EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee

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Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee Welcome... Like people the world over, we are eagerly looking forward to the Olympic Games. This summer over 10,000 athletes and officials and a further 20,000 media representatives will be in Beijing to celebrate sport, life and humanity in what has come to be known as The Greatest Show On Earth. The Opening ceremony is set to become the most watched programme in the history of television with nearly 2 billion people around the world tuning in. That surely underscores the global importance of these Games. The Olympic Games represents the pinnacle of every competitor’s sports career. They may set new records and even win world championships but, in most sports, an Olympic Gold medal is the ultimate goal. “The values of sport and fair play are more important than the barriers of nationality and politics” That is why I am delighted that Qatar will send its biggest ever delegation to the Beijing Games. Six federations - Athletics (Track and Field) Archery, Fencing, Swimming Shooting and Taekwondo - are sending competitors and our nation will also be represented in the Paralympic Games. In many respects, the Olympic Games provide an indicator of how far sport in Qatar has come and how quickly it is developing. It is a credit to the federations, their coaches and officials that we are sending more competitors to the Games than ever before and there is also a belief that Qatari athletes have a genuine chance of winning medals in a number of events. That is a real mark of progress for everybody involved in sport in Qatar and a tribute to the inspiration and leadership of HH the Emir. The Olympic Games will provide inspiration for a generation of youngsters watching around the world and I am sure that the performance of our athletes will encourage Qatari youngsters to emulate them, by showing them that by recognising and developing your talents, anything is possible. The importance of the Olympic Games is heightened in Qatar because of the central role of sport in our country. The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) is responsible not only for the team which represents Qatar in Beijing but for all aspects of sporting life. (QOC) is the clear link between the medal hopefuls in China and the youngsters taking their first sporting steps as participants in our schools Olympic Day programme. It is what connects the major international events which are staged in our country and the thousands of men, women and children who take part in the Aspire Active programme. We are confident that the people of Qatar will provide fantastic support to our athletes and those of other nations during the Olympic Games but the Olympic Committee is determined that the focus on sport does not end with the closing ceremony. Our role is continue to provide the facilities, coaches and stimulus to encourage every Qatari and Qatar resident to make sport part of their lives, not simply as spectators but as participants. Not everybody will ever run a marathon, fewer still will complete the 100 metres in under 10 seconds. Not all of us can be a top class footballer or win a tennis title. But sport is amazingly diverse and offers most people, irrespective of age or gender, an opportunity to participate, to be part of a new and stimulating community and enjoy the health benefits of a more active lifestyle. The Olympic Games are the embodiment of sport’s role in life and goes beyond the arena itself. Despite the fact that the world is an intensely complicated place, the Olympic Games represents a willingness to embrace a spirit of togetherness, where the values of sport and fair play are more important than the barriers of nationality and politics. Those are the values at the heart of the Qatar Olympic Committee and which drive our unchanging policy to become a welcoming host to the world’s major sports events. In the spirit of sport I would like to wish the Beijing Organising Committee, the Chinese Olympic Committee and every participating Olympic Committee enjoyable and successful Games. Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani Secretary General. Qatar Olympic Committee 4 QatarSport Q3.08
Q3.08.news A last ditch win against Iraq has given fresh impetus to QATAR’s World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign World cup campaign back on track Qatar has been drawn in a Group A with Australia, Japan, Bahrain and Uzbekistan as the 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament reaches its final group stages. Qualification for the last 10 was sealed in dramatic style on June 22 when the boys in maroon triumphed in a must-win preliminary group match against the 2007 Asian Champions Iraq. Held in Dubai as a ‘home’ game for Iraq, striker, Saeed Al Bashir scored the only goal of a nerve-jangling encounter in the 77th minute, raising Qatar’s points tally to 10, to finish in second place behind Australia. “It was very tense out there,” admitted Qatar’s Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati after the match. “But my players played according to plan. It was extremely pleasing to see how they performed with their backs to the wall. “We [also] managed to defeat our critics - and the entire football hierarchy [in Qatar] deserves to celebrate this great win.” Fossati added that he has faith in his players to deliver the goods in the next stage of qualifying. “I am very optimistic about our chances because my players have shown tremendous spirit in the last few months. We have beaten some strong sides this year and have learned a lot along the way. Our next target is reach the World Cup finals.” Commenting on Qatar’s prospects of reaching the finals after the draw, President of the Qatar Football Association, HE Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al-Thani, added: “Group A includes teams of a high technical level and great reputation in Asia, but [I believe] Qatar will compete strongly to qualify for the finals in South Africa.” In Group B, South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia, which all qualified for the last World Cup in 2006, will battle North Korea and the United Arab Emirates for the right to play in South Africa. The first and second places of each group qualify directly for the finals, while the third placed teams will play-off against each other for the right to take on the winner of the Oceania Confederation for the final place. The two groups will be contested on a home and away basis between September 2008 and June 2009. Qatar will face Uzbekistan in Doha on September 6 in the opening match. The second encounter will be against Bahrain on September 10, in Manama, while their third match will be against Australia on November 15, in Australia. Qatar’s crucial 1-0 win against Iraq sparked celebrations among Qatari fans in the stadium and joyous scenes on the pitch as manager Jorge Fossati congratulated his players after the final whistle. Q3.08 QatarSport 5
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Page 6 and 7: News in Brief Young Qatari athletes
Page 8 and 9: News in Brief ASPIRE students earn
Page 10 and 11: A visiting delegation from the Asia
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EYES ON CHINA GOLD - Qatar Olympic Committee

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