domestically and internationally. Founded
in 1969, the club has won two domestic
championships, lifted the prestigious
Emir’s Cup 12 times and the Crown Prince
Cup five times, the Sheikh Jassem Cup 12
times and the more recently introduced
Qatar Stars League Cup once.
Winning the 2011 AFC Champions
League earned the club a place in FIFA’s
Club World Cup in Japan where they beat
African champions Esperance Sportive de
Tunis 2-1 to earn a dream date against FC
Barcelona. “It was a fantastic experience
to play against the best team in the world,
maybe the best team ever,” said Jassim Al
Romaihi who is a former Al Sadd player,
coach and manager who has been in
charge of all sporting elements of the club
for the past 13 years or so. “In Japan we
lost 4-0 to a Barcelona team which I
think was more or less unbeatable,” said
Jassim Al Romaihi.
“But to come third in the championship
was a big achievement and every one
of our players was a major star. I thank
them all for all they did to help us make
the country proud and very happy. The
whole team worked very hard and after a
little luck along the way I had the feeling
that we would make it to the final of the
Champions League. Our success shows
that football is becoming stronger in west
Asia and shows that Qatar is a country
which loves sport,” he said. “There is no
secret to our success except a good group
of players who work hard with good
coaching and technological support.”
With its domestic and international
success and growing fan base there is no
doubt that Al Sadd has been a pioneer of
Qatari football – and now its brand, media
profile and influence is being harnessed to
24 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

Al Sadd win the
AFC Champions
League, November
5, 2011
drive a range of important social projects
under the direction of Dalal AlDossary.
“The club wants to be seen also as a
pioneer in many other ways,” she said.
“It has a new vision and is the first club
not only in Qatar but in the region to
adopt a CSR strategy. Al Sadd is successful
on the field and enjoys a high level of
visibility in the community and now we
want to add a third dimension by making
it a socially responsible club, well ahead of
the country hosting the FIFA World Cup
in 2022.”
MISSION STATEMENT
The first year’s activities have been
operated under the banner ‘180 Degrees
of Change’ and has involved a range of
projects including work to make the
Al Sadd Stadium – already world-class
in many respects – fully accessible for
disabled people. In addition, there has
been a healthy neighbourhood programme
which has included delivering specially
prepared healthy lunchboxes to schools in a
branded bus in a move to make youngsters
aware of the need to eat properly to stay fit
and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
Literacy and the promotion of reading
has also come under the umbrella of
the programme with Al Sadd Player
Ambassadors making guest appearances in
Qatar’s malls to read passages from books
to children.
Campaigning against wider social
issues, there has also been a match to raise
awareness of the dire consequences of
human trafficking.
The commitment to CSR is now
enshrined in the club’s culture and
spelled-out on the club’s website, which
affirms: “At Al Sadd FC we believe that
being a responsible football club means
being part of our community in the widest
sense. We know that our success will be
measured not only by our winning on the
field of play or our profitability as
a business but also by our impact on
people’s lives in our community.
Al Sadd has a strong corporate social
responsibility agenda that focuses on five
strategic key areas: Health & Wellness;
Education; Social Inclusion; Social
Development; Environment.”
With its ambitious Year Two
programme taking shape Al Sadd has
taken regional leadership in an area of
sport, which continues to grow globally
and in which knowledge exchange plays
an important role. Such is the breadth
of the Al Sadd programme it is likely
to attract attention from sports clubs
elsewhere in the world anxious to
benefit from their experience.
“Social responsibility is not just
something which is nice to do it should
be at the centre of things,” said Dalal
AlDossary. Sport can achieve a great
deal and everyone wins.”
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 25

Leaders: Incisive opinion and lively debate
CAN SPORT BE A FORCE
FOR SOCIAL CHANGE?
SPORT’S ROLE as a pastime has long been understood. More
recently, its growth as an industry has become one of the great
business developments of recent decades. But as a force for social
change, despite the great strides taken in recent years, it remains
undervalued and underused.
That is demonstrably the case when we compare sport to music
or art, let alone politics. And yet sport, which engages billions of
people on a daily basis, and the wider business world, both have
potential that reaches beyond each of those sectors.
TACKLING PROBLEMS
In the USA, tackling obesity has become a legislative priority,
and sport is being used as an outlet to activation. Each of the
Major Leagues has innovative programmes in place, using their
popularity and power to tackle such issues as breast cancer, the environment and post-disaster recovery.
In the UK, the expenditure on London 2012 is being justified through the social benefits that can come
from sport – reduced crime, social cohesion and improvements in health.
Sport can thus be an essential tool for forward-thinking government. Equally, it can drive business in ways
that few would have envisaged even a few years ago. The last decade has seen a remarkable jump forward.
What started as philanthropy and developed into corporate social responsibility is increasingly taking the
next step, to a shared value model. Put simply, that model calls for investment in community and society to
be placed at the heart of business, driving development
and social change at the same time as driving sales,
brand, reputation or a myriad other business goals.
These include the next step for sponsorship –
deepening the narrative of the more hard-edged returnon-investment
mindset. This is not charity – this is part
of the very fabric of the sponsorship and a vital part of
how it can be used to deliver on business objectives.
IN BRIEF
Nick Keller, Founder and Managing
Director of Benchmark Sport
International, which runs Beyond
Sport, the global organisation for
social change through sport.
“Be it social inclusion, peace,
healthcare or education, sport
can play a vital role – and those
who realise it soonest will
benefit the most.”
SOCIAL CHANGE
Beyond Sport, the global organisation which works to promote the use of sport as a tool for social change, has
demonstrated that such a model is the way forward for the sports business world.
The opportunity for the Middle East, and Qatar in particular, is evident. Organisations are already hard at
work in the region, be it Peace and Sport’s ‘ping-pong diplomacy’ in Qatar last year or Reclaim Childhood’s
work with hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees in Jordan. Most recently, the theme of sport and social
change ran throughout the International Sport Security Conference staged in Doha.
A regional focus on the opportunity such work provides could put the Middle East more firmly on the
map as a world-leading region than any number of major sporting tournaments.
Likewise, those Middle Eastern businesses extending their reach throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and
America will find themselves welcomed by the communities they reach if they make tangible investment in
the future of those communities – as Etihad are so aptly demonstrating with their increasing support of the
poverty-stricken ward which Manchester City calls home.
From Barcelona’s shirts to Paris St-Germain’s boardroom and from the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
to Al Jazeera’s investment in sport worldwide, no sector is putting Qatari business as firmly on the map
as sport. How that position is used will define how the world regards this nation and so many others. Be
it social inclusion, peace, healthcare or education, sport can play a vital role - and those businessmen and
politicians who realise it soonest will benefit the most.
26 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

HOW WILL THE
NATIONAL SPORTS DAY
CHANGE QATAR?
ON FEBRUARY 14, 2012, Qatar launched the first National
Sports Day, a public holiday that encourages all sectors of society
to engage with sport, which will take place in the second week of
February each year.
The National Sports Day is a pioneering initiative adopted by
The Heir Apparent, H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
With a focus on young people in Qatar, H.H. Sheikh Tamim’s
decision to create a day dedicated to sport will help to further
embed sporting values into the nation’s culture.
IN BRIEF
Ahmed Said Al Rumaihi is Director
General and Chief Editor of the
Qatari ‘Al Arab’ newspaper
(www. alarab.qa) an independent
daily founded in1972.
SYMBOL OF COMMITMENT
The decision is a symbol of the strong commitment of our nation
toward developing sporting participation across the population.
Increased participation in sport has the potential to bring our communities together, encourage a better
quality of life and shape a healthier future for generations to come.
The National Sports Day, like the existing Schools Olympic Programme, is a great step towards achieving this.
In terms of the of the Day’s activities, the QOC was in charge of bringing together government agencies,
private sector companies, educational and social institutions to participate in over 350 free events from yoga
to fencing, Zumba dancing to beach football.
During the day, all public sports facilities in the country opened their doors to the public for free and
sports federations, leagues and clubs lent their support in myriad ways.
The Qatar Football Association, Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee and Qatar Stars League, for example,
hosted a special ‘Football Town’ event, which included soccer tournaments and beach soccer clinics hosted
by superstar beach player, Ramiro Amarelle, as well as interactive fan zones.
The feature sports event of the day – a football match between Qatar’s former national team and the
current national team – was another stellar attraction for fans of the country’s number one sport.
SPORT FOR ALL
The whole nation embraced Qatar’s first National Sports Day. H.H. Sheikh Tamim and his wife Sheikha
Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al-Thani showed their support by attending sporting activities held at the
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
Public and private organisations also encouraged their employees to engage in sport with great results.
Organisations and companies such as Qatar Airways, Al Jazeera, and Q Media staged sports activities
for staff and families. Qatar Petroleum alone organised over 50 activities across the nation, including its
offshore operations. Meanwhile, The Doha 2020 Bid Committee kicked off the day with a 4km morning run,
organised by Aspire Zone Foundation and RasGas, drawing in hundreds of men, women and children to a
day of fun and sports at Aspire Zone, Doha’s world-class sports precinct.
ANNUAL CELEBRATION
Qatar, of course, has an international reputation as a hub for staging successful sporting events but it is
important that as our global sporting profile rises we simultaneously ensure that the people of Qatar are also
engaged in sporting activity.
Qatar is now one of the few countries around the world to dedicate a special holiday for recreation and
wellness. With this annual celebration of sport and the whole nation taking part, we can foster a strong
sporting culture in Qatar that will create a positive cultural and social legacy for generations to come.
The initiative is all about inspiring and supporting change – and it was wonderful to see so many people
participate in so many different activities to celebrate National Sports Day.
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 27

Director of Sports Science Program
Position Summary
Qatar University is the country's major institution of
higher education and consists of the following colleges:
education, arts and sciences, law, Sharia and Islamic
studies, business and economics, engineering, pharmacy
and two independent programs in international affairs and
sport science. The government also finances a large
number of students to obtain advanced degrees abroad.
The State of Qatar is a small, oil-rich peninsula projecting
northward from the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula
into the Arabian Gulf. With substantial oil and natural gas
reserves, Qatar is one of the wealthiest states in the
region and has developed high quality health care and
education systems.
The capital city of Doha lies on the east coast of the
peninsula and features a wide mixture of modern and
traditional Arabic architecture. Almost 90 percent of
Qatar's population lives in Doha and its surrounding
suburbs. Sunni Islam is the predominant religion.
Application Deadline: Open until filled
Position Category: Academic
Employment Type: Full Time
Position Term: Three Years Renewable
Duties and responsibilities:
Program Leadership
The program director is responsible for providing overall
leadership for the program and its faculty, which may
include: conducting periodic meetings of faculty to
discuss programmatic and departmental issues; ensuring
the flow of critical information between the department,
college or university and all program faculty; and soliciting
and submitting program budget requests to the Dean or
VPCAO.
Curriculum Oversight
The program director is responsible for all modifications
to the curriculum, course sequencing and scheduling;
and development and maintenance of the program's
curriculum guide. Faculty recruitment, load, and when
appropriate, evaluation. The program director, in concert
with the college dean or VPCAO is responsible for
management of the program faculty, which may include:
certifying and maintaining documentation related to
faculty credentials; assigning courses, in concert with the
college dean or VPCAO, to achieve workload balance and
to ensure adequate coverage for course offerings;
conducting faculty searches.

Program Planning & Evaluation
The program director is responsible for all program
planning and evaluation activities which may include:
coordinating program goals and strategies from the
strategic plan; assessment of student learning outcomes
including submission of the 5-year Program Assessment
Plan and the annual Assessment Report; oversight of
periodic program review including development and
submission of the Program Portfolio and Program
Development Plan; and when applicable, oversight of
programmatic accreditation. Student Recruitment and
Retention. The program director is responsible for
developing and maintaining materials and processes that
promote recruitment and retention, which may include:
creating and updating promotional brochures/literature,
program website, catalog copy and degree checklist;
oversight of all program-affiliated student organizations
and activities such as majors' clubs, honor societies,
recognition events, etc.: and (Graduate Program
Directors) recruiting graduate students and making timely
decisions on admissions (by checking the electronic
folders in order to make an admission's decision about
"completed" applications).
Outreach
The program director is responsible for representing the
academic program's interests in both internal and
external endeavors, which may include: coordinating
program advisory boards; serving as a liaison between
the program and other campus constituencies; and
participating in community events in which the program
is represented.
Competencies:
• Excellent verbal and written English communication
skills.
• Able to provide innovative and dynamic administration
and teaching.
• Creative scholarship skills and research strengths.
• Previous relevant administrative and academic
experience.
Qualifications:
Applicants should possess a doctoral degree in Sport
Science or related field from an accredited US or UK
University with at least five years of relevant experience.
Benefits:
1. Competitive tax-free salary.
2. Furnished accommodation in accordance with QU HR
policies.
3. Annual round trip air tickets for faculty member and
dependents in accordance with QU HR policies.
4. Educational allowance for candidate's children in
accordance with QU HR policies.
5. Annual leave in accordance with QU HR policies.
6. End-of-contract indemnity in accordance with QU HR
policies.
7. Private health care insurance and national health care
as may be available in the State of Qatar.
8. An annual increment that varies between 3% and up to
5% of the basic salary.
9. One and a half month salary as a bonus for recognition
of achievers.
10. QU gives an annual grant (up to 15% of the monthly
basic salary x 12 months), to those high achievers that
need to be recognized on the university level. Winning
of this award is based on merit in their teaching and
service to the university.
11. Opportunities for Faculty Development and continuing
education. We provide full support for attending
conferences. We offer a wide range of workshops
facilitated by well known local, regional and
international instructors.
12. Internal research grants equivalent to more than one
million dollars annually.
13. External research funding from QNRF (Qatar National
Research Fund). The Qatar National Research Fund
website (www.qnrf.org) has all pertinent information on
the National Priorities Research Program (NPRP), as
well as, the Undergraduate Research Experience
Program (UREP). Twenty Five million dollars was
recently granted to the awardees of the NPRP.
14. Interest-free car loans are available to all employees.
Contact Information:
Please apply on line http://recruit.qu.edu.qa/ also
please feel free to contact the following e-mail if you need
further information vpacademic.office@qu.edu.qa;
vpacademic@qu.edu.qa. If you need to talk to someone
please call us on the following telephones:
+(974) 403-4003 or +(974) 403-4004.
Required Documents:
Applications from interested individuals should be
submitted via our online application process at
http://recruit.qu.edu.qa/pls/recruitment/rec. Please
complete all application sections and ensure you attach:
1. A covering letter;
2. A copy of your current curriculum vitae;
3. Any additional documentation that you feel is relevant
to your application.

FOR THE RECORD: WHO’S MAKING HEADLINES IN SPORT WORLDWIDE?
SACHIN TENDULKAR
India’s ‘Little Master’, Sachin Tedulkar scored his 100th
international century in India’s Asia Cup One Day International
match against Bangladesh in Mirpur, March 16, 2012.
The hype around Tendulkar’s 100th international century
began during last year’s ICC World Cup, when two hundreds in
the group stages put him on 99 international hundreds.
But the pressure to reach the century of hundreds took its toll.
Tendulkar failed to get to three figures in his next 33
international innings. Understandably, he took his time in the
one-day international against Bangladesh, one of international
cricket’s weaker nations.
Tedulkar took 138 balls to reach the century, his 49th in oneday
international cricket. When added to his 51 three-figure
scores from Test cricket, this gave him the magic 100.
The previous 12 months, Tedulkar admitted, were “possibly
the toughest of my life”. But with the weight of expectation
lifted from his shoulders, Tendulkar believes he has more to
offer Indian cricket – and more centuries still to come.
Most Hundreds in international cricket (Tests/ODI)
Sachin Tendulkar (IND) 100 (51/49)
Ricky Ponting (AUS) 71 (41/30)
Jacques Kallis (RSA) 59 (42/17)
Brian Lara (WI) 53 (34/19)
Rahul Dravid (IND) 48 (36/12)
Mahela Jayawardene (SRI) 45 (29 /16*)
Sanath Jayasuriya (SRI 42 (14/28)
Kumar Sangakkara (SRI) 41 (28/13)
Matthew Hayden (AUS 40 (30/10
Mohammad Yousuf (PAK) 39 (24/15)
* Includes one Twenty20 century
LIONEL MESSI
Three-time World Footballer of the Year, Lionel Messi, became
the first player to score five goals in a UEFA Champions League
game when FC Barcelona claimed a record knockout round
victory against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, March 2, 2012. Messi scored
the first five-goal haul as the holders powered to a 7-1 win over
the Bundesliga side, winning the tie 10-2 on aggregate.
Most goals in UEFA Champions League match
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 5 (2011-12)
Bafetimbi Gomis (Lyon) 4 (2011-2012)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 4 (2009-10)
Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan) 4 (2005-06)
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man United) 4 (2004-05)
Dado Prso (Monaco) 4 (2003-04)
Simone Inzaghi (Lazio) 4 (1999-2000)
*Semih Senturk (Fenerbahce) 4 (2008-09)
*Tomasz Frankowski ( Wisla Krakow ) 4 (2004-05)
*Serhiy Rebrov (Dynamo Kyiv) 4 (1998-99)
*In UEFA Champions League qualifying matches
30 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

NATALIYA DOBRYNSKA
The 14th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul
(March 9-11, 2012) saw a stunning world record in the
women’s Pentathlon for Nataliya Dobrynska of the Ukraine.
The Olympic heptathlon champion saw off Jessica Ennis of
Great Britain and Tatyana Chernova of Russia to set a new
global mark of 5,013 points, finally erasing the 20-year-old
figures of 4,991 set by Irina Belova of Russia.
RORY MCILROY
Aged 22 years and 305 days, Rory McIlroy became the second
youngest player to reach Number One in the Official World
Golf Rankings when he won the Honda Classic in Florida,
March 24, 2012. The Northern Irishman followed Tiger Woods,
who was 21 years and 167 days, when he first reached Number
One on June 15, 1997. McIlroy was only the second 20 year-old
(with Tiger Woods) to reach the world’s top ten in 2009.
Indoor World Pentathlon bests (women) Youngest golf Number Ones (since April 1986)
Nataliya Dobrynska (UKR) 5,013 points (2012)
Irina Belova (RUS) 4,991 (1992)
Carolina Klüft (SWE) 4,948 (2005)
Carolina Klüft (SWE) 4,944 (2007)
Jessica Ennis (UK) 4,937 (2010)
Carolina Klüft (SWE) 4,933 (2003)
Kelly Sotherton (UK) 4,927 (2007
Tia Hellebaut (BEL) 4,877 (2007)
Tia Hellebaut (BEL) 4,867 (2008)
Svetlana Moskalets (RUS) 4,866 (1995)
Tiger Woods (USA) 21 yrs (1997)
Rory McIlroy (UK) 22 yrs (2012)
Martin Kaymer (GER) 26 yrs (2011)
David Duval (USA) 27 yrs (1999)
Ernie Els (RSA) 28 yrs (1997)
Bernhard Langer (GER) 28 yrs (1986)
Seve Ballesteros (ESP) 29 yrs (1986)
Greg Norman (AUS) 31 yrs (1986)
Luke Donald (UK) 33 yrs (2011)
Fred Couples (USA) 33 yrs (1992)
LINDSEY VONN
Lindsey Vonn became the most successful American in the history
of alpine skiing during a memorable FIS Alpine Ski World Cup
season this year. Vonn is now third on the all-time list for World
Cup wins behind Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Proell (62) and Vreni
Schneider (55) of Switzerland.
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup wins (women)
as of 20/3/2012
Annemarie Moser-Pröll (AS) 62 (1969–1980)
Vreni Schneider (SUI) 55 (1984–1995)
Lindsey Vonn (USA)
53 (2000–active)
Renate Götschl (AS) 46 (1993–2009
Anja Pärson (SWE)
42 (1998–active)
Katja Seizinger (GER) 36 (1989–1998)
Marlies Schild (AS)
35 (2001–active)
Hanni Wenzel (LIE) 33 (1972–1984)
Erika Hess (SUI) 31 (1978–1987)
Janica Kostelić (CRO) 30 (1998–2006)
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 31

SCHOOLED
IN SPORT
Qatar’s innovative Schools Olympic Programme
(SOP) gives every child a chance to take part in
competitive sport. SOP shares its core values
with ‘Sport for All’ initiatives in other sportsloving
nations, but its unique model contains
lessons that everybody can learn from.
32 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

SCHOOL SPORT
EVERYONE AGREES that sport is good for young
people. While different cultures may have varying
opinions about the value of competition, they’re
united in the belief that physical activity helps
combat contemporary concerns such as obesity,
while encouraging cross-community social
integration and well-being.
QATAR
In Qatar, the last decade’s investment
in sports facilities and events
has been matched by an ongoing
commitment to the nation’s children. This is best
illustrated by Qatar’s Schools Olympic Program
(SOP), the annual event, which started during the
2007/2008 school year and is now five years old.
The SOP was an initiative of H.H. Sheikh
Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar’s Heir
Apparent and President of the Qatar Olympic
Committee. Keen to encourage school students to
regard sport as an integral part of their lifestyle,
he proposed that the SOP be launched as part of
Qatar’s “Sport for All” programme.
Three main pillars are evident in the way the
SOP has developed.
The first is that it provides a powerful
introduction to Olympism and a platform for
Olympic-based initiatives.
The second is that it provides an early
opportunity to identify and develop young talent.
The third, no less significant, is a social
agenda which is designed to raise sport
awareness and participation among youth,
celebrate the cultures of Qatar and debate
sporting values and societal challenges.
This last pillar is reinforced by an annual theme,
which is chosen to reflect the critical relationship
between sport and civil society.
After Sport for Health in year one, the SOP
organisers singled out Sport and Environment,
Sport and Culture and Sport and Education for
the next three years. For the fifth edition, the
theme is Sport and Family. It was chosen, say the
organisers, to highlight “the valuable contribution
of the family institution in the society and its
direct impact on sport.”
Although Qatar’s SOP builds towards two
high-profile days of competition for girls and boys
which are played out at the Aspire Indoor Hall
in front of family, friends and key stakeholders,
the entire process (from qualification through to
Finals) lasts from October through to April.
Boys and Girls from 6-18 are able, via their
schools, to participate in individual sports
such as gymnastics, fencing and table-tennis and
team sports such as basketball, football, handball
and volleyball.
The 2012 edition has already been hailed a
success. More than 20,000 boys and girls took
part, surpassing the record of 17,492 who were
involved in 2011.
SOP also features a ‘Special Day’, a unique
event that this year offered more than 350 students
with special needs the opportunity to take part in
a variety of different sporting events, including
athletics-based sports and table-tennis.
“Across all sports and all abilities, the SOP
encourages meaningful competition, but just as
important is the sense of a society pulling together
behind a common cause.”
Across all sports and all abilities, SOP encourages
meaningful competition, but just as important is
the sense of a society pulling together behind a
common cause – a successful combination which
owes a lot to the interaction between the QOC,
the Supreme Council of Education and School
Sports Federation.
Not all countries benefit from such a direct
connection between the sporting and political
institutions. But there are plenty of other
illustrations of how nations use youth sport
programmes to identify potential talent and meet
social goals.
CANADA
Canada has one of the most active
school sports bodies in the world and
a government that aims to ensure
that all children have access to sport.
School Sport Canada is the largest structured
sport organisation in Canada, with over 750,000
student athletes, 52,000 volunteer teacher coaches
and 3,200 schools attached.
But for those who are liable to slip through
the net, the Canadian government’s agenda is
managed via Sport Canada – a federal body
that is briefed to encourage and support both
competitive excellence and mass participation.
Sport Canada contributes funds to KidSport,
a charity focused on helping kids overcome the
financial barriers to playing sport.
As the organisation says in its mission
statement: “We believe that no kid should be
left on the sidelines and all should be given the
opportunity to experience the positive benefits of
organised sports.”
As a result of KidSport’s excellent work and
with the support of thousands of local sports
organisations, the programme has gone from
strength to strength since it was formed in 2005.
In 2010, 50,000 kids received grants ranging from
$200 to $500 to pay for fees or equipment.
Qatar Sport | Issue 17 | 33

SCHOOL SPORT
UNITED KINGDOM
KidSport’s activity in Canada is
echoed by that of the Youth Sport
Trust (YST) charity in the UK, whose
goal is to help young people “achieve their full
potential in life by delivering high quality physical
education and sport opportunities.”
Like KidSport, the YST relies on support from
both the public and private sectors.
A classic example of the latter is its work with
supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, a programme
which has raised £100m worth of equipment and
experiences for nurseries, schools and sport clubs
since its formation in 2005.
With the London 2012 Olympics coming up later
this year, this kind of public-private partnership is
very visible right now. YST and Sainsbury’s are both
involved in the forthcoming 2012 School Games
finals, which will see 1,600 of Britain’s top young
sports stars compete at the new Olympic Park just
two months before the start of London 2012.
A multi-sport event, the Sainsbury’s 2012 School
Games will mirror the Olympic and Paralympic
Games, complete with opening and closing
ceremonies, and is expected to see 35,000 spectators
cheering on the athletes. Most importantly the
project has funding committed until 2015 thanks to
sponsors Sainsbury’s and adidas and backing from
the UK government’s Department of Health.
Speaking of the programme, Secretary of
State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport,
Jeremy Hunt said: “We are determined to leave
a real and lasting legacy for young people from
London’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the
Sainsbury’s School Games will help do just that.
“The fantastic funding package shows the
commitment to completely transform competitive
sport in schools.”
SINGAPORE
As host to the first ever Youth Olympic
Games in August 2010, it only seems
right that our next port of call is
Singapore. The decision to give Singapore such a
prestigious job reflects its ongoing commitment to
both youth participation and elite development.
At the start of 2011, for example, the Singapore
Sports Council (SSC) sanctioned a significant
increase in funding for National Sports Association
development programmes.
“Singapore needs holistic youth development
programmes to identify and groom our young
sporting talent into the world champions of
tomorrow,” explained Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior
Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community
Development, Youth and Sports.
In parallel with this investment, the SSC also
unveiled an increase in funding for team sports.
Supporting this initiative, SSC chairman Richard
Seow, said, “These young athletes have the potential
to become our leaders of tomorrow. Team sports
teach youth about sharing responsibility in victory
and defeat, pursuing a group strategy and problemsolving
in real time.”
Singapore’s model is probably closest to Qatar’s in
terms of its centrally planned sports strategy. Like
Qatar, the Singapore government has a vision for
the nation’s sporting life by the year 2030 – with the
opportunity for Singaporeans to play more sports in
school number one on its to do list.
The medals ceremony for
the boy’s soccer competition
(elementary school age group) at
the Aspire Indoor Hall this April.
34 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport

TRENDS
GEARING UP FOR LONDON 2012
Sports apparel brands will compete for awareness at this summer’s Olympic Games.
THE LONDON 2012 Olympic Games
will be a major battleground for makers
of sports apparel as emerging brands compete
for awareness at the world’s greatest
multi-sports event.
While market leaders like Nike, adidas
and Puma will have a strong presence
at the Games, they can expect strong
competition from BRIC [Brazil, Russia,
India, China] country newcomers.
Chinese brands Anta Sports and
Russia’s Bosco Sport, in particular, are
anxious to use the London Games as a
marketing platform. Anta replaced
adidas as the Chinese team’s sponsor in
2009, while Bosco Sport will outfit the
Russia, Ukraine and Spanish teams on
the medals podium.
“It’s inevitable that we’re seeing the
national champions [of Russia and
China] come forward because of Beijing
2008 and Sochi 2014 - and there’s no
doubt that they are a threat to the
established players and have genuine
international ambitions,” says Tim Crow,
CEO of the London-based consultancy
Synergy Sponsorship.
“It’s not really surprising that they’re
looking to the Olympics as a marketing
platform. After all, along with the
World Cup, the Olympics were crucial
in accelerating the growth of adidas
(especially) and the others. It’s a highlycharged
market and one that is sure to
improve the negotiating position of National
Olympic Committees going forward.”
Pressure on the established sportswear
brands has been building over recent
Olympic cycles with Brazilian-owned
Olympikus unifying the nationality of
uniform supplier and team for the Brazil
Olympic Committee at the Olympics
since 1999 and Bosco Sport kitting out
Russian medal winners since 2002.
Bosco Sport paid almost $20m for
the Russian rights to Beijing 2008 and
Vancouver 2010 to see off domestic rivals
Miroff Sport and China’s Li Ning.
Bosco then held onto pole position
for the London-Sochi-Rio series with a
bid worth around $100m, which also
gives them General Partner status at
Sochi 2012. Nike, however, will be kitting
out Russia’s star athletes during the track
and field competition at London 2012.
In China, the story is that Anta
Sports signed with the Chinese Olympic
Committee in 2009 for four years covering
Vancouver 2010, the Guangzhou Asian
Games 2010 and London 2012 in a deal
worth between $60m and $70m [Nike will
be the in-competition kit supplier].
But the Brazil deal between 2012
and 2016 has the power to surpass
these figures. While Nike (football) and
Olympikus (volleyball) have two of the
biggest Brazilian sports federations wrapped
up, adidas have dominated the host country
podium and uniform rights since 2000.
Adidas, along with Brazilian sports
brand Olympikus, were keen to kit out the
Brazil team, but Qatar Sports understands
that Nike will be the apparel brand of
choice for Team Brazil at London 2012
and Rio 2016.
London 2012 Team Uniform Suppliers
Australia
Adidas
Brazil
TBC
Canada
Nike
China
Anta Sports
France
Adidas
Germany
Adidas
Great Britain
Adidas
Italy
Asics
India
TBC
Jamaica
Puma
Japan
Asics
Netherlands
Asics
Poland
4F Sport Performance
Qatar
Nike
Russia
Bosco Sport
South Africa
Adidas
South Korea
Asics
Spain
Bosco Sport
Ukraine
Bosco Sport
United States
Nike
36 | Issue 17 | Qatar Sport