EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee

o o o o o o o o o
beijing
2008
“As far as I am
concerned, the
athletes are the
VIPs. They deserve
”
their place on the
world stage
Khalil Al Jabber, Director of Sports Affairs at the Qatar Olympic
Committee, is also Chef de Mission for the Qatar team at the Beijing
Olympic Games. He explains his role and ambitions for the olympic
GAMES and hIghlights how the Games fit with Qatar’s NATIONAL
‘Sport For Life’ policy
The Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games
will be an unforgettable day in the lives of all of those
involved - athletes, officials and spectators alike.
There, in Beijing’s innovative Birds Nest Stadium, the
nations of the world will join forces to celebrate sport and
the spirit of Olympism, two of the forces at the very
heart of modern Qatar.
The moment when the Qatar team’s representatives make
their way into the stadium for the Opening Ceremony will
be a particularly proud moment for Khalil Al Jabber, the
team’s Chef de Mission and Sports Affairs Director of the
Qatar Olympic Committee.
The opening ceremony effectively marks the end of one
phase of the Chef de Mission’s role and the beginning of the
vitally important second. Here months and years of
meticulous planning, training and team selection come to
an end and all attention focuses on the performance of the
team’s athletes under the glare of the world’s attention.
18 QatarSport Q3.08
“There is tremendous public excitement in Qatar and
huge support for our athletes and my job as Chef de
Mission is to ensure that they have the ability to focus solely
on their performance and not worry about any other
details,” Mr Al Jabber said.
“As far as I am concerned, the athletes are the VIPs. Our
role is to serve them and help them produce their best
possible performances in Beijing. They deserve their place
on the world stage and we all know that good performances
can be inspirational for those watching back home in Qatar
and elsewhere.
“We have to realise that every athlete is different and has
very different requirements. Our job is to understand that
and to make sure they have everything they need to succeed
to the best of their abilities.”
It is that mind-set which has helped ensure that no
previous Qatar team has been better prepared for the
Olympic Games. Evidence of the detailed planning which