Issue 14 - Qatar Olympic Committee

Issue 14 July 2011 $10 

The official magazine of the qatar olympic committee 

SPORT AND SUSTAINABILITY 

THE ARAB GAMES 

LOCAL ORGANISERS 

SET THE STANDARD 

QOC AWARDS 

STARS OF THE 

SEASON 2010-11 

BRAND VALUES 

SPORTS MARKETING 

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT 

ASPIRE ACADEMY GRADUATES SET THEIR SIGHTS ON SUCCESS

QATARSPORT.ISSUE 14.CONTENTS 

04 QOC Comment Message from the Secretary General 

05 News World-Class Event Round-Up 

12 WCSE 2011 Sport and Sustainability 

16 The 12th Arab Games Rising to the Event Challenge 

20 Young Stars in Qatar Hopes for Generation Next 

24 Aspire Alumni Academy Graduates Grow Up 

26 QOC Awards This Year’s Honour List 

28 The Big Debate Marketing Matters 

30 Rankings The Best of the Best in Sport 

32 The Big Interview SOP Executive Director Khalid Shandoor 

34 Event Diary Highlights of the Season 

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, 2011. 

www.olympic.qa 

qoc@olympic.qa 

Designed and produced for the Qatar Olympic Committee by SportBusiness Group, London. 

Cover photo: Getty Images 

ISSUE 14 QATARSPORT 3

Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee 

Welcome... 

It was a privilege and an honour to host the 9th 

World Conference on Sport and the Environment 

2011 in Doha, 30th April – 2nd May, and we 

were delighted by the success of the event and 

the positive outcome of the discussions that were 

highlighted in the Doha Declaration. 

We have long been aware that sport has a 

major role to play in promoting awareness of 

environmental issues and hosting this critically 

important conference was an example of our 

commitment to environmental issues. We 

were delighted to have provided the setting for 

discussions which were frank, forthright and fruitful. 

We were also very happy with the high level 

attendees such as the International Olympic 

Committee President Dr. Jacques Rogge and His 

Excellency Pal Schmitt, President of the Republic 

of Hungary and the Chairman of the IOC’s Sport 

and Environment Commission. He described it as 

one of the most successful conferences of its type 

and we would like to thank all of the International 

Federations, National Olympic Committees, IOC 

Members and others who contributed to that success. 

Naturally, we were also delighted that the Qatar 

Olympic Committee was chosen for a special IOC 

Sport and the Environment Award which recognises 

our focus on the environment and, in particular, 

the pioneering work that has been done to develop 

the QSAS Code for Green Sport Venues, as well as 

developing the carbon-neutral cooling technologies 

for future sport venues in Qatar. 

Doha will be the venue for another very special 

occasion in November 2011 when players from ten 

nations compete in an international table tennis 

tournament organised by Peace and Sport, the 

body established by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, 

himself an Olympian and IOC Member. 

We share the aims and spirit of Peace and 

Sport and the belief that sport is an important 

and effective tool for breaking down the barriers 

between different nations and cultures. We wish all 

competitors and organisers a successful competition. 

The fifth edition of the Schools Olympic 

Programme will get under way in October. 

The Programme has played a major role in 

introducing young people in Qatar to the pleasures 

and benefits of playing sports and adopting a 

healthy lifestyle. Last year the programme embraced 

75 per cent of all schools in Qatar and we are 

confident that we will continue to build towards 

our target of 100 per cent participation. 

Planning for the 12th Arab Games, which will 

take place in Qatar in December 2011, is at an 

advanced stage. Competitors from 22 nations will 

take part in 35 sports as well as four sports for 

competitors with special needs. 

Over the years, Qatar has built significant levels 

of expertise in planning and delivering major 

international sports events and our aim is to take 

the competition to the next level. 

This proven event management expertise, 

together with Qatar’s world-renowned sporting 

facilities and infrastructure, will also be at the 

heart of our bid to host the IAAF World Athletics 

Championships in 2017. 

Qatar has a record of success in hosting 

athletics events, a deep affinity with the sport and 

a positive relationship with the IAAF. We hosted 

a hugely successful edition of the World Indoor 

Championship in March 2010, we are staging a 

Diamond League event every year and have hosted 

IAAF Grand Prix meetings for many years. 

The Bid team for the 2017 event is hard at work, 

building the campaign ahead of the decision which 

will be made by the IAAF on November 11, 2011. 

We know that we will face opposition from other 

excellent bids but hope to take another step towards 

reaffirming Qatar’s reputation as a world centre for 

sporting excellence. 

Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani 

Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee 

4 QatarSport ISSUE 14

ISSUE 14 NEWS 

CHEFS GET A TASTE OF 

THE 12TH ARAB GAMES 

The Organising Committee for 12th Arab 

Games 2011 welcomed representatives 

from 21 countries to Doha in June for the 

three-day Chefs de Mission seminar ahead 

of the multi-sports showcase which takes 

place the capital this December. 

The Opening Ceremony was staged at 

the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, June 27, 

and was attended by key figures from 

the Arab Games Organising Committee 

(AGOC) led by AGOC President, 

Sheikh Saoud, as well as Fahad Al Asmi, 

the representative of the President of 

the Union of Arab National Olympic 

Committees (UANOCs). 

Under the motto, “Where Everything 

Comes Together”, the Organising 

Committee presented a short introductory 

film about the Arab Games 2011, before 

work began in earnest with a series of 

individual meetings for the Chefs de 

Mission with various Arab Games 2011 

departments, followed by collective 

presentations. 

The Venues Tour arranged by AGOC 

for the NOCs’ Chefs de Mission and 

NOC Representatives, included a stop-off 

at the world-class sports complex, the 

Aspire Zone, which will host events at 

Khalifa Stadium, Hamad Aquatic Centre, 

the Aspire Dome and Women’s Club, and 

visits to the leading sports clubs - Al Arabi, 

Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa - 

which will stage soccer matches and other 

sports disciplines during the Games. 

A sports official from strife-torn Libya 

was also present at the seminar. Ismail 

Omar told delegates that Libya would 

participate in the Arab Games, along 

with the 21 countries represented by their 

NOCs through their Chefs de Mission 

and/or NOC Representatives in Doha. 

These countries are: Algeria, Comoros, 

Djibouti, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, 

Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Bahrain, Iraq, 

Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, 

Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, United 

Arab Emirates and Yemen. 

The Chefs de Mission seminar 

coincided with two further milestones 

in the lead up to the Games: the launch 

the Games Mascot, an Arabian horse 

called “Wathnan” (see page 18) and the 

all-important Volunteers Programme 

campaign, which is appealing for Arab 

Games volunteers in a variety of roles 

under the banner “Be the Key to Success” 

in collaboration with the Qatar Centre for 

Voluntary Activities. 

Khalid Al Mohannadi, Executive 

Director of AGOC, said that the main 

objective was to attract around 6,000 

volunteers. 


NEWS 

IN BRIEF 

Qatar plans to complete 

construction on the first of its 

state-of-the-art new stadiums 

for the 2022 FIFA World Cup by 2015. The 

organisers aim to host a major football 

tournament by 2020 as a first dress 

rehearsal for the main event. “We are 

in the process of finalising development 

plans to host the World Cup in 2022 

and we are looking to complete the first 

stadium with cooling system technology 

by 2015,” Hassan Al Thawadi, Qatar 2022 

Supreme Committee Secretary General, 

said. Qatar hopes to assign programme 

management for the first stadium by the 

end of 2011. 

Qatar’s rugby union team 

emerged victorious from the 

Asian 5 Nations Division 4 

competition in Dubai. Qatar beat top 

seeds Jordan in their first match, to 

book a place in final against Lebanon, 

which Qatar won 29-14. Qatar 

established its national rugby union 

federation at the turn of the year. 

PARTNERS IN 

SUSTAINABILITY 

The QOC has signed a cooperation pact 

with a leading Qatar-based environmental 

research organisation to raise the 

sustainability standards of Qatar’s leadingedge 

sports facilities. 

Signed on the sidelines of the Ninth World 

Congress on Sport and the Environment in 

Doha (see pages 12-15), the Memorandum 

of Understanding with the Gulf Organisation 

for Research Development (GO for RD) 

will see both organisations work together 

using Qatar Sustainability Assessment System 

(QSAS) standards. 

“There is absolutely no reason for the 

Qatar Olympic Committee’s dedication 

to enhancing sports in the country to 

compromise the environment for future 

generations to come,” said QOC General 

Secretary Sheikh Saoud. 

“This agreement will allow for the 

assessment and evaluation of sustainability 

of pre-existing sporting venues, as well as 

setting a foundation for all future facilities 

to be built in Qatar.” 

The partnership will also establish 

research programmes to help minimize 

energy expenditure and CO2 emissions in 

the construction of new builds in Qatar. 

The hoopsters of Al Rayyan 

finished with the bronze 

medal from the 22rd FIBA 

Asia Champions Cup 2011 in Manila, 

Philippines. Al Rayyan beat local 

favourites Smart Gilas-Pilipina for third 

place. The Championship was won by 

Al Riyadi Beirut who beat defending 

champions Mahram of Iran 91-82. 

Army SC were crowned 

winners of the 2010-2011 

Qatar Handball League after 

they recorded a hard-fought 27-22 

victory over the last year’s champions, 

Al Rayyan. The league’s top three 

finishers were Army, Al Rayyan and 

Al Ahli. 

Ivorian international striker, 

Bakeri Koni (Lekhoyia SC) 

won the Best Player Award 

at a special Qatar Football Association 

ceremony to mark the 2010-2011 

season. Teammate Khalid Muftah 

received the award for Best Under 

21 player. The Award of Best Fans 

Association went to the supporters of 

Al-Rayyan. 

COOL SOLUTION FOR 2017 

Qatar Association of Athletics Federation 

(QAAF) President Abdulla Ahmed Al 

Zaini has endorsed the use of air-cooling 

technology, showcased in the country’s 

2022 FIFA World Cup bid, to boost the 

federation’s campaign to host the 2017 IAAF 

World Championships. 

The IAAF World Championships will 

be held in August or the first week in 

September when humidity in Qatar is high. 

To combat the heat, Al Zaini says that 

carbon-neutral cooling systems developed 

for the FIFA World Cup could be installed 

in the iconic Khalifa International Stadium. 

The practice track too would be cooled 

using the zero carbon emission system, he said. 

Ahead of the crucial IAAF vote in 

November, Al Zaini said the bid will 

launch promotional campaigns at the 

World Youth Championship in Lille, 

France (July 6-10) and the 2011 World 

Athletics Championship in Daegu, Korea 

(August 27-September 4). “We’ll set up a 

well-equipped stall on the sidelines of these 

events, and mobilise opinions of officials and 

athletes from other countries,” said Al Zaini. 

Apart from Doha, Berlin, Budapest, 

London and an unnamed Spanish city have 

thrown their hats into the ring. All aspiring 

candidates must submit their bid files before 

September 1. The host city will be selected 

in November in Monaco. 

6 QATARSPORT ISSUE 14


THW Kiel captain 

Marcus Ahlm lifts the 

IHF Super Globe trophy 

in Doha. 

SUPER KIEL TOO STRONG FOR REAL 

A new name was engraved on the IHF 

Super Globe trophy following THW Kiel’s 

28-25 victory over reigning champions 

Ciudad Real in the final of handball’s 

prestigious club championship in Doha. 

The second consecutive Qatar-hosted 

edition of the tournament saw Ciudad 

Real, winners in 2007 and 2010, surrender 

a four-goal half-time lead to a determined 

German side, which surged ahead after the 

break and never looked back. 

Kiel’s World Handball Player of the 

Year, Filip Jicha was red carded with the 

scores level at 17-17, but club captain 

Marcus Ahlm took over the goal-scoring 

responsibilities to keep the 2010 European 

champions on course for victory and the 

$400,000 winner’s prize. 

The IHF Super Globe was handed 

to Ahlm by IHF President Dr. Hassan 

Mustafa, who was back in Doha for the 

first time since Qatar won the right to host 

the 2015 Handball World Championship. 

Speaking after the final, Dr. Moustafa 

said that both the standard of matches 

and the event organisation had improved 

considerably since 2010. 

“Two great teams from Europe - welldeserved 

finalists THW Kiel and Ciudad 

Real - brought significant improvement 

for the Super Globe,” he said. “More 

spectators than last year poured to the 

[Al Gharafa] hall and TV coverage also 

improved...so I expect a continued 

improvement of the IHF Super Globe 

in 2012.” 

This Super Globe edition, Dr. Moustafa 

asserted, also marked a successful step on 

the way to the IHF World Championship 

in 2015. “Not only the IHF, but even 

more importantly, all the teams and guests 

were greatly satisfied with the Super 

Globe,” he said. 

“The next editions to come will 

improve the quality of handball in Qatar 

as well as the knowledge and experience of 

how to organise a World Championship 

tournament.” 


NEWS 

IN BRIEF 

Qatar Stars League club 

Al Sadd, now coached by 

Jorge Fossati, have a date 

with Sepahan of Iran in their quarterfinals 

of the AFC Champions League. 

Sepahan will host the first leg at the 

Fooladshahr Stadium in Isfahan, Iran 

on September 14 before travelling 

to Doha for the return leg at the 

Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on 

September 28. Al Sadd failed to win 

a trophy in the domestic season but 

hope to win their first AFC Champions 

League title this year. Al Sadd have 

participated in all but one edition of 

the AFC Champions League since its 

inception in 2003. 

BARCA KICKS-OFF SPONSORSHIP 

The Qatar Foundation will see its logo “in 

action” for the first time when the all-stars 

of FC Barcelona play a friendly fixture 

against Hajduk Split of Croatia, July 23. 

The low-key friendly is just the start 

of a five-year deal for the Doha-based 

organisation, which officially became 

the Main Global Sponsor of the UEFA 

Champions League winners at the 

beginning of July. 

Speaking on behalf of the Qatar 

Foundation, Communication Director 

Haya bint Khalifa Al-Nassr said that the 

association with FC Barcelona will 

broaden Qatar Foundation’s international 

visibility and provide opportunities to reach 

new markets. 

Al-Nassr said: “Millions of people will 

see Qatar Foundation on the shirts of their 

heroes playing for Barcelona and we hope 

they will be inspired to learn more - about 

Qatar Foundation and Qatar.” 

The non-profit Qatar Foundation was 

set up in 1995 by HH The Emir Sheikh 

Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani and aims to 

foster education, scientific research and 

community development in Qatar, the 

Middle East and beyond. 

Al Rayyan claimed the 

201-2011 HH Heir Apparent 

Volleyball Cup after defeating 

Al Arabi 3-2 in the final match at the 

indoor hall of Al Arabi SC. In the semifinals 

Al Arabi had defeated Qatar SC 

3-0 while Al Rayyan beat Police 3-0. 

The World Arabian Horse 

Organization’s (WAHO) 

Conference will be held at 

the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club 

in Doha, November 1-8, 2011. Alonside 

the Conference, the WAHO General 

Assembly will be held at Ritz Carlton 

Hotel from November 2 to 4. 

The Qatar Paralympic 

Federation will send a team 

to the Special Olympics 

World Summer Games in Athens to be 

held from June 25 -July 4. The Qatari 

delegation, under the Chairmanship 

of Khalid Al Musleh, includes 18 

athletes who will compete in 

powerlifting, aquatics, tennis, cycling, 

bowling and athletics. 

Qatari swimmers claimed 

14 medals, including five 

golds at the inaugural UAE 

International Swimming Championship 

in April. The event featured 

participation from 730 swimmers 

representing Qatar, UAE, KSA, Kuwait, 

Bahrain, Oman, Slovenia, Egypt, Jordan, 

Syria, Algeria, South Africa, Sweden, 

Australia, England and Pakistan. 

PING PONG DIPLOMACY RETURNS 

An historic table tennis tournament aimed 

at encouraging dialogue and good relations 

between nations will take place in Doha on 

November 21-22, 2011. 

Based on ‘Ping-Pong Diplomacy’, the 

famous event that provided the catalyst for 

better US-China relations back in 1972, 

the Peace and Sport Table Tennis Cup will 

use the power and core values of sport as a 

driving force to promote peace and unity. 

Organised by the Qatar Tennis Table 

Association with the support of the QOC, 

under the leadership of International Table 

Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the guidance 

of the Peace and Sport organisation, the 

event will see elite players compete over two 

days before an audience of key government 

officials and diplomats from the 10 

competing nations. 

In the doubles events, partnerships will be 

created with players from different nations 

symbolising the unifying objectives of the 

sports diplomacy event. 

The ten nations set to compete at the 

first Peace and Sport Table Tennis Cup 

are: The People’s Republic of China, India, 

The Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, The 

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 

(North Korea), The Republic of Korea 

(South Korea), Pakistan, Qatar, The 

Russian Federation and The United States 

of America. 



QMMF President Nasser 

Khalifa Al-Attiyah and 

Spanish star Ricky Cardus 

at the Qatar MotoGP. 

POINTS BOOST FOR QMMF RACING 

The QMMF Racing Team, the first Qatarbased 

motorcycling team to take part in the 

MotoGP World Championships, celebrated 

its first Championship points at the Grand 

Prix of Portugal in Estoril in May. 

Spanish star Ricky Cardus finished the 

Moto2 race in 14th place with Qatari 

teammate Mashel Al Naimi crossing the 

line in 28th position for his first finish of 

the season. 

The team made its competitive debut 

at the season-opening Qatar MotoGP in 

March and is run by the Qatar Motor 

and Motorcycling Federation (QMMF) 

President Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah, who 

predicts a bright future for the project. 

“Having strong riders as our 

ambassadors will help to shape the 

image of our country in the world,” 

says the federation chief. “The impact 

of motorcycle racing has grown in our 

country and we are very proud of our 

motorcycle culture. Our goal is to look 

good in this championship and to build an 

even better future!” 

Al-Attiyah’s optimism is echoed by 

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, the 

Spanish event management and marketing 

company that runs MotoGP. 

Praising Qatar’s dramatic progress 

over the last decade, Ezpeleta said: “The 

QMMF Racing Team is one more crucial 

step in establishing the culture of MotoGP 

racing in the Middle East...but they need 

to be patient. They will do as well as they 

possibly can and improve step by step.” 

Qatar will further boost its 

motorcycling credentials in July when it 

launches a new academy for young riders 

at the Losail International Circuit - the 

first such institute to educate young bikers 

in the region. 

Designed to replicate the highly 

successful European academies which have 

launched numerous careers in the sport, 

Al- Attiyah says the facility has been set up 

for riders aged nine years to 15. 

“This is the best age to teach kids about 

racing,” he said. “We will provide the 

bikes for these riders. Parents can bring 

their kids to our academy and we will 

teach them about racing and we will tutor 

them about competition. We will speak to 

the kids in their language.” 


NEWS 

IN BRIEF 

Qatar Army played a 

soccer friendly against Red 

Sea of Eritrea in June to 

commemorate the opening of the 

Asmara International Stadium and the 

Qatari-Eritrean Friendship Hall. QOC 

General Secretary Sheikh Saoud stressed 

the stadium renovation’s role in the 

continuation of good relations between 

Qatar and Eritrea. During the visit by the 

QOC delegation Sheikh Saoud met with 

the Eritrea President Isaias Afewerki. 

The ISAF Nations Cup Asian 

Regional Final was hosted 

at the Doha Sailing Club in 

May. Open and women’s match racing 

teams from Bahrain, Hong Kong, India, 

Pakistan, Singapore, China and Qatar 

took part in the event, which saw 

Pakistan clinch a coveted place in the 

ISAF Nations Cup finals to be staged 

in Sherboygan, USA this September. 

The goal of the ISAF Nations Cup is 

to find the world’s top match racing 

nations and to develop match racing 

infrastructure around the world. 

ASPETAR UPS INTERNATIONAL PROFILE 

Stars from the English Premier League are 

taking advantage of the world-class sports 

injury treatment on offer at Aspetar, Qatar 

Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital. 

In May, Liverpool’s Serbian World 

Cup player Milan Jovanovic underwent 

successful surgery on the lateral cartilage 

in his left knee at Aspetar under the 

supervision of Dr. Nibusa Popovic. 

Jovanovic said he chose Aspetar because 

of the positive treatment he received at the 

facility last year when having a cyst removed 

from the same cartilage. 

Earlier in the season, Everton and 

Australia star Tim Cahill, along with 

Tim Cahill and Phil 

Neville work on their 

fitness at Aspetar. 

teammate Phil Neville, made the same 

journey to Doha for “injury maintenance” 

during the international break. “Not only 

do I get excellent treatment here but I stay 

in touch with the staff who are developing 

an individualised programme for me to 

follow that will help me become a better 

athlete,” said Cahill. 

With Chelsea’s Jose Bosingwa and 

Arsenal’s Abou Diaby also seeking out 

Aspetar’s services, Abdul Rahman Al- 

Qahtani, Executive Director of the National 

Programme of Sports Medicine, believes the 

facility can achieve its goal of becoming a 

leader in the field by 2015. 

HE Sheikh Saud Bin Ali Al- 

Thani, Vice President of the 

Qatar Olympic Committee 

and President of the Qatar Basketball 

Federation, crowned Al Gharafa SC as 

2010-2011 HH Emir Basketball Cup 

champions. Al Gharafa defeated Al 

Rayyan 91-85 to clinch the 

prestigious title. 

Gearing up for a medal tilt 

at the London 2012 Olympic 

Games, Dakkar Rally 

champion Nasser Al-Attiyah claimed 

the gold medal in the skeet event at the 

Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation 

Cup held at the Lusail Shooting Range. 

Khalid Rashid Al Mohannadi clinched 

the silver medal. 

Qatari wrestler, Jaffar Khan 

secured a respectable 

fifth position in the 84kg 

category of the Greco-Roman wrestling 

competition at the Asian Wresting 

Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. 

Khan’s eammate Bakheet Sharif took 

part in the 74kg weight category. 

WADA-LAB ON TRACK 

Qatar’s leading-edge anti-doping laboratory 

(ADL) will be received by the country’s sport 

medicine authorities at the end of this year - 

with testing scheduled to begin in 2012. 

The Qatar facility will become the first 

ADL to operate in West Asia and will join 

the elite group of 35 labs around the world 

currently accredited by the World Anti 

Doping Agency (WADA). 

“Whenever you have a high-level 

scientific centre in the country, it drags the 

country up in the field of science,” says Dr 

Al Maadheed, Director General of Aspetar 

and ADL Qatar. “Qatar is really becoming 

a centre of scientific and medical knowledge 

in sport.” 

With the support of the Qatar Olympic 

Committee, the facility is also expected to 

offer free anti-doping testing for countries 

in the region that cannot afford it. 



Ethiopia’s Yanew 

Alamirew recorded a 

world-leading time in 

the 3,000 metres. 

DOHA’S DIAMOND NIGHT 

Ten world-leading performances were 

recorded on an evening filled with pride 

for home spectators as Qatari athletes 

shone at the opening meeting of this 

season’s IAAF’s Diamond League in Doha. 

Topping the list of achievements for 

host-nation athletes and receiving the 

biggest ovation of the evening was Femi 

Ogunode, who smashed the Qatari 

national record in the men’s 200 metres 

with a time of 20.30 seconds. 

The 19-year-old shaved 13 hundredths 

of a second from his personal best to finish 

in second place behind the American 

Walter Dix, a double Olympic bonze 

medallist from Beijing 2008. 

“It feels great to run in front of my 

home crowd and break a record here,” said 

Ogunode. “It is great motivation and I am 

proud to represent Qatar.” 

Elsewhere, 19-year old Qatari highjumper 

Mutaz Essa Barshim finished 

in third place to rapturous applause in 

the men’s event after equalling his own 

national record he set in winning last year’s 

junior world title. 

Such achievement in what is now 

the IAAF’s flagship non-championship 

competition is an encouraging step for 

the Qatar Amateur Athletics Federation 

(QAAF). Home-grown talent succeeding 

on the world stage will only add to the 

hopes of an organisation compiling 

a bid for the 2017 World Athletics 

Championships. 

QAAF President, HE Abdullah Ahmad 

Al-Zaini, lauded the high technical level 

of the Samsung-sponsored event and 

expressed his pleasure at the meeting’s 

contribution to the development of 

athletics in Qatar. 

“The Doha meeting was distinctive 

with elite athletes achieving new records 

across a variety of disciplines during the 

competition,” he said. 

“The success of the Qatari athletes 

highlights Qatar’s name in international 

events and acts as an indicator of our 

progress in athletics.” 

Al-Zaini also commended his fellow 

board members and members of the 

working committees in recognition of 

their professional efforts in making the 

event a “splendid success”. 

Playing host to the competition’s first 

meet of the season for the second year 

running, the Qatar Sports Club Stadium 

housed over 12,000 spectators, a recordbreaking 

crowd for a stand-alone Qatari 

athletics event. 

Among other notable performances on 

the night was Allyson Felix in the women’s 

400 metres. Earning the American her 

ninth career Doha victory and second 

Diamond League opening win in as many 

years, 50.33 seconds was enough to hold 

off a strong challenge from Botswana’s 

Amantle Montsho who crossed the line 

in second place with a time of 50.41, 

replicating the same top two positions 

from the previous year. 

The performance of the event however 

came from Ethiopian 3,000 metre runner 

Yanew Alamirew who, with just 200 

metres of the race left, passed Kenya’s 

former world champion Eliud Kipchoge to 

set a new personal best and world-leading 

time of 7 minutes and 27.26 seconds, 

while simultaneously cementing his place 

inside the top ten all-time fastest men over 

the distance. 


o o o o o o o o o 

9TH WCSE 

doha 2011 

PLAYING FOR A 

GREENER FUTURE 

The Ninth World Conference on Sport and the Environment 

in Doha (April 30- May 2) assessed the environmental success 

stories of the Olympic Movement and reflected on the 

challenges ahead as sport continues to work for a cleaner 

and more sustainable world. 

From left to right: The 

Heir Apparent HH Sheikh 

Tamim Bin Hamad 

Al-Thani, QOC President 

and IOC member; IOC 

President Jacques Rogge; 

QOC General Secretary 

Sheikh Saoud; Dr. Pal 

Schmitt the IOC’s 

Sport and Environment 

Commission Chairman, 

who is also President of 

the Republic of Hungary. 

The Ninth World Sport and Environment 

Conference was described by QOC 

Secretary General Sheikh Saoud as one of 

the biggest events ever staged in Qatar. 

It may also turn out to be one of the 

most important. 

In the presence of the Heir Apparent 

HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, 

who is also the Qatar Olympic Committee 

President and an Internataional Olympic 

Commitee (IOC) member, the Conference 

opened with a speech from IOC President 

Jacques Rogge outlining the seriousness of 

the environmental task ahead. 

“Sport is a powerful tool for positive 

change,” President Rogge said. “Our task is 

12 QatarSport ISSUE 14 

to ensure we use that tool for the benefit of 

the planet we share. We owe that to 

ourselves and to the future generations who 

will inherit this earth.” 

Three days of intense debate and 

knowledge exchange later, the Conference 

closed with a call to action in the so-called 

“Doha Declaration”, which sets out three 

key areas in which to direct activities 

related to sustainable development in sport, 

ensuring that the Doha Conference makes 

a real difference in the years to come (see 

page 15). 

As the biggest event of its kind in the 

world - and one taking place just 12 

months ahead of the 20th anniversary of 

the landmark 1992 Earth Summit in Rio - 

there were always going to be high 

expectations for the 2011 WCSE, but the 

scale and scope of it surprised even the 

organisers. 

Jointly-run by the IOC, the United 

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 

and the QOC, the Conference attracted 

650 delegates from the world of sustainable 

development in sport, including 

representatives from National Olympic 

Committees, International Federations, 

Organising Committees for the Olympic 

Games, governmental and 

non-governmental environmental 

organisations and educational institutions.

In addition, 70 expert speakers, as well as 

representatives from the world’s media and 

other interested parties, swelled the number 

of participants past 1,400 with attendance 

from 105 countries. 

Among the stellar list of speakers were 

the Heir Apparent HH Sheikh Tamim Bin 

Hamad Al-Thani; Dr. Pal Schmitt the 

IOC’s Sport and Environment Commission 

Chairman, who is also President of the 

Republic of Hungary; Achim Steiner, 

Executive Director, United Nations 

Environment Programme (UNEP); and the 

Special Adviser to the United Nations 

Secretary-General on Sport for 

Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke. 

The debates covered a range of 

environment-related topics, including ways 

to locally and globally implement the 

Olympic Movement’s Agenda 21, which 

demonstrates the commitment of the 

Olympic Movement to protection of the 

environment and sustainable development. 

The Conference focused on how to 

make sports events more sustainable; how 

sport can help achieve Goal 7 

(environmental sustainability) of the 

United Nations Development Programme’s 

Millennium Development Goals; and the 

role of Olympians in promoting respect for 

the environment. 

The culmination of the event was the 

three-pronged Doha Declaration, which 

IOC President Jacques Rogge highlighted 

in his closing remarks. 

“This weekend’s Conference has made it 

clear for all to see just how far we have 

come since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio 

de Janeiro," he said. 

“While we can be proud of our 

achievements, we have also learnt that there 

is no time for complacency. 

“We owe it to future generations to 

continue to promote our green agenda and 

ensure environmental sustainability in 

sport...I think we have taken a big step 

towards that with the Doha Declaration.” 

On behalf of the hosts, QOC Secretary 

General Sheikh Saoud praised Qatar’s 

staging of the Conference as an outstanding 

achievement and noted Qatar’s 

contribution to the sports and sustainability 

debate when he introduced “The Qatar 

Integrated Sustainability Assessment 

System (QSAS)”. 

The system will be used to address 

multiple issues related to the development 

of sports facilities in terms of planning, 

geographical location and building. 

Sheikh Saoud also saluted the 

involvement of Qataris at the Conference 

- not just as organisers and volunteers. 

“They were among the panelists and 

delegates,” he said. 

“Some students from the Qatar 

University also made their presence felt. I 

feel the event had representation from 

almost all sections of Qatari society.” 

Message from Sheikh Saoud, QOC 

Secretary General and IOC Sport and 

Environment Commission Member 

The relationship between sport and 

environment is growing after every day. 

Along with the organisation of 

mega-events, the focus is firmly on 

sport's environmental implications. 

It was a pleasure to host experts on 

the topic from all parts of the world at 

the Ninth World Sport and Environment 

Conference. However, with the WCSE, 

we weren’t just interested in bringing 

people together from different 

countries. We also listened to them to 

apply their thoughts to our future 

programmes. We’ve already started 

taking steps in that direction. 

All new stadiums that are to be built 

for major competitions, including the 

2022 FIFA World Cup, will be fully in 

compliance with the elite environmental 

standards. We’ll ensure they’re green 

structures and won't leave a huge 

carbon footprint on the world. 

Keeping this in mind, it’s always 

great to hear fresh ideas and new 

models of sustainable development. 

We’re happy that the Doha WCSE has 

proved a great success on that front. 

We thank all delegates for 

coming to Doha and making it a 

resounding success. 

ISSUE 14 QatarSport 13

THE IOC SPORT AND 

ENVIRONMENT AWARDS 

The 9th World Conference on Sport and the Environment saw 

the IOC present six organisations with the IOC Sport and 

Environment Award for their outstanding contributions in the 

field of sustainable sport and the environment. 

WCSE 2011 was 

the stage for 

the prestigious 

IOC Sport and 

Environment Awards. 

The IOC Sport and Environment Award is 

presented every two years to members of 

the Olympic Movement (individuals, 

groups or organisations) who are 

nominated by National Olympic 

Committees, International Federations or 

Continental Associations. This year, 43 

candidatures were submitted, with one 

winner selected for each of the five 

continents. A social award was given to the 

host NOC for its commitment to the 

environment and sustainable technology. 

AFRICA: 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP 

HOST CITY CAPE TOWN  

Under the motto “Green Goal Initiative,” 

2010 FIFA World Cup Host City Cape 

Town implemented 41 environment-friendly 

projects in nine thematic areas during the 

tournament: energy and climate change; 

water conservation; integrated waste 

management; responsible tourism with a 

focus on integrated rapid transit to 

encourage fans to use public transport or 

non-motorised transit to reach the venues; 

indigenous landscaping and tree-planting 

initiatives; “green” buildings; sustainable 

lifestyles; environmental education; 

14 QatarSport ISSUE 14 

environmentally responsible approach within 

the framework of a major sports event. 

AMERICAS: IX SOUTH AMERICAN 

GAMES 2010 HOST CITY MEDELLIN  

Host City Medellin incorporated a host of 

sustainable management principles with 

regard to venue construction, ethical supply 

chain management, sustainability-focused 

business partners, and carbon offsetting in 

the form of public transport systems. 

ASIA: JAPAN SWIMMING 

FEDERATION (JASF)  

The JASF is active in promoting at the 

grassroots level the relationship between 

sport, the environment and sustainable 

development, including the engagement of 

young athletes in clean-up campaigns, with 

a built-in reward system to ensure 

continuity. 

EUROPE: NATIONAL OLYMPIC 

COMMITTEE AND SPORTS 

CONFEDERATION OF DENMARK  

The National Olympic Committee and 

Sports Confederation of Denmark has been 

in the driving seat on environmental issues 

in sport since 1983. The NOC has 

produced environmental guidelines, 

handbooks and certification systems that 

are applicable to various sports and 

localities. These practices have the ability to 

positively impact sustainability and sport 

on a global scale. 

OCEANIA: NATIONAL OLYMPIC 

COMMITTEE OF THE MARSHALL 

ISLANDS  

The Pacific Island NOC delivered a strong 

educational awareness programme that 

used Marshallese language-led tutorial 

resources and popular local celebrities as 

environmental messengers to tackle 

environmental issues such as the 

degradation of coral reefs and associated 

industries such as fisheries. 

QATAR: NATIONAL OLYMPIC 

COMMITTEE OF QATAR  

The QOC’s award recognised its 

commitment to the environment and 

sustainable technology, including its goal of 

delivering zero-carbon, solar technology to 

cool its 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums 

and training sites.


9TH WCSE 

DOHA 2011 

THE DOHA DECLARATION 

Three principal focus areas emerged from the Conference as 

the overarching framework for aCTivities related to the three 

pillars of sustainable development - economic, social and 

environment. 

Three days of 

ceremonies, speeches, 

debates and 

knowledge transfer 

resulted in "the 

Doha Declaration" 

of intent. 

UN Conference on Environment and 

Development and the Olympic Movement: 

Twenty years after the United Nations 

Conference on Environment and 

Development (“Earth Summit”) in Rio de 

Janeiro, Brazil, world leaders will reconvene 

again during June 2012 (“Rio+20”) to take 

stock of sustainable development issues and 

reflect on the continued degradation of the 

environment. 

The 1992 “Earth Summit” prompted the 

IOC to integrate the environment in its 

activities and to develop the Agenda 21 for 

the Olympic Movement. “Rio+20” presents 

an important opportunity for the Olympic 

Movement to showcase the contribution of 

the sporting movement to sustainable 

development. 

Consequently, the Conference requests 

the following actions: 

1. To share the vision of sustainable 

sports with the United Nations Conference 

on Sustainable Development (“Rio+20”) 

and other UN proceedings; 

2. To showcase sports as a catalyst for 

change and an inspiration for the 

realization of the Millennium Development 

Goal No. 7 (Ensure Environmental 

Sustainability) at Rio+20; 

Engage the Youth for a Greener 

Future: Young people play an important 

role in society and in promoting sustainable 

development. To inspire young people 

around the world to participate in sports 

and adopt and live by the Olympic ideals, 

the IOC established the Youth Olympic 

Games. The Conference notes with 

satisfaction the highly successful Youth 

Olympic Games of Singapore and the fact 

that the IOC engaged several partners to 

provide cultural and educational 

experiences at these Games. 

Hence, the Conference requests the 

following actions: 

1. The IOC to explore various methods 

of engaging young people on sustainable 

development issues beyond the Youth 

Olympic Games – seeking opportunities to 

work with other partners, particularly UN 

entities to promote Olympic ideals through 

their own engagement processes, seminars 

and conferences; 

2. The IOC to promote the involvement 

of young athletes in future World 

Conferences and continental seminars on 

Sport and Environment; 

3. The IOC and National Olympic 

Committees to develop and support 

educational programmes for young people 

on environment and sustainable 

development; 

4. National Olympic Committees to 

raise awareness of young people on 

sustainable development issues and to 

spread the Olympic ideals in their local 

communities through sports; 

5. National Olympic Committees to 

consider promoting and supporting 

initiatives that engage the youth, particularly 

in under privileged communities, in 

sustainable development activities. 

Partnerships: The building of effective 

partnership is a driving force for achieving 

sustainable development. The IOC has 

built a valuable partnership with the UNEP 

and with several other UN entities. The 

Conference requests the following actions: 

1. The IOC to optimize its UN 

Observer status and further co-operate 

with the UN system taking into 

consideration UN-Habitat, UNDP, 

UNESCO and internationally recognized 

NGOs to implement its sustainable 

development agenda; 

2. The IOC to develop a platform for 

the sharing of good practices to enrich the 

existing national and local contributions to 

the wider sustainability goals; 

3. National Olympic Committees, 

International Federations and Organizing 

Committees of Olympic Games to 

collaborate with governments, local entities 

and NGOs to drive the sustainability agenda. 

Doha, Qatar 

02 May 2011 


UNITED IN SPORT 

With the 12th Arab Games just five months away, the Local 

Organising Committee has fine-tuned its hosting plans… 

and launched the Arab Games Mascot. 

From left to right: Muataz 

Issa Barsham (Qatar), 

Maryam Yusuf Jamal 

(Bahrain), Rony Fahed 

(Lebanon) and the Egypt 

soccer team. 

It will be the biggest Arab Games in 

history and Qatar is determined that it will 

be the best. 

In June, the Chefs de Mission of the 

participating Arab delegations arrived in 

Doha for a four-day meeting to familarise 

themselves with the Games venues, 

Athletes Village and event programme. 

They left in no doubt that Qatar is more 

than ready to host the 12th edition of the 

Games, which will focus the attention of 

sports fans across the Arab speaking world 

for two-weeks in December (9-23). 

Rescheduled from November because of 

a clash with international competition 

elsewhere in the world, the quadrennial 

multi-sport event is expected to attract a 

record 8,000 athletes from 22 countries to 

Qatar’s shores. 

As the Arab Games Organising 


Committee (AGOC) chief Sheikh Saoud 

said earlier this year, all the countries in the 

Arab-speaking world countries are keen to 

participate in the Games – and since the 

start of the year, AGOC has signed a series 

of agreements to ensure that this year’s 

version is remembered as a “landmark” in 

the event’s 58-year history. 

At the start of the year, AGOC signed a 

TV broadcasting contract with the 

Doha-based Al-Jazeera Sports Channel, 

which will guarantee coverage in high 

definition, with nine sports being televised 

live - athletics, swimming, basketball, 

handball, football, artistic gymnastics, 

volleyball, beach volleyball, and equestrian 

jumping - as well as the Opening and 

Closing Ceremonies. 

The organisers and Al-Jazeera are also 

working to broadcast the event live via the 

Internet to maximise its reach across the 

Middle East, North Africa and the world. 

In terms of media services, the 

Cyprus-based Laurel International 

Management have been engaged to handle 

communications, media and broadcast 

operations - a crucial part of the event 

management plan, according to the event’s 

Director of Media and Broadcast, Abdulla 

Yousef Al-Mulla, 

“We are planning for the best services for 

media because they are our mirror,” he said. 

“The media are important because they go 

back to their countries and talk about 

Doha. And especially now that we are 

preparing for [the FIFA World Cup in] 

2022, we are going to prove the type of 

event that can be hosted in Doha.” 

From his vantage point at the interface 

with the event’s media stakeholders,


the 4th 

arab games 

Al-Mulla explains that other Arab countries 

wanted Qatar to host the Games to help 

“turn them around”. 

“It will be a landmark in the history of 

the Arab Games,” he says. “When Qatar 

turned around the Asian Games [in 2006] 

it was a landmark, and even China had to 

work hard to reach the same level [in 

Guangzhou in 2010]. We want to do the 

same with the Arab Games.” 

The legacy of the highly successful 2006 

Asian Games will be on display in the form 

of the 20 competition venues, including the 

Aspire Zone, most of which were built or 

upgraded for the Asian showcase. These 

world-class venues will stage the action across 

39 sports disciplines, including the 

Paralympics sports of athletics, table tennis 

and power-lifting. 

These facilities will be augmented by a 

new Athletes Village springing up in the 

Doha suburb of Al Wakra to house the 

athletes and team officials during the 

competition. The Organizing Committee 

struck a “Diamond Category” sponsorship 

deal with Ezdan Real Estate to build the 

village, which will be set within a 

compound of close to 2,000 units. 

The guests will stay in villas or three 

bedroom and two bedroom apartments 

within a vibrant complex that includes a 

gymnasium, swimming pool, basketball 

and tennis courts, offices, mosques, 

meeting rooms, polyclinic, and NOC 

service centre, in addition to the sports 

information centre. 

Nothing has been left to 

chance and the goal, says 

Sheikh Saoud, is clear: 

“To raise the bar high and 

spotlight the region as a 

whole to the sports world 

and beyond.” 

In late September, around 1,000 athletes 

will get chance to sample the AV when the 

Arab Games Test event comes to Doha in 

October. By then, other services will be up 

and running, such as a Games-themed 

mobile phone service linked to Diamond 

sponsor, Qtel, which is building on its 

long- standing relationship with the QOC. 

Nothing has been left to chance and the 

goal, says Sheikh Saoud, is clear: “To raise 

the bar high and spotlight the region as a 

whole to the sports world and beyond.” 

Year Host City Host Country Events 

1953 Alexandria Egypt 21 

1957 Beirut Lebanon 21 

1961 Casablanca Morocco 24 

1965 Cairo Egypt 24 

1976 Damascus Syria 22 

1985 Rabat Morocco 39 

1992 Damascus Syria 41 

1997 Beirut Lebanon 41 

1999 Amman Jordan 45 

2004 Algiers Algeria 45 

2007 Cairo Egypt 46 

2011 Doha Qatar TBA 

Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total 

Egypt 504 319 162 985 

Morocco 222 181 186 589 

Syria 213 216 263 692 

Algeria 192 215 219 624 

Tunisia 162 150 201 513 

Lebanon 68 116 158 342 

Iraq 63 85 114 262 

Jordan 53 93 146 292 

Saudi Arabia 46 76 87 209 

Qatar 34 26 49 64 


MASCOT FOR A 

MODERN ARAB GAMES 

THe ARAB GAMES mascot, An arabiaN horse called "wathnan", 

represents the common heritAGe of the nations competinG in doha. 

The 12th Arab Games mascot, based on the sleek and 

versatile Arabian Horse, was launched during the 

four-day visit of the Chefs De Mission to Doha in June. 

Designed by the Qatari Ahmed Majid Al Maadheed 

to reflect the strong bonds between Arab countries and 

their common heritage, the mascot was unveiled during 

a one-hour show attended by Arab National 

Committees delegates, representatives of the Arab Union 

of Olympic Committees and guests, including the Arab 

country Ambassadors to Qatar. 

The venue was the Qatar Equestrian Federation 

Indoor Arena, which hosts high-quality equestrian 

events every year and a stage where numerous Arabian 

horses have won best-of-breed titles. 

The launch began with a three-minute documentary 

explaining why this classic breed is so highly valued for 

its stamina and versatility and how today almost every 

breed and type of racehorse from the United States to 

Europe to the Far East has traces of Arabian horse blood. 

But the Arabian horse retains its most powerful 

symbolism in its region of origin. 

During the show, a group of young dancers came on 

the stage to perform the “Al Aardha” - a men’s popular 

dance using swords. At the same time, a group of 

Qatari knights in traditional costume entered the stage 

with their horses. The lights then focused on the 

horsemen who performed a special Al Ardha for their 

equine companions. 

Arab traditions are also rich in stories underlining the 

close relationships between the horse and people. This 

was highlighted during the launch show by a poetic 

dialogue between two well-known local poets who 

recited verses written about the Arabian horse and its 

special relationship with Arab peoples. 

"This classic breed is highly 

valued for its stamina and 

versatility... and today 

almost every racehorse in the 

world has traces of Arabian 

horse blood." 

The Arabian horse is not the only creature represented in 

the 4th Arab Games iconography. 

Doves are also praised in Arab traditions, as reflected 

by the presence of the bird in the Arab Games logo 

which is meant to express the values of success, 

confidence, peace, pride and friendship. 

The Arab Games mascot 

(above) highlights the 

stamina and versatlity of 

the Arabian horse.

ISSUE NUMBER 7 • JULY 2006 

A sportbusiness special report 

ISSUE NUMBER 14 • FEBRUARY / MARCH 2007 

ISSUE 2 OCTOBER 2007 

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the official magazine of the qatar olympic committee 

Q2.2009 $10 

f DOHa 2006 

tHe OFFicial MaGaZiNe Of DOHa 2006 

llence 

ure 

QATAR’S GLOBAL 

SPORT FUND 

Giving youth a chance 

WORL 

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF DOHA 2006 • FEBRUARY / MARCH 2007 

MAXIMUM 

legacies 

JOGA BONITO 

illed society

KNOCKING ON 

FAME’S DOOR 

Home-grown sporting 

talent is making an 

impact in age-group 

competitions beyond 

Qatar’s borders. 

A new generation of young and talented 

Qatari athletes is making its mark on the 

international sporting stage. 

The names of four them were honoured 

on the QOC Awards list this year (see pages 

26-27). Muataz Issa Barsham, the high 

jump gold medalist at the World Junior 

Athletics Championships 2010 emerged as 

the 2010-2011 QOC Athlete of the Year 

while sprinter Nour Hassan Al Malki earned 

the title of Female Athlete of the Year. 

If Muataz is already well-known at high 

level competition - he was third in the 

Doha Samsung Diamond League meeting 

in May - at just 17 years of age, Nour Al 

Malki’s successes have come at the regional 

level - winning a gold and a silver medal at 

the GCC Women Sports Tournament held 

in Abu Dhabi last March. She came first in 

the 100m in the time of 12"73 and 

finished second in the 200m with 26"60. 

Meanwhile, two other Laureates won the 

Promising Athletes of the Year awards. The 

shooter Al Dana Saad Al Mubarak is the 

female Promising Athlete and the 

middle-distance runner Hamza Driouch was 

awarded the same prize for the boys' category. 

But besides these two young and 

promising athletes, many others are also 

knocking on the doors of fame. Qatar 

Sport went to see these athletes to find out 

more about their sporting lives and 

performances, but also about their 

day-to-day lives away from sport. 

HAMZA DRIOUCH 

One of the nice surprises for Qatari sport at 

the first Youth Summer Olympics in 

Singapore 2010 was the young 16 year old 

at the time, Hamza Driouch, who won the 

silver medal in the 1,000m race. 

Born in 1994, Driouch is a mid-distance 

specialist. He managed to win gold in the 

1,500m in the Juniors Gulf Championships 

2011 and took silver at the Asian Youth 


Championships in Vietnam 2010, this time 

in the 800m race. 

Hamza shows a great deal of confidence 

in his ability to have a successful sporting 

career. He wishes to emulate his Moroccan 

idol, Hichem El Gerrouj: “I would like to 

be like him...and I also look like him! He 

was a tough athlete and managed to win 

two gold medals in the same Olympics. He 

broke many records. I see him as an 

exceptional athlete, a very well-behaved 

man and very humble.” 

As to what Hamza does when he is not 

working hard to meet his ambitious goals, 

he says: “I like reading or watching news as 

well as surfing on the Internet for more 

comments and analysis about what is 

happening in the world!” 

"Hamza [Driouch] is a 

young, talented and 

hard working boy. 

He has got high 

expectations of himself. 

He is a very competitive 

young athlete." 

Answering a question about how he sees 

the future of sport in his country, Driouch 

affirms that he feels proud of contributing 

to the promotion of Qatari sport and that 

his dream would be to win prestigious titles 

and achieve great performances. Hamza is 

confident that the future of sport in Qatar 

is going to be great because the country is 

putting a lot of effort into its youth and 

sport programmes and fully supporting the 

development of sport in all areas. 

Hamza Driouch's coach, Jama Aden, is 

full of praise for his athlete: “Hamza is a 

young talented and hard-working boy. He 

has got high expectations of himself. He is 

a very competitive young athlete.” 

The Qatari young Olympic athlete has a 

world leading time in the 1,500m distance 

with 3:40"30. Last year, Hamza was a 

world leader in the youth 800m with 

1:46"85 and second fastest in the 1,000m, 

in addition to winning the Youth Olympic 

Games silver medal. 

MUAMMAR ISSA BARSHAM 

Among the other talented Qatari athletes, 

another…Barsham! Yes, the little brother of 

Muataz Barsham, Muammar is also a high 

jumper. Aged 17 (born in 1994), he has 

already won gold this year at the GCC 

Juniors Championships and achieved the 

qualifying height of 2.06m for the World 

Juniors Championships due in Lille, France 

on the July 6. 

As for his sporting idol, Muammar says: 

“I have always admired the style and 

personality of the Swedish high jumper 

Stefan Holm. Apart from his outstanding 

results, I liked his determination and 

fighting spirit in hostile conditions. I hope 

that I will be able to follow his steps and 

achieve great results in my favorite sport.” 

Muammar Barsham thinks he is a good 

billiards and snooker player: “Anyway, I 

enjoy spending some time playing these 

exciting and relaxing games at the same 

time.” Otherwise, the younger Barsham is 

fond of watching films or movies as he likes 

to call the seventh art: “I spend long hours 

watching action movies to unwind from 

the stress of competition and hard training.” 

ASHRAF AMJAD MOHAMED 

Ashraf is a hammer thrower. He was born 

in 1995 and has already been decorated in 

gold in hammer throw as well as in javelin 

in the same GCC Juniors Championships. 

He would be happy to achieve some of the


STARS 

IN QATAR 

Qatar's talented young 

middle-distance star 

Hamza Driouch.

From left to right: Muammar 

Issa Barsham, Al Dana Saad 

Al Mubrak and Reema Thomas. 

successes of his idol Primoz Kozmus from 

the Czech Republic, the Olympic 

Champion in Beijing 2008. 

The other sport which appeals to Ashraf 

is basketball. Otherwise, he enjoys playing 

electronic games with his friends. 

OMAR ABDULLA ANBAR 

Also born in 1995, is Omar, the 400m 

Hurdles runner. Besides a bronze medal in 

the GCC Juniors Championships, Anbar 

managed to achieve the qualifying time for 

the World Juniors Championships in 

France this July. 

His idols are, he says, Usain Bolt, but also 

the locals, Talal Mansour and Mubarak Al 

Nubi, who won many titles for Qatari 

Athletics. In his day-to-day life, Anbar likes 

reading “especially about strange and 

unusual things, like wild animals…”, he says. 

EID AL KUWARI 

Another athlete who cites Bolt and Talal 

Mansour as his role models is sprinter Eid 

Al Kuwari, who is 18 and already has some 

impressive results behind him. The latest 

was a silver medal in the Arab Youth 

Championships 100m race in Egypt 2010. 

It was gold for him before that in the Gulf 

Juniors Championships in 2009. Al Kuwari 

also took part in the World Juniors 

Championships in Italy, in 2009, where he 

ran the 100m and 200m races. Besides the 

other sports he likes practicing, swimming 


and gymnastics: “I like travelling and 

sitting with friends to talk about everything 

and nothing in our traditional “Majlis””. 

AL DANA SAAD AL MUBARAK 

Born in 1993, Al Dana is the Arab 

Champion in Pistol Shooting. She won 

this title in the 1st Arab Shooting 

Championships held in Jordan in April. 

"During the last Olympic 

Games in Beijing, I was 

three years younger and 

was far from thinking that 

I would be part of the 

Qatar National Shooting 

Team." 

This success seems to have surprised Al Dana 

who suddenly found herself at the top of her 

sport in the Gulf region. “It happened so 

fast, I did not have time to even think of 

choosing a sporting idol, either locally, 

regionally or internationally,” she says. “The 

sport which made me a sort of hero in my 

country is not very popular. Even the media 

don't reserve much space for this sport. 

“I am now trying to learn about my sport 

but it’s quite hard to find a lot of 

information. Apart from the Olympic 

Games, where we can see a lot of shooting 

competition, there are really a very few 

occasions to admire this sport. During the 

last Olympic Games in Beijing, I was three 

years younger and was far from thinking 

that I would be part of the Qatar National 

Shooting Team.” 

When she is not training or taking part 

in a shooting competition, Al Dana likes to 

practice swimming. Electronic or video 

games are also an alternative indoor activity. 

Drawing or painting puts more variety in 

Al Dana's life and adds an artistic touch 

and some time for relaxation to balance the 

intensity and concentration of shooting 

competition. 

REEMA THOMAS 

As one of the most promising young girls in 

the Qatar Athletics team, long jumper 

Reema Thomas leapt to an excellent silver 

medal in last Asian Youth Games in 

Singapore 2009 with a performance of 5.9m. 

Fatima Sassani (heptathlon) and Assrar 

Ahmed Al Mannai (shot put and discus 

throw) are two other promising girls who 

are proving that Qatari sport for women is 

on the right track. The Qatar Women's 

Sport Committee is intensifying its efforts 

to encourage girls and teenagers taking on 

sport and proving their abilities to perform, 

not only in schools or universities, but also 

in the fields of play.

“To become a leading nation in bringing 

the world together through sport”

ASPIRING 

TO SUCCESS 

The graduates of the Aspire Academy have been trained for a 

world of opportunity in sport, education and life.


YOUTH 

DEVELOPMENT 

In early May, young Qatari athlete Muataz Issa 

Barsham realised an ambition and made a little bit of 

personal history when he made his debut in the 

high jump at the Samsung Diamond League meeting 

in Doha. 

The reigning world junior champion didn’t let his 

fans down as he recorded a leap of 2.31 metres to 

take third place in the event, just 0.02m behind the 

winner, Jesse Williams of the USA. 

It was a night that Barsham will never forget, and 

neither will the staff and coaches at Doha’s Aspire 

Academy where his potential was recognised and 

honed to become a force on the world stage. 

Barsham, who also won high jump Gold at last 

year’s Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, has 

become the most high profile graduate of Aspire, 

which launched back in 2004 with the aim of 

educating and developing talented youngsters from 

Qatar and other parts of the world - giving them the 

best shot at making their sporting dreams come true. 

In mid June the latest batch of students graduated 

from Aspire, a truly world class centre equipped with 

state-of-the-art facilities and equipment and staffed 

by educators and coaches. 

In many respects, Aspire is the embodiment of 

Qatar’s sporting ambition. It represents a broad 

world view, attention to detail and a willingness to 

invest heavily in quality in order to provide young 

people with the best possible opportunity to discover 

their true potential. 

This year, 41 boys graduated from Aspire and, 

according to Badr A-Haj, Director of Education and 

student care at the Academy, the academic standards 

of the group continues to rise each year. 

“Across both the arts and science branches there 

were some tremendous achievements with many of 

the boys achieving marks of 90 per cent in 

examinations,” he said. 

Academic performance is of tremendous 

importance to Badr Al-Haj and his colleagues at 

Aspire as they set out to reverse popular opinion that 

academic success has to be sacrificed for athletic 

excellence. 

“The boys here are very well educated and more 

than 70 per cent of our graduates have gone on to 

university here in Qatar as well as in the UK, Jordan, 

Egypt and China,” he explained. 

“We are aware that there image of athletes and 

academics are the exact opposite of each other and 

that not too many athletes have degrees. Our role is 

to change that and prove that you don’t have to 

forget about school to do well at sport. 

“The education we give our students, combined 

with their excellence in sports work, will enable them 

to go on to achieve in all areas of life. 

“To date 110 boys have graduated from Aspire and 

next year the first batch will be coming onto to the 

labour market. I imagine they will be easy to 

recognise given their background and training.” 

According to Badr Al-Haj, although Muataz Issa 

Barsham may be the best recognised of the Aspire 

Alumni on the international stage, there are plenty of 

other athletes making a name for them within Qatar 

itself. The national U19 football team, for example, 

has already included a number of key players from 

the Academy. 

“It is important that the players are recognised and 

that Aspire is recognised as the best institute to 

prepare student athletes for life,” he said. 

In early June the Aspire message was exported to 

London when the academy made a major impression 

at the Qatar Education Conference where leading 

UK academic establishments were eager to discover 

how Aspire successfully combined its academic and 

sporting briefs. 

“It was important that we were able to share the 

academic side of the Aspire programme with the 

delegates,” said Badr Al-Haj. “The conference has 

opened up some excellent networking opportunities 

and we look forward to capitalising on them in 

the future.” 

Among the highlights of the two day event was an 

address by Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence 

graduate Ahmed Khaleel who was invited on stage 

during a presentation on ‘Educating, Enabling, 

Empowering’ to demonstrate Aspire’s unique mix of 

different learning styles and techniques. 

Khaleel is currently studying electrical engineering 

at Manchester University and said that Aspire had 

prepared him well for life at University. 

“Aspire has an excellent program in place not only 

to develop our sporting potential but to also ensure 

that we are ready for university,” said Khaleel. 

“The style and quality of learning at Aspire is 

excellent and combined with the opportunity to 

board during the week is ideal preparation to go 

onto further study internationally.” 

But it is likely that the main benefits of Aspire’s 

success will ultimately be felt on home soil as Qatar 

moves ever closer to the heart of world sport. 

Bard Al-Haj certainly has his eyes firmly fixed on 

the FIFA World Cup of 2022, which will be hosted 

in the country. “Aspire can be a factory to produce 

people who will be engaged in the success of World 

Cup 2022,” he said. 

“I don’t mean simply on the field as players but 

across the whole picture. Our graduates will be 

among the people who play important roles in 

planning and organising the entire event here and 

the world will be able to see this as a place which 

enhances performance in every sport and trains its 

athletes for life.” 

Young soccer players hone their 

skills on grass training pitches 

at Qatar's state-of-the-art 

Aspire Academy for Sporting 

Excellence. 


HE Sheikh Mohamed 

Bin Hamad Al-Thani, 

Chairman of the Qatar 

2022 Bid Committee 

won the QOC’s 

Personality of the 

Season Award.

THE QOC AWARDS 

2010/2011 


QOC AWARDS 

CEREMONy 

An unbelievable year of success for sport in 

Qatar was reflected in the outcome of this 

season’s QOC Awards Ceremony. 

The sporting season just finished will be 

remembered as a turning point for sport in 

Qatar. In the nine months from September 

2010 to the end of May 2011, Qatar won 

win the right to host the 2022 FIFA World 

Cup and the 2015 IHF World 

Championships. It staged the AFC Asian 

Cup and the World Conference on Sport 

and the Environment and numerous other 

top-class international events. 

The Qatar Olympic Committee’s list of 

honorees at the end-of-season Awards 

Ceremony reflected these landmark 

achievements, with the Personality of the 

Season Award going to HE Sheikh 

Mohamed Bin Hamad Al-Thani, 

Chairman of the Qatar 2022 Bid 

Committee for the FIFA World Cup. 

Away from these mega-event triumphs, 

Qatari athletes were also working hard to 

put Qatar on the sporting map through their 

own competitive exploits. 

Motorsport star Nasser Al-Attiyah 

brought home the Dakar Rally title (and a 

team shooting gold medal from the 

Guangzhou Asian Games), while Femi 

Ogunode acquired two sprint gold medals 

in Guangzhou and smashed the Qatari 

national record in the men’s 200 metres at 

the Doha Diamond League event in May. 

The Best Male Athlete of the Season 

Award went to the high jumping 

wonder-kid, Muataz Issa Barsham after 

golden performances at the World Junior 

Championships and the Guangzhou Asian 

Games. The 19-year-old is the first graduate 

of the Aspire Academy to either compete at 

World Championship level or hold the 

national record in an Olympic sport. His 

teammate in the national athletics team, 

Noor Hussein Al Maliki, took the Best 

Sportswoman Award. At club level, the 

Team of the Season Award went to the Al 

Arabi Men's Volleyball team, while the 

General Excellence Award was given to Al 

Sadd Sports Club. 

LIST OF HONOREES IN THE END OF SPORT SEASON CEREMONY 2010/2012 

Award 

Sport Pioneer Award 

Personality of the Season Award 

Appreciation Award for Personalities who served sport 

First Sport Sponsor (Government) 

First Sport Sponsor Companies) 

Appreciation Award for Best National Company in 

implementing sport projects 

International Olympic Committee Award 

Sport Innovation Award 

General Excellence Shield Award 

Exemplary Federation Award 

Golden Federation Award 

Best Schools in the Schools Olympic Program 

Selection of the Season (Men) 

Selection of the Season (Girls) 

Team of the Season (Clubs) 

Best (male)Athlete of the Season 

Best (female)Athlete of the Season 

Best Promising (male) Athlete 

Best Promising (female) Athlete 

Athlete of the Year in Mechanical Sports 

Athlete of the Year in Beach and Indoor Sports 

National Coach of the Season 

Professional Coach of the Season 

Administrator of the Season (Men) 

Administrator of the Season (Women) 

Referee of the Season 

Best Camel coach (Open Races) 

Best Camel coach (Public Races) 

Player of the Season (Paralympics) 

Honoree’s name 

H.E Sheikh Hamad bin Suheim Al-Thani 

Board Chairman of Qatar Sports Club 

H.E Sheikh Mohamed Bin Hamad Al-Thani 

Chairman of Qatar Bid 2022 for FIFA World Cup 

Mr. Abdulla Mustafawi 

Ex. President of Al Ahli club 

Late Khalid Abdulla Al Meer 

Ex. Vice President of Qatar Athletics Federation 

Mr. Rashed Ali Al Mansouri 

Ex. President of Qatar Equestrian Federation 

Qatar Armed Forces 

Q-Tel (Qatar Telecommunications Company) 

Marbo Contranting Company 

Qatari Engineer and Associates Company 

Reach Out To Asia Foundation 

The WCSE Organising Committee 

Al Sadd Sports Club 

Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation 

Qatar Athletics Federation 

1. Omar Ibn Al Khattab Secondary School for 

Boys(Model) 

2. Al Semisma Primary School for Boys 

3. Hamza Abdulmuttaliv Intermediate School for Boys 

4. Hamad bin Abdulla Secondary School for Boys 

5. Egyptian Language primary School for Girls 

6. Muza bint Mohamed Intermediate School for Girls 

7. Qatar Independent Secondary School for Girls 

Qatar Handball Federation 

Qatar Girls Basketball National Team 

Al Arabi Men's Volleyball team 

Muataz Issa Barsham (Athletics) 

Nour Hassan Al Malki (Athletics) 

Hamza Driouch (Athletics) 

Dana Saad Al Mubarak (Shooting) 

Nasser Al Atiyah (Rallying) 

Hamad Khamis (Al Khor Club) 

Mr. Abdulla Salem Al Mahmoud (Swimming) 

Mr. Al Akhdar Arrouch (Handball) 

Mr. Khalifa Abdulmalik (Athletics) 

Mrs. Nada Al Amiri (Table tennis) 

Mr. Saleh Jamaan / Mansour Al Suweidi (Handball) 

Mr. Salem Jabir Faran Al Mirri 

Mr. Jabir Hamad Lajfeen Al Mirri 

Mr. Mohamed Al Jaeidi (Athletics) 


Giles Morgan 

Group Head of Sponsorship 

at HSBC 

“As a sponsor you have to help 

events evolve and remain measured 

in your approach. That evolution 

doesn’t happen overnight.” 

Sport provides an important platform for brands in 

fast-growing markets, but only when the basic 

principles of marketing are observed. Sport is not a 

panacea and will only deliver results when the brand and 

event are properly aligned. 

HSBC operates in many of the world’s 

fastest-growing economies and sport is an important part 

of our marketing communications. Some time ago we 

took the decision to streamline our global portfolio to 

rugby and golf, two sports, which will take their place on 

the Olympic Games schedule in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. 

Golf is a fast-growing sport which has huge traction 

in Asia, which is a massively important market for us. 

You only have to look at the way that the European Tour 

has taken events into Asia to understand how fast the 

sport is growing there. 

That provides us with great opportunities to run 

carefully targeted campaigns and build a close 

association with our customers through an event. We are 

very clear about our objectives and very focussed on 

getting the fundamentals right. That means everything 

from the event branding to the media strategy. 

If an event is staged properly and the media is 

properly structured it gives us an enormous opportunity 

to get the brand in front of the people we need to be in 

contact with. 

Scaleability is very important and it is key that an 

event is in keeping with the market which is hosting it. 

There are some good examples from the HSBC World 

Rugby Sevens series where events have grown and 

matured over the years. 

For example, the Dubai Sevens was a comparatively 

small event in the desert when it was first contested. 

Now it is one of the major sports events on the Gulf 

Calendar. Likewise, the Hong Kong Sevens, which is 

now some 40 years old, has grown in size and 

importance to become a major world-class event. 

The point is that these things didn’t happen overnight 

and as a sponsor you have to help events evolve and 

remain measured in your approach. That evolution 

doesn’t happen overnight. 

THE BIG 

DEBATE 

WHAT ROLE CAN SPORTS 

MARKETING PLAY IN QATAR’S FAST 

GROWING CONSUMER ECONOMY? 

Qatar has one of the world’s fastest growing economies and 

per capita income, way ahead of even the United States. 

The nation’s consumers are not simply well-off but 

sophisticated and aspirational. The world-class shopping 

malls of Doha are testament to this sophistication and 

leading regional and international brands in every sector 

battle for attention. 

At the same time as competition for consumer spend 

is intensifying, the people of Qatar are developing a new 

and deeper relationship with sport. 

Thanks to the far-sighted policies of the Qatar 

Olympic Committee and the nation’s continued 

investment in infrastructure for both participant and 

spectator sport, Qataris are discovering a passion for sport 

that was clearly demonstrated in the massive celebrations 

following FIFA’s decision to grant the country the right 

to host the 2022 World Cup. 

From a marketing perspective, the growing fascination 

for sport presents clear opportunities for brands operating 

in a competitive consumer market. 

Given its annual calendar of top class international 

and regional events, there is tremendous potential for 

brands to build both awareness and positive relationships 

with consumers through their association with sport. 

Sports marketing is an increasingly sophisticated 

business and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every 

market, every opportunity, every project is different and 

requires a fresh creative approach. 

But the positive link between sports and consumer 

brands has proven its ability to cut through the clutter 

created by other forms of promotion and advertising and 

deliver real value and return on investment. 

In the years ahead it is likely that Qatar will become a 

leading regional hub for sports marketing. 



the big 

DEBATE 

John Taylor 

Chairman, Sports Impact 

Rupert Pratt 

Managing Director, Generate 

“Whether you are selling a nation or 

a brand, sport provides an essential 

point of differentiation and enables 

you to stand out from the clutter.” 

Sports marketing is not only an important tool for 

brands operating in fast growing markets such as Qatar, it 

is a means of helping the economy itself grow by selling 

the country as a brand to help generate additional spend 

from visitors. 

Sport remains a universal language and the audiences 

generated by major global events highlight the power of 

sports to unite people from all parts of the world, 

exposing them to messages from partners and sponsors 

whose offering is heightened through association with 

the event. 

Whether you are selling a nation or a brand, sport 

provides an essential point of differentiation and enables 

you to stand out from the clutter. Many economic 

impact studies have also shown that sport is an extremely 

cost effective way of driving business to brands and 

people to nations which they discover through sport. 

And while the beauty of sports marketing is that there 

are no one-size-fits-all solutions, in general, a sponsorship 

programme on an international scale delivers economies 

of scale which a traditional advertising campaign simply 

could not offer. 

Few nations have invested as heavily in sport as 

Qatar and few have been so quick to see the link between 

sports and economic and social development. Qataris are 

becoming increasingly passionate about sport and the fact 

that the nation has moved to the centre of the world 

stage as a host of major events will only increase that 

passion over time. 

Qataris identify with sport and they will, like 

consumers all over the world, identify with the brands 

which set themselves up as partners of sport, whether 

they sponsor events, teams or individual athletes. 

It may be some time before Qatari sportsmen and 

women are more regularly among the best in the world, 

but when those days do arrive, sponsorship of those 

athletes will inevitably become a hugely valuable 

commodity. 

So much of Qatar’s sense of national pride and 

well-being is wrapped up in sport that it’s a strategy that 

is unlikely to fail. 

“Sports marketing can turn a brand 

into a household name overnight; it 

can also transform your country in a 

relatively similar timescale.” 

Up until Qatar started focusing on bidding and winning 

the right to host sports events, few outside of the oil and 

gas industry had heard of the small, gas rich country. 

Qatar has a vision not to be reliant on gas but to 

develop itself into a modern and dynamic economy by 

2030, thus transforming its economy, society and 

environment. 

In order to achieve this it needs to make significant 

investments in both its domestic and international economy 

plus its internal infrastructure. It also needs credibility, 

profile and publicity. Sports marketing and, in particular, 

hosting major events does all of these things at once. 

When FIFA announced its decision on December 2 

that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup, the region’s 

markets immediately reacted favourably with Doha’s 

equity market rising by 7.5 per cent. 

The actual spend on World Cup specific infrastructure 

(less than $50 billion) is a drop in the ocean compared to 

the other investments the country’s reported to be 

making in other areas. These include $150 billion in real 

estate and infrastructure projects, $25 billion on a rail 

network linking Qatar and other GCC countries and $15 

billion to upgrade the airport in Doha. 

All this in a country of just one million people. 

However, Qatar’s inward investment is dwarfed by its 

outward one. It invested $21.66 billion in 2010 alone. 

The Qatar Investment Authority holds a 15.1 per cent 

stake in the London Stock Exchange, it bought Harrods 

and is funding the Shard building in London (Europe’s 

tallest building). It is reportedly investing $10 billion in 

Egypt and owns a 17 per cent share in VW. The list goes 

on and on. 

Suddenly the World Cup investment seems good value 

for the opportunity to build and showcase a new 

economy to the world. Qatar is building a new product 

and new products need marketing. 

Sports marketing can turn a brand into a household 

name overnight; it can also transform your country in a 

relatively similar timescale - something that FIFA, the 

International Olympic Committee and Formula 1 

realised a long time ago. 


World sports 

rankings 

the best of the best in sport… at a glance 

FIFA WORLD RANKINGS as 2/6/2011 

1 Spain 1857 

2 Netherlands 1702 

ATP Tennis Number 

One Rafa Nadal - 

winner of the 2011 

French Open 

3 Brazil 1425 

4 Germany 1413 

5 Argentina 1267 

6 England 1163 

7 Uruguay 1094 

8 Portugal 1052 

9 Italy 1019 

10 Croatia 991 

FIFA ASIAN TOP 10 as of 2/6/2011 

14 Japan 961 

20 Australia 876 

31 Korea Republic 754 

48 Iran 575 

77 China 438 

83 Uzbekistan 403 

88 Saudi Arabia 386 

89 Iraq 383 

92 Qatar 380 

93 Jordan 378 

WTA TOUR RANKINGS as of 2/6/2011 

1 Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 10255 

2 Kim Clijsters (BEL) 8115 

3 Vera Zvonareva 7755 

4 Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 5425 

5 Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 5246 

6 Samantha Stosur (AUS) 4645 

7 Na Li (CHN) 4635 

8 Maria Sharapova (RUS) 4481 

9 Petra Kvitova (CZE) 3743 

10 Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 3670 

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS as of 2/6/2011 

1 Luke Donald (GB) 484.20 

2 Lee Westwood (GB) 410.81 

3 Martin Kaymer (GER) 370.30 

4 Phil Mickelson (USA) 278.13 

5 Graeme McDowell (GB) 309.24 

6 Rory McIlroy (GB) 281.76 

7 Matt Kuchar (USA) 267.93 

8 Steve Stricker (USA) 211.06 

9 Paul Casey (GB) 230.42 

10 Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 285.38 

ATP TENNIS RANKINGS as of 2/6/2011 

1 Rafael Nadal (ESP) 12070 

2 Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11665 

3 Roger Federer (SUI) 8390 

4 Andy Murray (GB) 6085 

5 Robin Soderling (SWE) 5435 

6 Tomas Berdych (CZE) 4200 

7 David Ferrer (ESP) 4060 

8 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 2850 

9 Gael Monfils (FRA) 2465 

10 Mardy Fish (USA) 2395 


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THE LEADING MAGAZINE FOR SPORTS BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

KEEPING SCHOOL 

SPORT ON TRACK 

In this special issue of Qatar Sport, focusing on the 

development of sport for young people from the grass roots 

to the elite levels, Khalid ShandOOR, the Schools Olympic 

Programme’s Executive Director, reports on the SOP’s progress 

during the 2010-2011 school year. 

Khalid Shandoor 

oversaw the Schools 

Olympic Programme in 

2010/2011. 

What are your outstanding memories of 

this year’s SOP? 

One of the main facts and highlights of this 

fourth edition of the Schools Olympic 

Programme, was the higher proportion of 

girls who took part in the competitions. 

This, of course, is in line with one the main 

objectives of the project which is aimed at 

encouraging all youth, regardless of their 

gender, to have a physical activity and to 

practice sport. In addition to this, we have 

noticed an extremely positive change in the 

attitude of the participating students who 

have shown a higher competitiveness and 

winning spirit. This is reflected in the 

competition standards, which made 

matches and encounters more exciting and 

attractive for the spectators, whose 

numbers also increased. 

How do you measure the event’s progress 

- by the number of children who 

participate, the quality of the 

competition or some other measures? 

Certainly, the statistics provide us with 

measurable and accurate results which 

confirm the appeal of the School Olympic 

Programme for the schools population. 

But, the quantity is not the only criteria 

for the extent of the success of our event. 

In fact, we notice every year a better quality 

in the technical level of the athletes and 

their performances. The hope of finding 

first class athletes becomes correspondingly 

bigger, however we know this is a 


long-term process and that there is quite an 

important proportion of luck in 

discovering talent. 

We should not forget that the Schools 

Olympic Programme is not only about 

results and elite performances. It is also 

about having as many students as possible 

practicing sports and acquiring life skills 

through a variety of activities affirming 

their personalities. 

How has the new Qatar School Sports 

Federation contributed to the SOP 

this year? 

The staff of the Qatar School Sports 

Federation are showing great enthusiasm 

and are determined to promote the 

programme and make it more and more 

successful. They have been in a learning 

stage since the Federation was established 

in April 2010. This year they have been 

working in partnership with the organising 

team who started the initiative and 

contributed to its success. 

They will do the same for the fifth 

edition where they will be represented in 

the Organising Committee and actively 

contribute in the organisation of various 

sporting, cultural, environmental, health 

and educational events. But for the sixth 

edition of the Schools Olympic Programme, 

they will be fully operational and will 

conduct the whole operation. Of course, 

the QOC will always be there and ready to 

extend any required help and support. 

What were the outcomes of the “Sport 

and Education” theme this year? 

The theme of ‘Sport and Education’ was the 

leitmotiv for the fouth edition of the SOP. 

Under that theme, the Supreme Education 

Council, the main partner of the Qatar 

Olympic Committee for this project, had to 

do a little bit more for the activities relating 

to education. 

There was, in fact, a need to for a little 

change in mentalities about the relationship 

between sport and education. Some people 

used to see these two aspects as contradictory 

and think that Education is the head and 

Sport is the legs. 

Therefore, the activities and awareness 

programmes were aimed at showing that 

education can be done through sport. At the 

same time, sport can be a booster for a better 

education and help achieve higher results in 

various topics. We were happy to see parents 

become more and more supportive of their 

children taking part in sports competition, 

as well as in education activities, which 

reflects the complementary way in which 

sport and education builds the personality of 

our children. 

What is the theme for next year’s SOP? 

We are in the process of choosing the new 

theme for the fifth SOP edition. There are 

a few proposals. But, whatever the theme, 

the Schools Olympic Program is by 

definition a broad project which aims to 

promote all aspects of life.


THE BIG 

INTERVIEW 

How has Qatar’s successful bidding for 

sporting mega-events, like the 2022 FIFA 

World Cup, changed attitudes of the local 

schoolchildren to sport? 

We are in a world where information reaches 

everybody and is evaluated and analysed 

from all possible angles. When our youth are 

aware of the important place that their 

country occupies on the international stage, 

this can only be a motivation for them to 

meet expectations and play an active role in 

contributing to the promotion of sport as a 

means of progress and development. This is 

something they seem willing to do as we see 

in the way they approach competition with 

more discipline and hard work. 

The Qatari successes in getting the right 

and honour to host prestigious sporting events 

such as the FIFA World Cup, the Handball 

World Championships or perhaps the 2017 

IAAF Athletics World Championships, might 

be one of the reasons why a greater number of 

youngsters have joined the sporting ranks in 

our schools or clubs. 

How has your career path led to your 

current role as SOP Executive Director? 

I have been involved in this ambitious 

programme since the beginning and 

taken part in various aspects of the 

organisation. 

In the first edition I was Finance 

Committee Manager, then in the second 

edition, I was Corporate Support 

Separtment Director. In the third edition 

I was Finance Department Director and 

in the fourth, I was appointed SOP 

Executive Director, which was a surprise 

and a great honour for me. I was aware of 

this great responsibility and am happy to 

have succeeded in keeping the SOP on the 

track of success for an additional year. 


Events diary - International and Qatar 

IAAF World Athletics Championships 

Badminton World Championships 

Swimming World Championships 

9-Ball International Billiard Championship Fed. Hall 25/6–2/7/ 2011 

Wimbledon Tennis Championships London, UK 20/6-3/7/2011 

Tour De France France 2-24/7/2011 

IOC Winter Olympics 2018 host announcement durban, South Africa 6/7/2011 

IAAF Asian Championships Kobe, Japan 6-10/7/2011 

The Open Golf Championship royal St. Georges Golf Club, UK 14-17/7/2011 

Swimming World Championships Shanghai, China 16-31/7/2011 

German Grand Prix nürburgring 22-24/7/2011 

Hungarian Grand Prix Budapest 29-31/7/2011 

FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifying draw rio de Janeiro, Brazil 30/7/2011 

Badminton World Championships Wembley, UK 8-14/8/2011 

PGA Championship Johns Creek Golf Club, USA 11-14/8/2011 

Equestrianism European Dressage Championships Rotterdam, Holland 18-21/8/2011 

Belgian Grand Prix Spa-Francorchamps 26-28/8/2011 

Rugby Union World Cup new Zealand 9/9-23/10/2011 

IAAF World Athletics Championships daegu, Korea 27/8-4/9/2011 

Rowing World Championships Bled, Slovenia 28/8-4/9/2011 

US Open (tennis) Flushing Meadows, USA 29/8-11/9/2011 

Italian Grand Prix Monza 9-11/9/2011 

8th. GCC Junior Football Championship aspire 13-30/9/2011 

Equestrianism European Show Jumping Championships Madrid, Spain 13-18/9/2011 

AFC Champions League quarter-finals various locations 14-28/9/2011 

Cycling World Road Championships Copenhagen 19-25/9/2011 

Solheim Cup (Women’s Golf) Killeen Castle, Ireland 23-25/9/2011 

Singapore Grand Prix Marina Bay 25/9/2011

Issue 14 - Qatar Olympic Committee

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