You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>OPEC</strong> bulletin 6/08<br />
38<br />
impressive results on the local, regional and world stage,”<br />
he explains. “However, it is too early to have world champions<br />
already … ASPIRE is very much a long-term project,<br />
designed to nurture students and enable them to reach<br />
their full potential in time. The London Olympics in 2012<br />
are our target, given the age of our students. We anticipate<br />
that our participation will be even greater in 2016,<br />
and will continue to expand beyond that.”<br />
World stage<br />
But if it does take a little while for ASPIRE athletes to start<br />
dominating the back pages of the international press, the<br />
academy can be sure of taking up plenty of column inches<br />
in the mean time, thanks to an unrivalled programme of<br />
visiting greats. Legendary middle distance runner Said<br />
Aouita, footballing heroes Pele and Diego Maradona and<br />
multi Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Mark Spitz<br />
are just four of the many names that have visited ASPIRE<br />
to deliver addresses and lectures, or attend debates or<br />
master-classes, since its inception.<br />
But it is not all play. ASPIRE students have a<br />
core of 33 highly-experienced teaching professionals<br />
at their disposal to help them follow the<br />
Ministry of Education’s curricula. Arabic, Islamic<br />
Studies, Maths and English are all on the menu and<br />
although sport is the academy’s mainstay, it also lists<br />
Science, Literature, Information and Communication<br />
Technology and English Language as areas of particular<br />
academic focus. There is even a ‘Polytechnical<br />
Education’ course on offer, providing qualifications in<br />
Mechanical Engineering and Joinery, should students<br />
need anything more mundane than footballing flair<br />
or table-tennis talent to fall back on.<br />
A country of little more than 800,000 people, Qatar<br />
is one of the wealthiest states per capita in the prosperous<br />
Gulf region. And during the past few years, it has<br />
also become one of the sportiest. “ASPIRE was established<br />
for the children and people of Qatar and for the<br />
sporting reputation of Qatar as a whole,” says Bleicher.<br />
“However, we also wanted to help build a broader sporting<br />
culture across the region. In recent times the advent
Change language