NEWS - Qatar Olympic Committee

Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee
Welcome...
In March we were privileged to join the leaders of
the world’s sports community in Denver, Colorado, for
the latest edition of SportAccord, the leading meeting
for sports federations and administrators.
It was a fascinating opportunity to meet friends who
are helping shape the future of sport and to exchange
ideas with them.
Sport is truly global in its attitudes and aspirations
and we are determined that Qatar should continue to
play an active role on the world stage.
“We promise to deliver a tournament
which reflects our emphasis on quality
on every level, from administration to
stadiums and training facilities”
Looking ahead to some of the events which are in
the pipeline demonstrate that commitment and shows
just what a busy calendar we have right through until
2011 when Qatar will host both the Asian Football
Confederation Cup and the Pan Arab Games.
We are delighted to have been selected to host the
AFC Cup which will bring Asia’s leading teams to
Qatar in what will be a tremendous celebration of
the world’s most popular sport. The competition has
grown in stature over the years and today many of the
competing teams are recognised not only as regional
powers but as genuine players on the World Stage. Also
in 2011 we will welcome athletes from throughout
the Arab World to the 12 th Pan Arab Games, a multisport
event which is growing in scale and stature. The
Games were launched in 1953 when the Egyptian
City of Alexandria was the host. We are pleased to be
continuing the tradition and keeping alight the torch
for sport in the Arab world.
We promise to deliver a tournament which
reflects our emphasis on quality on every level, from
administration to stadiums and training facilities.
Before that, however, Qatar will host other truly
significant world-class events. The IAAF’s Indoor
Championships will be staged in Doha in March next
year while in December 2009 some of the world’s finest
young sportsmen will be our guests as they compete in
the Gymnasiade.
This is a particularly appropriate event given the
emphasis we place on the creation of opportunities for
youth in sport here in Qatar and beyond.
The latest edition of Schools Olympic Day was a
resounding success and we were particularly pleased
that International Olympic Committee Vice-President
Dr Thomas Bach was our guest at the spectacular finals
day at Aspire.
Dr Bach praised the event highly and emphasised his
appreciation of the way that Schools Olympic Day is
used to link sport with a different theme each year. This
year the theme was sport and environment while next
year we will focus on sport and culture.
Our focus on the role that sport can play in the lives
of young people was also evident earlier this year in
Egypt at the third UNDOC Sports Camp, organised
by the QOC and the United Nations and backed by
Qatar’s Global Sport Fund.
The Camps are a key part of our efforts to show
young people how participation in sport can help them
stay clear of a life of drugs and crime which has become
the scourge of the young in many parts of the world.
We aim to create a generation of ambassadors who
will return to their schools and communities and help
deliver the key message that there is an alternative way
of life and that SPORT can be central to it.
We were extremely happy with the value that the
Camp delivered and with the way that the young
people responded to the opportunity. Now we are
looking forward to the next camp which is scheduled to
take place in Indonesia in September/October.
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani
Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Commitee
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