Issue 7 - Qatar Olympic Committee

Issue 7 September - November 2009 $10
the official magazine of the qatar olympic committee
LEADERS IN SPORT
Qatar’s strategy
under the spotlight
THE NEW SEASON
Major events
2009/2010
FIT FOR LIFE
Getting active
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RALLY CHAMPION, SH0OTING STAR
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QATARSPORT.ISSUE 7.CONTENTS
04 QOC Comment Message from the Secretary General
05 News World-class event round-up
13 Greetings from Berlin Promoting the World Indoors
14 QOC Sports Awards Heroes of season 2008-09
16 Season Preview Outstanding events in Doha
18 Schools Olympic Day Qatar’s Culture Club
21 Nasser Al-Attiyah Rally champion, shooting star
24 Global Sport Fund New horizons for youth
26 Partners in Sport Burrda’s style and substance
29 Sports Diary Highlights of the sporting season
30 Health & Society First steps to a healthy lifestyle
34 The Big Interview Professor Simon Chadwick
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, 2009.
www.olympic.qa
qoc@olympic.qa
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Designed and produced for the Qatar Olympic Committee by SportBusiness Group, London.
Cover photo: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Rally and Shooting champion / VW Motorsports
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 3

Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee
Welcome...
With the summer break now behind us, we are
eagerly looking ahead to what promises to be one of the
busiest, most intense and exciting years in the history of
sport in Qatar.
We do so in the knowledge that while Qatar is
building its reputation as a world-class host of major
sports events and for our innovative commitment to
youth, our own sportsmen and women are creating
an impact both domestically and overseas.
Earlier this year, we were proud to organise the
2009 QOC Sports Awards, which recognised the
achievements of individuals and organisations across
the sporting spectrum.
A full report of the Awards starts on Page 14. It was
a truly memorable event which emphasised the wealth
of talent developing in Qatar and the commitment of
our government, the QOC, our sports federations, and
many outstanding individuals to building the sporting
future of our country.
In the coming months we will be proud to welcome
some of the biggest stars in football, volleyball, tennis,
golf and athletics to Doha. But we are equally proud
to be hosting events and programmes which may not
achieve the same level of international media coverage
but will be of immense benefit to the youth of our
country and the world.
This month (September) sees the launch of the third
edition of the Schools Olympic Day Programme (SOD)
which has done so much to introduce youngsters living
in Qatar to sport and the lessons it holds for life.
The programme is central to achieving one of the key
objectives of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC)
and our government - to encourage the adoption of
healthy lifestyles throughout our population. And of
course it all starts with the youngsters.
SOD offers many different sporting opportunities,
experiences and lessons over a nine-month programme
- taking an holistic approach to introducing youngsters
to sport. Each edition has focused on a different, highly
relevant theme. Last year our theme was Sport and
the Environment and in 2009-10, it will be Sport
and Culture. The links between sport and culture are
deeply rooted and recognised in the core pricniples
of the Olympic Movement, of which the QOC is
a committed and active member. It is, of course,
particularly appropriate that culture is our theme as
Doha has been appointed by UNESCO as the Capital
of Culture of Arabic Nations for 2011.
Our commitment to youth will also be evident in
December when Doha will welcome 3,000 students
from all parts of the world to take part in 2009
Gymnasiade. The youngsters, aged between 15 and
18, will compete in acquatics, athletics and gymnastics.
Hosting such an event will be an inspiration for all of
us and you can be sure that a number of the Qatari
competitors will be youngsters who have been part
of previous SOD.
During this memorable year of sport Qatar will also
host a range of other world-class events. Some, like
the WTA Sony Ericsson Championships have become
regular features of our sporting landscape. But in
November, we will be delighted to host a new event,
the 2009 FIVB Men’s Club Volleyball Championship
(www.fivb.org/en/volleyball/Competitions/
WorldClubChampionships/2009). The championship
games features the eight leading volleyball club teams
from all continents and ASPIRE will provide an fitting
stage for the best players on earth.
In March 2010, the world’s elite athletes will
arrive in Doha to take part in the IAAF Indoor
Championships (www.dohawic2011.com). It promises
to be three days of exhilarating action and a number
of world records are sure to come under threat.
There is so much to savour and enjoy - and we
remain committed to our objective of creating
opportunity for youth and hosting events which we
can share with the world. We hope you will join us.
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani
Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Commitee
4 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7

ISSUE 7 NEWS
DOHA
AWAITS
CLASSIC
ENCOUNTER
Doha has been pencilled in as the venue for
a classic friendly match between Brazil and
England, promoted by Qatari broadcasters
Al Jazeera.
Qatar Football Association General
Secretary Saud Al Mohannadi revealed that
plans for the friendly, set for November 14,
have been in place for some time.
The match, however, is dependent on
England finishing top of their World Cup
qualifying group so avoiding a play-off
game for second place teams scheduled for
that date.
“The game will indeed be held in Doha
in November,” Al Mohannadi confirmed.
“Al Jazeera Sports Channel is in charge of
this game and they have been planning it
for a while.
“The role of the Qatar FA is to coordinate
with the Al Jazeera channel
regarding the venue of the match and the
training schedules and stadiums.”
The match is likely to be staged in
Doha’s 50,000 capacity Khalifa Stadium,
the main venue for the 2006 Asian Games,
and is sure to attract a full house to see two
of the game’s most iconic national teams
in action.
The 23rd meeting between the two
national teams is a return match promised
by the English Football Association to their
Brazilian counterparts for the appearance
of the five-time world champions at the
launch of the new Wembley Stadium
in 2007. That match ended in a 1-1 draw,
but the classic status of England versus
Brazil matches has much deeper roots in
an unforgettable match-up between the
Pele and Bobby Moore
embrace after the World
Cup classic between Brazil
and England in 1970.
two countries at the 1970 World Cup in
Mexico. The famous encounter between
Brazilian attacking flair, embodied by the
great Pele and courageous English defence,
personified by Bobby Moore, resulted in a
1-0 victory for the South Americans and a
lasting mutual respect.
More recently, the passion of the English
Premier League and the brilliance of Brazil’s
footballing exports, have added lustre to the
reputations of both national teams.
Qatari fans are more than familiar with
names like Kaka, Beckham, Robinho,
Rooney, Pato and Gerrard - and can look
forward to a feast of football in November.
Although not billed as a promotion for
Qatar’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup, the
match will provide another opportunity for
Qatar to showcase its world-class facilities
and event management skills.
The Qatar World Cup 2022 Bid
Committee, headed by Sheikh Mohammed
Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, son of
the Emir of Qatar, unveiled the bid logo
in May and the bid proper campaign is
expected to get underway this September.
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 5

NEWS
IN BRIEF
Members of the AFC
Organising Committee for
the 2011 AFC Asian Cup,
to be hosted by Qatar, have agreed
on the use of five stadiums for the
tournament, which kicks off in Doha
on January 7, 2011. Khalifa Stadium,
plus the stadiums belonging to Al
Gharafa SC, Al Sadd SC, Al Rayyan
SC and Qatar SC, will stage matches
during the 16-team competition. Qatar,
Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India and South
Korea have all qualified for the finals.
“ABSOLUTELY
OUTSTANDING”
Qatari riders HE Sheikh Ali
Bin Khalid Al-Thani and Ali
Bin Yousef Al Rumaihi put in
year’s-best performances in the fourth
round of the Global Champions Tour
Grand Prix in Cannes, France in June.
HE Sheikh Ali clinched 15th place in
the 1.40m event, while Al Rumaihi
finished in 17th position. The three-day
international featured the participation
of 27 riders from across the world.
Qatar sent a team to the
3rd International Athletics
Meeting in Rades, Tunisia,
organised by the International
Paralympic Committee and National
Paralympic Committee of Tunisia. The
June meeting featured 391 athletes
representing 24 countries taking part
in running, discus, javelin, shot put
and long jump events.
The Qatar Billiards and
Snooker Federation entered
12 cueists from the national
team for the Qatar Open 9-ball
Championship that took place from
June 27 to July 7, 2009 in Doha. The
overall winner was Mika Immonen of
Finland who beat the 2006 Doha Asian
Games champion Antonio Gabica of
the Phillipines in the semi-finals and
Ko Pin Yi of Chinese Taipei in the final.
Qatar’s Al Rayyan club
will participate in the 12th
Asian Clubs Handball
Championship scheduled for
November 7-20 in Lebanon. HH Emir
Handball Cup champions Al Rayyan
will be accompanied by Al Ahli, the
runners-up to Al Sadd in last season’s
Qatar Handball League.
Qatar’s credentials as a high-performance
training hub have been given a ringing
endorsement by a top official from the English
team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
An English delegation visited Doha in July
on a two-day tour to discuss the potential for
hosting a pre-Games holding camp in the capital
in preparation for the 20th Commonwealth
Games to be held in New Delhi, India
next October.
Donald Parker, Sports Director,
Commonwealth Games England confirmed
that Qatar had impressed on every level.
“I have been involved in five or six holding
camps both for the Olympic Games and
Commonwealth Games over the last 15
years so I’ve been there and done it. In my
view, Qatar is absolutely outstanding. For
around ten days Doha would have to be a
Qatar Stars League club Umm Salal will face
Korea’s FC Seoul in the quarter-finals of the
AFC Champions League in September.
The Champions League newcomers
qualified for Asia’s leading club competition by
winning last season’s HH Emirs Cup and upset
the form books by beating Saudi Arabia’s Al
Hilal in the round of 16 on penalties.
Umm Salal team manager Ali Mohamed
Ibrahim said the Qataris were capable
of an upset. “We got this far and we are
confident of going further - our team is
home from home for the athletes and there is
a strong feeling of welcome from the QOC
and outstanding facilities. World-class is
often an overused phrase, but the facilities,
accommodation, medical support, even the
Qatar Airways airline, are really world-class. We
have an excellent relationship with the QOC
and now it’s just down to the logistical details.”
The delegation, which included
representatives from England Hockey, as well
as key sport sciences, medical and security
personnel, were taken on a tour of the Aspire
Indoor Hall (pictured), the state-of-the-art
Lusail Shooting Range and the hockey field at
the Al Rayyan Sports Club.
The training camp is expected be held
for five to ten days in advance of England
taking around 550 athletes, coaches and team
managers from 17 different sports to India.
UMM SALAL’S DATE WITH DESTINY
pretty settled,” he said.
The club’s prospects were boosted over the
summer when Umm Salal bought the Brazilian
striker Davi in a $4.2 million transfer from
Japan’s Nagoya Grampus.
Davi, 25, was the J-League’s top scorer with
10 goals from 16 games when he signed for the
Qatar Stars League outfit.
Umm Salal will play the first leg of the
quarter final at the Qatar Sports Club in Doha
on September 23. The return leg takes place in
Seoul World Cup Stadium on September 30.
6 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7

ISSUE 7 NEWS
SILVER LINING FOR YOUTH
Clockwise: Reema Thomas, Fatima Omar and Mohammed Al Manni won silver medals for Qatar at this summer’s major championships for youth.
Two silver medals plus a host of personal
bests were packed up and taken home by
the young Qatari team participating at the
1st Youth Asian Games in Singapore, June
29 to July 7.
Qatar’s female athletes took the glory
with Reema Thomas clinching silver in
the long jump on the opening day of
competition at the Bishan Stadium and
teenage shot-putter Fatima Omar making it
a double on day two.
Elsewhere, medals were tough to come
by for the 32-strong Qatari contingent, but
the nation’s young swimmers and shooters
received special praise for some outstanding
individual performances.
Four Qatari swimmers - Abdulrahman
Al Olan (200m freestyle), Mohammed
Ali (50m backstroke), Abdulrahman
Issa Al Ishaq (100m butterfly) and
Hussein Abdulhameed Al Lingawi (100m
backstroke) - beat their personal bests,
as did shooters Mohammed Al Kowari
(pistol), Mohammed Zain Al Sunaidi (rifle)
and Mashael Marzouq (girl’s pistol).
Qatar competed in six events (athletics,
beach volleyball, basketball, sailing,
shooting and swimming) at the inaugural
Games for Asian youth between 14 and
17 years old. Singapore hosted some 1,400
athletes from 43 countries for the Games
which acted as a test event for the 2010
Youth Olympic Games, which takes place
in Singapore next August.
And with just one year to go before
the main event, the QOC sent Qatari
youngsters with Youth Olympic Games
potential further afield to championships
in Italy and Syria over the summer.
The 6th IAAF World Youth
Championships, held in Sudtirol, Italy,
saw Qatar’s Mohammed Ahmed Al-Mannai
claim the silver medal in the Octathlon
event, which comprises long jump, discus,
javelin, 400m, 100m hurdles, high jump,
shot put and 1,500m.
Al-Mannai became the first Qatari
ever to medal at the championships when
he took second place with 6,232 points,
behind France’s Kevin Mayer.
Encouragingly, a 32-member Qatari
team also took home a host of medals from
the Arab Athletics Championships for
Youth and Juniors, staged in Aleppo, Syria
in July. Mohammed Al Qarni, Muhammad
Qaeda and Khalid Al-Saari won gold
medals in the 1500m, javelin and high
jump respectively, with both Qaeda and
Al-Saari breaking Qatari national records
in the process.
In the hammer throw event,
Abdulrahman Shahrani took the silver
medal, while Qatar’s star of the First Asian
Youth Games in Singapore, Reema Thomas,
added to her summer bounty with a bronze
medal in the long jump event.
Young speedster Eid Alkawari clocked
a personal best of 11.03 in the 100m to
clinch another bronze for Qatar.
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 7

NEWS
IN BRIEF
The Qatar Olympic
Committee has taken its
‘Sports for Life’ message
to Qatari students abroad with the
renovation of sports facilities at
the Qatar Students Club in Cairo.
Founded in 1975, the club now
features a new gym for amateur
sport and physical fitness and a table
tennis hall. QOC Secretary General,
Sheikh Saoud inaugurated the
upgrade, which was supported by the
Heir Apparent and QOC President, HH
Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Qatar’s men’s basketball
team finished a creditable
sixth in the 16-team 2009
FIBA Asia Championship, staged
August 6 to 16 in Tianjin, China.
The Qatar team lost its final match
against Chinese Taipei in the fifth
place play-off having previously
registered four wins and four losses
during the tournament.
The International
Motorcycling Federation
(FIM) has renewed its
sponsorship contract with the Qatar
Motor & Motorcycle Federation
(QMMF) and Qtel Company for the
World Endurance Championship.
QMMF President Nasser Bin Khalifa
Al Attiyah signed the three-year
deal at the second round of the
World Endurance Championship in
Oschersleben, Germany.
Qatar’s badminton players
made history in July when
they won the GCC Open
Badminton Tournament 2009 in
Bahrain. Qatar took the top spot
against players from Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Bahrain, Dubai and Abu
Dhabi. Qatar’s Arun Vijaykumar won
the men’s singles title.
Qatar’s Al Arabi SC
clinched third place in
the Asian Clubs Volleyball
Championship after defeating Al
Naser of United Arab Emirates 3-0
in Dubai. Al Arabi had lost to the
holders, Payakan SC of Iran in the
semi-finals of the championships.
which was won by the Iranian club.
JUNIORS UP THEIR GAME
Qatar’s tennis stars of the future are
getting a clearer shot at success thanks to
new competitions launched by the Qatar
Tennis Federation.
According to Karim Alawi, Technical
Director for the WTA’s end-of-season Sony
Ericsson Championships in Doha, the Qatari
youngsters now have a better chance to shine
in a much more challenging domestic scene.
“We used to have just seven or eight
tournaments a year, but in the new calendar
there are 26 tournaments from under-10
upwards, which gives an opportunity for
everyone to compete,” says Alawi.
“The big thing that was missing for our
juniors was that they played only a couple of
competitive tournaments in Qatar and then had
to travel abroad if they wanted to play more.
“Now, there are opportunities maybe twice
a month to see these kids against players from
abroad, which helps us see how they need to
develop at international level.”
Qatar’s junior tennis season spans from
A leading Qatar Olympic Committee official
has given the green light to Qatari women
wanting to compete in the martial arts sports
of judo, taekwondo, and karate.
Tarek Al Ali, Head of QOC technical
affairs and Qatar Chef de Mission to the
inaugural Asian Martial Arts Games, which
took place in Bangkok, Thailand in July, said
that talented women would be encouraged to
compete in international competition.
Al Ali told Qatar Sport: “If a woman
proves to be good enough to get a medal
or compete seriously and have an impact,
then definitely she would be encouraged. It’s
September to May and in that period,
the Qatar Tennis Federation also has a
chance to promote the sport to newcomers,
especially young girls, via Qatar’s major
event programme.
“We have agreements to promote the Sony
Ericsson Championships in French, British
and American schools in Qatar, as well as
local schools,” says Alawi.
“Out of 100 kids who come to the
tournament, about 10 will want to start to
play tennis. We’re trying to get more women
and more kids playing tennis and change the
mentality so that kids get into sport instead of
computer games.”
The strategy appears to be paying off.
Qatari teen Hamad Al Mulla, partnered by
the Tunisian Ameur Ben Hassen, reached the
doubles final of the Qatar ITF Junior Open
2009 in February and the U-14 boys’ team,
spearheaded by Mubarak Shanan, triumphed
in the West Asia Tournament held recently
in Doha.
GREEN LIGHT FOR WOMEN JUDOKAS
all about the dress code and in martial arts
like judo this is not a problem so from our
perspective, there’s no reason why they should
not compete.”
Qatar sent six athletes to compete at the
first Asian Martial Arts Games in August on a
trip, said Al Ali, to “interact with some of the
best players in the world from Japan, Korea
and China”.
Two Qatari athletes represented each of
three sports - judo, taekwondo, and karate.
Al Ali expalined: “It’s a preparation stage for
Asian countries to raise their standard so they
can do better in the Olympics.”
8 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7

ISSUE 7 NEWS
DOHA TO HOST FIVB CHAMPS
The FIVB Men’s Club World
Championship featuring eight of the
world’s best volleyball clubs will take
place from November 3-8 in Qatar after
organisers signed a new hosting contract
in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Qatar Ambassador Abdullah Al-
Dosari, Kuwaiti FIVB Board Member
Hamza Al Failakawi, and Qatar Volleyball
Association (QVBA) General Secretary
Faraj Moftah Al-Abdulla visited FIVB
headquarters in Lausanne to sign off on
the deal, which will see the event revived
after its discontinuation in 2002 due to
organisational and financial difficulties.
“The QVBA has received great support
from all the Qatari authorities, especially
from the Qatar Olympic Committee, to
help make this event a reality,” explains
QVBA President Dr. Abdullah Al-Mal.
“The Club World Championship in
Doha in November will make volleyball
one of the elite sporting events organised
by our country. We will work diligently
every day to produce a world-class event
that will showcase the best of what
volleyball has to offer.”
Commenting on the ground-breaking
agreement, FIVB Executive Vice Pesident
Theofanis Tsiokris said he saw clear
benefits in Qatar hosting the event: “We
strongly believe that volleyball will make
massive inroads in all Arab countries
thanks to this great and important event
in Doha.”
The competition will be held at the
Aspire Zone (with Al Arabi and Al Sadd
Sports Clubs providing the training
facilities) and will feature eight clubs
from all continents: Italy’s Trentino
Volley, Egypt’s Zamalek, Iran’s Payakan,
and Qatar’s Al Arabi have qualified for
the event. The wild cards are Poland’s
PGE Skra Belchatow, Russia’s Dinamo
Kazan, Puerto Rico’s Corozal and the yet
to be determined champions of South
America. The competition will consist of
12 matches in the two group stages, plus
semi-finals, final and a third place play-off
with a total prize-money pool of $750,000
on offer.
For the first time in the FIVB’s
tournament history, the FIVB and Qatari
organisers have also agreed to apply the
‘Golden Formula’ for the championships,
a playing system which requires that the
first attack for each team begins from the
back row in an attempt to produce longer
rallies. Devised by Hussein Imam Ali,
QVBA Technical Director, the Golden
Formula has been used in Qatari national
competitions to great effect in recent years.
Imam Ali believes the concept “restores
equality in the attack and defence, in a
sport which is presently heavily loaded in
favour of attack”. If successful, the FIVB
will consider rolling out the rule in other
FIVB competitions.
Pool A: Trentino Volley, Dinamo
Kazan, Corozal, Zamalek
Pool B: PGE Skra Belchatow. Payakan,
Al Arabi, South American champion
Russia’s Dinamo Kazan (top) and Qatar’s Al Arabi
(in red) will compete in the FIVB Men’s Club World
Volleyball Championship in Doha this November.
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 9

NEWS
IN BRIEF
Olympians Samuel Francis
(100m), James Kwalia
(5,000m) and Essa Rashed
(10,000m) led the Qatar team’s gold
medal charge at the 43rd World
Military Athletics Championship
in Sofia, Bulgaria in June. Qatar
finished in fourth place overall
behind Poland, Italy and Bulgaria in
the medals table for the 35-country
event. The Qatar team also won
medals in the triple jump (silver
and bronze), 3,000m steeplechase
(bronze) and 5,000m (silver).
Saleh Al Humeidi,
Secretary General
of the Qatar Fencing
Federation (QFF) has acclaimed
the organisation of the Arab U16
Fencing Championships held at the
Al Gharafa Sports Club indoor hall in
July. Al Humeidi said that the event
augured well for the QFF’s hosting
of the Asian Fencing Championship
in November 2009. Qatari fencers
bagged 13 medals at the event,
including one gold medal from the
Qatari girls team in the Epee.
The Qatar national chess
team topped the standings
of the West Asia Chess
Championship in Sana’a, Yemen
in June. Qatar’s Grand Master
Mohammed Al Modaihki clinched
first place overall in the men’s
category, sharing the lead with
Mohammed Naser Al Saeed. Grand
Master Zhu Chen of Qatar took first
place overall in the women’s event.
Qatar’s national karate
team finished third
overall in the GCC Karate
Tournament, which took place in
Bahrain in July. The Qatari team won
11 medals including two gold, four
silver and five bronze.
Qatari rally star Nasser Al-
Attiyah (see pages 21-23)
swapped race leadership
four times with Carlos Sainz over ten
days during the Sertões International
Rally in July. Al-Attiyah finished just
one minute behind Sainz and is now
targeting victory in the Dakar Rally.
QATAR PASSES ITS MEDICAL
Aspetar, Qatar’s state-of-the-art orthopedic
and sports medicine hospital, will become the
first port of call for the treatment of injured
Qatari athletes under a new agreement with
the Qatar Olympic Committee.
Building on existing relationships between
the two organisations, the agreement calls
for Aspetar to use its extensive capabilities to
provide QOC athletes with a holistic range of
services and treatments.
The partnership will also work to
establish treatment standards at both club
and federation levels in Qatar and run
programmes targeted at injury prevention.
“Aspetar was established with a mission
to assist athletes in achieving their full
potential,” said Aspetar Director General Dr
Mohammed Al Maadheed, who added, “The
A SPORTING EDUCATION
Qatar University, the country’s national
institute of higher education, is to launch a
Sports Science Programme in September that
could inspire the next generation of Qatari
leaders in sport.
The programme offers male and female
students a BSc degree with specialisations in
Sport Management, Physical Education, and
Exercise and Fitness and is supported by the
QOC, which has backed the QU’s ‘Partners
in Sports Education and Training’ initiative.
Having signed a memorandum of
understanding with QU which covers QOC
internships and scholarships for students,
QOC General Secretary Sheikh Saoud said,
“It will be a major plus point for us to receive
formalising of an agreement with the Qatar
Olympic Committee is a testimony to the
capabilities and bandwidth within Aspetar to
contribute to the all-round development of
sports and athletics in Qatar.”
The move is the latest endorsement of
Aspetar’s world-class credentials following this
year’s accreditation on FIFA’s Medical Centres
of Excellence network.
So far, just ten football medicine centres
have received the official accreditation after an
evaluation by the FIFA Medical Committee.
The selection was based upon a
comprehensive application process to prove
Aspetar’s clinical, educational and research
expertise, its practical involvement in the
care of teams and active commitment to
injury prevention.
graduates from this programme, who will be
the best [future] employees for the QOC.”
The Olympic Committee will also follow
the performance of high-achieving students
with a view to offering support in the form
of awards and encouraging collaborations in
further education between students, sports
officials, coaches and other individuals in the
field of sports.
The Programme’s director Professor
Dr Dieter Hackfort said that QU is also
in partnership with the ASPIRE Academy
which, along with the QOC, has formed a
“magic triangle” contributing to the future
of sports, sport management and sports
education in Qatar.
10 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7

ISSUE 7 NEWS
UN Special Advisor Wilfried Lemke applauds Qatar’s work with the Global Sport Fund.
LEMKE PRAISES MODEL BEHAVIOUR
Wilfried Lemke, the Special Adviser to
the United Nations Secretary General on
Sports for Development and Peace, has
forecast a bright and thriving future for
youth and sport in Qatar.
In an exclusive interview with the
QOC website (www.olympic.qa), Lemke
said that Qatar’s development in sport
reflected the country’s forward-looking
agenda and that its sporting leadership
was an example to the world.
“I am absolutely convinced they
(Qatar) will progress and improve their
international presence in various fields…
economically, socially, and with respect
to the environment,” he said.
“Needless to say, in the field of sports,
they are absolutely spot-on. Qatar is
definitely on the rise.”
Lemke said that sport serves as an
important tool in helping the United
Nations achieve its youth development
objectives and that the Qatar Olympic
Committee has played a key role in the
success of UN projects like the Global
Sport Fund, the joint initiative that uses
sport to prevent drug use and crime among
young people (see page 24).
“I mentioned to [QOC General
Secretary] Sheikh Saoud, at the Global
Sport Fund International Youth Camp
in Cairo, that he has indeed become
extremely popular in the world of sports,”
Lemke said.
“I genuinely appreciate Sheikh Saoud’s
visionary approach for groundbreaking
projects and his efforts in bringing people
from governments and organisations
together to formulate joint ventures.
“I am convinced that we need more
role models in the world, and this is very
easy to arrange through sports. And I am
not only talking about the international
sport stars.
“For example, if, in one of the slum
areas of Nairobi, a youth is offered
an opportunity to participate in a
popular sport programme because she
or he renounces drugs and crime and
contributes to his community through
voluntary services, he becomes a perfect
role model against drugs and delinquency
for other kids.
“This is exactly our target in the various
youth camps and initiatives.”
Lemke describes the Global Sport
Fund as an “important mosaic stone”
in the bigger picture of the UN’s youth
development programme and is also
grateful for the support of the wider
“We need more role
models in the world”
sporting community in helping the UN
to pursue its goals.
“This is a hard job because we want to
change things. It’s hard to accomplish all
our goals with only seven [employees], but
we are very glad that we have the support
of foundations, governments, National
Olympic Commitees, the Internatiional
Olympic Committee, FIFA, UEFA and
other organisations.
“IOC President Jacques Rogge is very
close to us. The IOC spends a lot of
time discussing with us issues of youth
development.
“They invite us to attend congresses,
workshops and seminars where we can
share our ideas with them and others, and
garner support for various sport projects.”
Lemke was appointed Special Adviser
by the UN Secretary General in March
2008 and was in Qatar as part of a 10-
day tour of the Middle East that took in
Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza City.
“I would like to see with my own eyes
the situation of the children there and
explore thoroughly how sport can address
their problems,” he said.
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 11

o o o o o o o o o
EVENT
UPDATE
DOHA REVEALS WORLD
INDOOR AMBITIONS
QATAR UNVEILED ITS PLANS TO HOST THE 13TH IAAF WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN
DOHA (MARCH 12-14, 2010) AT THIS SUMMER’S IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BERLIN.
James Kwalia hits the front
during his bronze medalwinning
perfromance in
the 5,000m at the 2009
IAAF World Championships
in Berlin.
The 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships will be the
biggest IAAF World Athletics Series event held in 2010. It
will feature some of the world’s top athletes, competing in
one of the world’s most advanced indoor venues - the
Aspire Dome in Doha.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2009 IAAF World
Championships in Berlin where the Qatari delegation had
established a promotional stand, the Event Director of the
Doha 2010 Organising Committee, Abdullah Al-Zaini
highlighted these key messages and revealed the wider
ambitions of the event organisers.
“We aim to deliver an experience that will challenge
and excite the world’s greatest athletes, whilst also
encouraging the development of a wide-ranging
development programme for our own youth,” he said.
Al-Zaini, who is also President of the Qatar Association
of Athletics Federation, said that the choice of Doha as
hosts of the Championships was a coup for the region and
demonstrated the IAAF’s confidence in Qatar’s ability to
inspire a new legion of supporters for its showcase event.
“Hosting the World Indoor Championships in 2010 is
a great honour,” said Al-Zaini.
“We are hoping this will be pivotal in bringing Qatar
and the entire region closer to peers in Europe and North
America in terms of top-of-mind awareness when it comes
to hosting headline athletics events.”
Al-Zaini anticipates that the event will do for athletics
in Asia and the Middle East what Beijing did for the
Olympics in Asia, spreading a positive message to Qataris
and people from all over the region about the value of a
career in athletics. “That would be a great achievement in
itself,” he said.
Speaking in Berlin, IAAF President Lamine Diack added
his support to the Organising Committee’s ambitions.
“Qatar is very keen to promote itself through sport and I am
happy that athletics is part of that general strategy. I am
confident that the 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships
will be one of the best in history,” he said.
The IAAF President said he expected many of the
world’s top stars to compete at the Aspire Dome, the stateof-the-art
venue, which played a major role in Qatar being
awarded the Championships. The venue is currently
undergoing a series of upgrades to inspire peak
performances from the world’s best in early 2010.
Doha is a familiar stop-off for many of these athletes
having hosted IAAF championship events since 1997,
leading up to the 2009 Super Grand Prix, which will be
replaced with the IAAF Diamond League meet in Doha,
just a few weeks after the World Indoor Championships.
As for Qatar’s performance on the track in Berlin,
fortune shone on Qatari James Kwalia, who won bronze in
the 5,000m. Kwalia’s bronze is the fourth major Qatari
international medal at an IAAF championship, after Saif
Saeed Shaheen won two gold medals in the 3,000m
steeplechase in 2003 and 2005, and Mubarak Hassan
Shami’s silver medal in the marathon in 2007.
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 13

A YEAR TO
REMEMBER
THE QOC AWARDS FOR THE 2008/09
SEASON HIGHLIGHTED QATAR’S
GROWING CONFIDENCE AND
COMMITMENT TO SPORTING SUCCESS.
When the Qatar Olympic Committee invited the country’s
top sportsmen and women to the Closing Ceremonies for
the 2008-09 domestic sports season at the Grand Hyatt
Doha they came to honour a glittering array of uniquely
Qatari achievements.
During the season, Qatar hosted some of the world’s
biggest sports stars across a raft of major international
events, but it was the continuing progress of Qatari athletes
at home and abroad that took centre stage on a memorable
night’s celebration of sport.
Setting the tone for the season’s review and the award
ceremonies to follow, QOC Secretary General Sheikh
Saoud highlighted the huge support of Qatar’s leadership
in promoting the country as a sports hub in the region and
outlined the QOC’s strategy in developing youth and
encouraging talented students to practice sport.
Qatari athletes, he said, took part in a number of major
international events abroad during the season, including
the season’s highlight, the Summer Olympic Games in
Beijing, where Qatar sent a 22-strong team, the 1st Asian
Beach Games at Bali and the 19th Gulf Cup in Oman,
where Qatar’s volleyball and basketball teams took home
the Gulf titles.
The award ceremonies, however, reflected Qatar’s
growing competitiveness in a range of sports at regional
and world championship level. The best male athlete of
the season award went to a shooter, Rashid Hamad Al
Adhba, who came second in the double trap at the ISSF
World Cup Shotgun Championship in Egypt and third in
the same category at the ISSF World Cup in Germany.
The talented 10m air-rifle shooter Maytha Al Kubaisi took
the equivalent women’s award.
The best male national team of the year award went to
the Qatar National Endurance Team, which took second
place at the Malaysia Equestrian World Cup, while the
women’s national team award went to the Qatar Women’s
Chess Team for clinching bronze at the Chess Olympics
in Germany.
The encouragement of youth was a theme that shone
throughout the ceremony. The prestigious ‘Sport Pioneer’
Prize went to His Excellency Sheikh Thamer Bin
Mohammed Al-Thani, Vice President of Qatar’s Supreme
Council for Youth, who is one of the founders of the sport
movement in Qatar. Meanwhile, the prize for ‘Sports
Innovation’ went to the ‘Schools Olympic Day’ project, an
idea which embodies the policy of the QOC and His
Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the QOC
President, in supporting youth and building solid
foundations for a healthy, active life. It should also be
noted that this second edition of the Schools Olympic
Day, which finished in March at the Aspire Indoor Hall,
14 QatarSport ISSUE 7

o o o o o o o o o
SPORTS
AWARDS
generated great interest from international organisations
and, in particular, the International Olympic Committee.
The performance of youth at elite level was also celebrated
when the Qatar Handball Federation won the prestigious
‘Golden Federation’ prize for the performance of its U-16
and U-19 national teams in qualifying for the Handball
Word Cup Finals.
Of course, in a country where football is a national
obsession, the 2008-09 season was especially memorable
for last September’s launch of the revamped Qatar Stars
League (eventually won by the Al Gharafa Club) and the
Qatar Football Association’s official bid submission to host
the FIFA World Cup in 2022, which was tabled with FIFA
in May. Qatar’s national football team made it to the final
group stage of the Asia-zone World Cup 2010 qualifying
competition, an achievement which will give great
encouragement to new coach Bruno Metsu as he prepares
the team for Qatar’s hosting of the Asian Cup in
January 2011.
Preparations have already begun for hosting Asian
football’s showcase tournament, but there will be plenty of
world-class sport in Qatar for sports fans to savour
before then.
Last season, said Sheikh Saoud, Qatar successfully
organised “a number of mega-events, which helped in
placing the country firmly on the world sports map”.
As part of the Closing Ceremonies celebrations, the
QOC unveiled the logo for the prestigious World Indoor
Athletic Games Championship, to be hosted by Qatar in
March 12-14, 2010. This quadrennial ‘mega-event’ will
bring the cream of world athletics to the peninsula, just as
Qatar’s other sporting spectaculars have attracted some of
the most famous names in their respective sports.
In the 2008/009 season, the highlights included Venus
Williams winning the inaugural Sony Ericsson
Championship in Doha in front of a packed crowd at the
Khalifa Tennis Complex and Andy Murray’s win at the
same venue in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. In
motorsports, Australian rider Casey Stoner won the
MotoGP Grand Prix, staged for the second consecutive
year under lights at the Losail track, and, in cycling, the
Belgian Tom Boonen won his third Tour of Qatar in a row,
seeing off the challenge of Tour de France mutiple stage
winner, Mark Cavendish of Great Britain.
The Sony Ericsson Championship was a new event to
Doha, as was the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix at
Doha’s Equestrian Centre and the FINA Diving World
Series at the Hamad Aquatic Centre. All three events
produced great sport, dramatically staged. There was the
same world-class standard of organisation for Qatar’s
major golf, table-tennis, athletics, squash and fencing
events.
In a testimony to Qatar’s maturing event management
credentials, the Qatar Table Tennis Federation received the
‘Ideal Federation’ prize for organising ‘events with highefficiency
which covered the organisation costs’, proof that
Qatar is no longer reliant on spending power alone to
make great events happen.
Above all, last the season reflected the remarkable
commitment of Qatar’s sporting authorities in making
sport an integral part of Qatari life from the top down -
and increasingly from youth level upwards. As Rashid
Hamad Al Adhba Al Adhba, the 20-year-old male athlete
of the year, reflected at the Closing Ceremonies,
“Honouring sport personalities and showing appreciation
for their efforts and competency reflects the interest of our
leadership in supporting young and upcoming talent. It is
an incentive for future generations to aim higher.”
Opposite page: Qatar’s
Ibrahim Babakir
Mohammedain competes in
the triple jump at last year’s
Beijing Olympic Games.
This page: QOC General
Secretary Sheikh Saoud
presides over the 2008-2009
QOC Sports Awards, where
Khalid Al Mohannadi
representing the Schools
Olympic Day programme
(far left) received the ‘Sports
Innovation’ Award and
Maytha Al Kubaisi (left)
won the prize for Female
Athlete of the Year.
ISSUE 7 QatarSport 15

FIVE
ALIVE!
THE NEW 2009-2010 SPORTING
SEASON IN QATAR WILL BRING
SOME OF THE WORD’S GREATS
TO THE PENINSULA IN SEARCH
OF GLORY. BELOW ARE FIVE
MAJOR EVENTS THAT WILL MAKE
THE HEADLINES THIS YEAR.
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League Doha Grand Prix
For many of the world’s top athletes, the IAAF Grand
Prix meeting in Doha signals the start of the competitive
summer season. This season’s event on May 14, 2010,
will launch the IAAF’s new Diamond League series,
which has replaced the Europe-based Golden League as
the top-level athletics series.
History
The first Qatar Super Grand Prix took place in April
1997. The event has grown in stature over time and this
year was confirmed among the IAAF’s elite Diamond
League series of 14 athletics meetings worldwide.
Star Performers
A number of famous Olympians have launched their
season successfully in Doha with women’s sprinter
Allyson Felix of America and world javelin number one,
Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen, among the most highprofile
repeat winners.
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
Some 1,200 athletes and over 500 journalists from around
the globe are expected to descend on Doha when the
capital hosts the 13th IAAF 2010 World Indoor
Championships, which takes places at the Aspire Indoor
Hall, March 12-14.
History
The IAAF World Indoor Championships was inaugurated
in 1985 in Paris, France and is held every two years
alternating with the outdoor IAAF World
Championships. It has been staged primarily in Europe,
except for events in the United States (1987), Canada
(1993) and Japan (1999).
Star Performers
Mozambique’s Maria de Lurdes Mutola claimed an
incredible seven gold medals in the women’s 800m from
1993 to 2006. American decathlete Bryan Clay is the
reigning Olympic champion and World Indoor champion
and will be one to watch in Doha.
16 QATARSPORT ISSUE 7

o o o o o o o o o
MAJOR
EVENTS
The 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Championships
The Sony Ericsson Championships Doha 2009, the season-ending showcase of the WTA
Tour, will take place at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, October 27-
November 1. Based on results throughout the 2009 season, the top eight singles women’s
singles players and the top four doubles teams in the Race to Doha will compete for total prize
money of $4.55 million.
History
The Tour Championships were established in 1972 and staged at various US venues before
taking up a 22-year residence at Madison Square Garden, New York. In 2001, the event
moved to Olympiahalle, Munich for one season and in 2006, the Championships were staged
for the first time in Madrid, Spain. In 2008, Doha made its successful debut as hosts..
Star Performers
In the 1970’s and 1980’s Martina Navratilova won eight championship titles, including five
in a row between 1981 and 1986. Last year’s winner was Venus Williams, who beat Russia’s
Vera Zvonareva in three sets in the final.
The 2010 Commercialbank Qatar Masters
Doha Golf Club will host the prestigious Qatar Masters
tournament, sponsored by Commercialbank (from 2006-
2015) in January 2010 as part of the European and Asian
PGA tours schedule. Since 2007, the tournament has put
up total prize money of $2.5 million.
History
The Qatar Masters has been a regular feature on the PGA
European Tour schedule since 1998 and has attracted
some of the world’s best players to the magical desert
course. In 2008, eight of the top 20 players in the world
took part, while, in 2009, 18 from the top 50 competed
for the right to lift the famous oyster shell trophy.
Star Performers
The Qatar Masters has been won by some of golf’s
Major-winning greats such as Ernie Els and Retief
Goosen, but Australia’s Adam Scott is the only player to
have won it twice. (2002 and 2008). Last year’s surprise
winner was Alvaro Quiros of Spain (pictured above).
The 2010 Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2010
The Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2010 will attract 32 of the
world’s best men’s tennis players to the Khalifa
International Tennis & Squash Complex for six days
from January 4- 9 2010, competing for prize money of
over $1 million.
History
In December 1992, the QTF unveiled the state-of-theart
Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha and
within the month, it was hosting its first ATP Qatar
Open. The event has been graced by the likes of Boris
Becker, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Last year, Rafa
Nadal of Spain (pictured) made his Qatar Open debut.
Star Performers
Stefan Edberg (1994 and 1995) and Roger Federer (2005
and 2006) are the only players to have won the Qatar
Open twice. Last year’s winner was Britain’s Andy Murray
who beat Andy Roddick of America in straight sets in
the final.
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 17

CULTURE OF
EXCELLENCE
This season’s Schools Olympic
Day programme will focus on
the link between culture and
sport, one of the key principles
of the Olympic Movement.
The Opening Ceremony at
the 15th Asian Games Doha
2006 highlighted the rich
artistic and scientific legacy
of Middle Eastern culture.
‘Sport and Culture’ will be the theme behind the third
Schools Olympic Day programme, which gets underway
for thousands of Qatari school children this November.
Following the successful promotion of ‘Sport for
Health’ and ‘Sport and the Environment’ in the previous
two editions, the cultural theme was an inspired choice by
the organisers, highlighting as it does, the key role played
by culture in the modern Olympic movement.
Page one of the IOC’s Olympic Charter states that
“blending sport with culture and education” is a
fundamental principle of Olympism. It’s a philosophy,
moreover, that has its roots in the Games of ancient Greece
more than 2,000 years ago.
The original Olympians not only competed in athletics,
but in literary and musical competitions, and this link
between sport and culture was nurtured by the founder of
the modern Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de
Coubertin, who defined Olympism as the “simultaneous
training of the human body and the cultivation of the
intellect and spirit”.
De Coubertin’s dream was to create an environment
where artists and athletes could again be mutually inspired
and today the Olympic movement can look back on nearly
a century of cultural achievement.
The first Olympic Games to run artistic and sporting
competitions in parallel was the 1912 Games in Stockholm,
Sweden but it wasn’t until Melbourne 1956 that the
organisers staged the first official Olympic Arts Festival.
More than three decades later, Barcelona introduced
the first four-year programme in the form of a ‘Cultural
Olympiad’ before the 1992 Games. The Cultural Olympiad
model has now become the norm with organisers typically
designing four thematic festivals - one for each year in the
quadrennial Olympic cycle.
One of the most memorable was Sydney’s Cultural
Olympiad, which started with a celebration of indigenous
aboriginal art in its first year and finished with a 75-day
event focused around the iconic Sydney Harbour and
Opera House.
For Qatar, the cultural theme at this year’s Schools
Olympic Day programme will inevitably be more modest
in scale, but it will still strive to develop the link between
sport and culture in all its forms, and encourage cultural
exchange and diversity.
“Introducing kids to sport is not the only goal of the
Schools Olympic Day programme,” Khaleel Al Jabir,
Director of of the QOC’s Sports Affairs Department told
Qatar Sport.
“What makes this programme unique in global terms is
that it goes beyond sport into culture and education.
“Last year’s environmental theme, for example, was a
tremendous success and this year, we will ensure that it’s
not just the physical development of the students we
address, but their awareness and understanding of culture
and diversity.”
Al Jabir adds, “The Olympic movement regards culture
as the second dimension of Olympism, alongside sport,
and we fully support its philosophy of life, balancing the
qualities of body, will and mind.”
This year’s programme should see some 10,000 students
from more than 100 schools, both public and private,
participate in Schools Olympic Day, which is run jointly
by the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Ministry
of Education.
18 QatarSport ISSUE 7

o o o o o o o o o
SCHOOLS
OLYMPIC DAY
CULTURE AND THE OLYMPIC
MOVEMENT: SNAPSHOTS
FROM the CULTURAL OLYMPIcS
Clockwise from top left:
Cultural scenes relating to the
Olympic Games in Athens,
London, Sydney and Beijing.
Atlanta 1996
The Atlanta 1996 Cultural Olympiad developed its
programme around three key themes: Southern [USA]
arts, international arts and young people and the arts. The
programme culminated with the Olympic Arts Festival,
which took place throughout the Games and featured
“Rings: Five Passions in World Art,” the first global art
exhibition ever planned in conjunction with the Games.
Sydney 2000
In showcasing the development of modern Australia, the
Sydney Organising Committee also presented Sydney
2000 as “an opportunity to show the world the rich culture
of Australia’s indigenous people”. The first year of the
Cultural Olympiad included a festival dedicated to
aboriginal culture and the indigenous culture also featured
strongly in the Sydney Olympic Torch Relay (see
photograph) and the Opening Ceremony.
Athens 2004
Between 2001 and 2004, the Cultural Olympiad for the
Athens Olympic Games organised events based on the
underlying theme of a ‘Culture of Civilizations’ - a quest
for peace, social cohesion and dialogue through the
exploration of culture. In this context, the culture of
ancient Greece was highlighted with a particular focus on
the ancient Games, as illustrated by the lighting of the
Olympic Flame at the ancient Olympia site.
Beijing 2008
The Olympic Cultural Festival for the Beijing Olympic
Games was held once a year from 2005-2008 and
combined sports and cultural activities such as mass sports
events and cultural performances to spread the Olympic
spirit and culture, while introducing the unique
characteristics of Beijing and China to the world. In the
photograph (bottom right), the work of a Chinese sculptor
is showcased at the Olympic Sculptures Exhibition in
Beijing in 2006.
London 2012
The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad aims to give
communities throughout the UK the opportunity to
participate. The programme began in September 2008
with an Open Weekend featuring more than 650 arts and
music events, including the stand-out event of the
weekend, a performance art piece where former Olympians
joined with contemporary athletes to run in 30-second
relays through the distinguished halls of Tate Britain, one
of London’s leading public art galleries.
ISSUE 7 QatarSport 19

o o o o o o o o o
sport
in qatar
Four-time Olympic shooter and international
rally star, Nasser Al-Attiyah, is an authentic
Qatari sporting hero with global appeal.
Above: Nasser at the
wheel of his Red Bull
Volkswagen Touareg
rally car.
Qatar has yet to produce an Olympic gold medallist
or world championship winning team, but in Nasser
Al-Attiyah, they have a sporting hero like no other.
A champion in two sports, rallying and shooting,
his extraordinary career path reflects the upward
trajectory of Qatari sport over the last 20 years.
From local champion to multiple Olympian and
international rallying star, he carried the Qatar team
flag at the Beijing Olympic Games Opening
Ceremony and now has his eyes firmly set on medal
triumph at the London 2012 Olympic Games and
the winner’s laurels at the world renowned
Dakar Rally.
His switchback career began in 1990 when, aged
just 20, he won the first of four Qatar National Rally
Championships, between 1990 and 1995. But the
story of Nasser Al-Attiyah the skeet shooter has its
origins even earlier on hunting trips with his father
in the formative years of Qatar’s sporting
development.
“Having learnt to shoot with my father, I heard
a shooting range was being built by the new shooting
federation that was setting up in Qatar,” Al-Attiyah
explains. “I decided to go with a friend and after
entering a small competition, a coach who was
working with the federation came up to me and said
he might give me a chance.
“I laughed and said ‘Maybe’, but he said he’d
seen something in me…so I went into training and
after six months I was entered into a competition in
Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1995.
“I travelled with the Qatar team and thought it
would be a holiday. Instead I found that I had got
second place in the Asian Championships and the
coach was jumping up and down because it meant
we’d qualified for the Olympic Games! Out of 5,000
shooters in the world, there are only 36 places – and
I’d got the last licence for Atlanta.”
From that moment onwards, Nasser experienced
the kind of commitment and support from Qatar’s
ISSUE 7 QatarSport 21

sporting authorities that would become a feature of his
double career.
“I am proud to represent my country and of the
government and the Emir’s support for all sports because
they have given everyone a chance to do well. Before the
Olympics in Atlanta, I had six months training in Austria
and one month training in Atlanta and I really began to
understand what the Olympics was all about.”
After the 1996 Atlanta Games, he made a choice
between his two sporting passions. “At the time, motorsport
in the Middle East was not strong enough, so I decided to
stick to shooting and really push myself and travel
everywhere for training and competitions. Every year I
improved. At the Sydney Olympic Games [in 2000] I got
sixth place and in Athens [2004] I was fourth. It was an
incredible experience.”
Before the Athens Games, however, his sporting career
took another dramatic and unexpected twist. “Suddenly in
2003, the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation said
we need someone who can win the Qatar International
Rally, which had not been won by a Qatari since 1993,”
says Al-Attiyah.
“I said I will try but I will need many things, including
the approval of the shooting federation and the full
[technical] support of Qatar’s motorsports federation. So
we went to England to talk to David Richard at Prodrive
and he said he had a car, a Subaru, which had been driven
that year by Tommi Makkinen. We took this car back to
Qatar and won the race!”
With the Qatar International Rally under his belt, the
federation encouraged him to stay behind the wheel for
the entire FIA Middle East Championship series. “I was so
busy preparing for the Olympic Games in Athens, but it
was a strange feeling. I said I wanted to stop rallying, but I
also wanted to do motorsports! In the end, I won three
more races and we won the Middle East Championship.”
In Athens, Al-Attiyah’s good form continued. He
scored a brilliant 25 out of 25 in the second round of the
skeet competition to reach a shoot-off for third place,
where a miss on his third shot denied him the bronze
medal. Does he blame his rally-driving commitments for
this marginal error? Not one bit. On the contrary, he says,
“Rally driving has helped me a lot with my shooting. It’s
all about concentration and confidence. In rallying, if you
make a mistake you will have a crash, but if you don’t you
will get good times. In shooting, if there are no misses you
will get good results. One helps the other. Sometimes I’d
get bored of the shooting and rallying would be a real
pleasure and vice versa.”
Perhaps the only exception to this rule was at the 2008
Beijing Olympics where he admits that his preparations
were far from perfect - the result of an intense competition
schedule in rallying which coincided with a period of
stunning success.
In a flurry of Grand Prix wins, Al-Attiyah won the
2006 FIA Production Car World Rally Championship
(PWRC) at only his third attempt and then, in 2008, he
entered the history books as the first driver ever to win a
22 QatarSport ISSUE 7

Opposite page: Nasser
prepares to shoot during the
2007 ISSF World Shooting
Championship. This page:
Nasser carries the Qatar flag
at the Opening Ceremony to
the Beijing Olympics.
o o o o o o o o o
star
in qatar
“EVERYONE OF US HAS A
DREAM AND YOU HAVE
TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
TO REALISE YOUR DREAM
BECAUSE NOTHING
IS IMPOSSIBLE.”
hat-trick of FIA Championships in the same year. He
followed his victories in the FIA Cup for Cross Country
Baja, and the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies
with a new title in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship
2008 (MERC) .
His international success, he says, has not only brought
satisfaction for himself but important sporting recognition
for the country he represents. “Qatar is a very small
country but winning sends out a message that we have
good sports people, good support and we are trying to
improve,” he says.
“Sport can change a country and how people perceive
it: when you win, the flag of Qatar goes up and it helps to
make the country more famous. When I first competed in
Argentina in 1994, for example, they didn’t know about
Qatar; now they follow what I do and search the internet
to find out more about Qatar’s history.”
More broadly, he is proud of his country’s event-hosting
achievements and ambitions over recent years. “We were
the first country in the Middle East to put on the Asian
Games in 2006 and afterward I was really happy we tried
for the Olympic Games. It didn’t work out, but I think we
will try again.
“As for the 2022 FIFA World Cup bid, I spoke to
Sheikh Mohammed, who is leading the bid and offered to
put advertising on my car for the event, which I will start
to do from next year. I will be an ambassador for the bid
and do all I can to support it.”
Al-Attiyah clearly appreciates the backing he has
received from the Qatari leadership, which has been a
constant source of inspiration throughout his career.
“I decided early on in my career that I must do
something for my country. The government, the Emir and
Sheikh Tamim have always been very supportive in terms
of resources but also on a personal level. Sheikh Tamim
said to me, ‘Nasser. we will win the Middle East
Championships’, then ‘We will win the Production Car
Championships’ and now the Dakar Rally.”
In fact, as the official driver for the Volkswagen Red
Bull team, Al-Attiyah believes he has “a real chance” to
fulfil this ambition before going on to win a medal at
London 2012.
“It was a great moment to carry the flag at the Opening
Ceremony [in Beijing] and I had so many friends
supporting me but I also knew I was not really ready for
the competition. Now I am 100 per cent geared to the
next Olympics. I cannot drop rallying, it helps me to
produce a lot of good performances in the shooting, but
what I will do is reduce my schedule from 22 to six races
[just the PRWC] in 2011.”
If he succeeds, Al-Attiyah’s place in the hearts of Qatari
sports fans will be secure. “People here need local heroes. I
remember that the shooting federation used to have just
10 shooters, now there are 80, including women. I also see
it in the schools where the children want to be like Nasser.
Everyone of us has a dream and you have to believe in
yourself to realise your dream because nothing
is impossible.”
ISSUE 7 QatarSport 23

FROM DOHA
TO THE WORLD
The QOC-based
Global Sport Fund
is breaking new
ground with sports
camps in three
continents.
The Global Sport Fund (GSF), the unique partnership
between the QOC and the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime, will roll out its third youth camp in this
calendar year when it takes its youth-in-sport message to
Banten, Indonesia in November.
The camp will be the culmination of the most successful
year yet for the global initiative, which uses sport to teach
young people about healthy life skills.
In February, the GSF hosted 180 students and coaches
from 17 different countries in Cairo, Egypt, and, in July,
around 150 participants from 14 countries spent six days
at the Olympic Training Centre in Spala, Poland.
The camp in the West-Javan province of Banten will
conclude the year’s activities as the GSF reaches out to 11-
13 year-olds from the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations.
It’s a fast expanding programme and according to GSF
Project Coordinator, Carl Marsh, the campaign is
continuing on a steep learning curve. “In Cairo earlier this
year, we were challenged not only by the sheer size of the
gathering, but the complexity of training in two distinct
disciplines - football and volleyball – with participants
coming from many language groups.
“You also had to consider in the fact that not only are
the youngsters learning, but the coaches are learning the
technique of using sport as a teaching tool.
“Cairo showed us once more that when the activities
promote fun and learning, rather than winning and
competition, everyone benefits from an experience that is
both innovative and do-able.”
The Cairo model, says Marsh, was ‘refined and expanded’
for Spala, Poland. “We focused, for example, on getting
more girls to participate in the youth camp. We also
simplified the message to promote after-school sporting
activities in the schools themselves using the GSF model.
“We want to encourage more after-school sporting
activities, using school facilities as well as private facilities,
so that children do more productive things in what you
might call their idle hours,” says Marsh.
Significantly, it’s an aim that chimes with the
programmes currently advanced by the Polish government,
which is laying down some 3,000 sporting areas across the
country, featuring artificial turf football pitches (30m x
62m) and multifunctional basketball and volleyball courts,
for children and parents to practice on at the end of the
school day.
Turning to the role of coaches in Poland, Marsh adds,
“The distinction in terms of what we do from that of many
other sporting bodies is that we pay serious attention to
making the sports coach into a teacher.
“We show coaches how they can present discussions
about teamwork, fair play, and character-building to these
kids and then test the learning in practice by playing
matches. Many organisations use sport for sport itself with
an emphasis on winning and getting the prizes. If winning
is the only thing, however, then this approach can lead to
behaviours that do not bring out the best in youth.”
The Spala project came about as a result of the visit to
the QOC by the Polish Minister of Sport and Tourism,
Mirosław Drzewiecki; and the encouraging trend for
24 QatarSport ISSUE 7

o o o o o o o o o
GLOBAL
SPORT FUND
“WE SHOW COACHES HOW THEY
CAN PRESENT DISCUSSIONS
ABOUT TEAMWORK, FAIR PLAY,
AND CHaracter-BUILDING.”
Marsh is that the joint QOC and UNODC initiative is
getting positive feedback and developing cooperative
relationships with governments, sporting organisations
and leading figures in sport from around the world.
When Olympic sprint legend Carl Lewis visited the
QOC building earlier this year, he communicated sport’s
role as a confidence builder for disabled students. A
subsequent visit by the former National Football League
(NFL) Commissioner, Paul Tagliabue, saw another
meeting of minds on youth development.
“When high-profile sports personalities come to the
QOC building they also include a stop to see the GSF
operations on the 15th floor,” says Marsh. “It’s an
opportunity to show the sports world what we do and to
explore common approaches, which could lead to
collaboration and possible joint efforts.
“Sports personalities are natural allies. The former NFL
Commissioner is still very connected to that world and
recognises that the foundation for any professional athlete
begins in amateur sport. Social skills development is part
of the preparatory work needed for the professional world
- and perhaps if professionals better understood the
principles of fair play and were educated about the harm
caused by drug abuse and doping, it would make for
better sport.”
It should be added that the initiative has had another
beneficial side effect: putting the QOC at the forefront of
leading-edge thinking on sport and social change worldwide.
“Qatar became our partner when we needed one to combat
worrying trends of youngsters ending up in prison systems
and drug treatment facilities,” Marsh explains.
“We are looking at a preventative approach as the best
way to find solutions and Qatar is of the same mind. The
GSF gets significant logistical support for the programme
from Qatar. This capacity is evident when it comes to
arranging the support needed for youth camps.
“The involvement also gives Qatari youngsters a chance
to participate in all GSF youth camps, gain experience and
share ideas and work to become the future sports leaders
in Qatar.”
For now, however, the QOC’s existing leadership is
doing all that it can to make the project work and grow as
an international movement. “The QOC is a National
Olympic Committee with a very international outlook,”
says Marsh. “We see it providing other countries such as
Palestine, Eritrea and Tunisia among others, with help to
develop human talent and sports assets. Sport is a way to
reach out to the world.
“In many ways, Sheikh Saoud is a torch-bearer for the
Global Sport Fund. For him it is a unique programme. It
is the only one, as far as we know, to involve a National
Olympic Committee as a partner with a UN programme
and like the Schools Olympic Day, it is very close to
his heart.
“He once told me that whenever he meets The Heir
Apparent Sheikh Tamim, the President of the QOC, the
Schools Olympic Day and the Global Sport Fund are
always discussed. Given this attention, it is even more
important that we seize this opportunity to reach out and
make sport a regular and positive part of children’s lives.”
Scenes from the Global
Sport Fund Camp held this
summer in Spala, Poland..
For more information
on the Global Sport
Fund please go to:
http://www.
globalsportfund.com
ISSUE 7 QatarSport 25

DRESSED
TO IMPRESS
Qatari football has become a key marketing platform
for Burrda, the Swiss-owned sportswear brand.
In the Middle Eastern sportswear industry, it’s tough to
hold your own against massive market-leaders like Nike
and Adidas. And then there’s the challenge from Chinese
brands such as Li Ning and Anta.
But one company doing a good job is Switzerlandbased
Pilatus Sports Management, which has emerged as a
key player in the Gulf thanks to the roll-out of its flagship
Burrda brand. In recent times, Pilatus has secured
partnerships with the Qatar Football Association and six
Qatar Stars League clubs as well as the Kuwait Football
Association. As a result, Burrda has quickly established
itself as one of the best-known sports brands in the region.
In the case of the QFA deal, Burrda now provides kit to
the Qatar national football team, a relationship which has
significantly increased its exposure.
Just as importantly, it has also gained access to the
Qatar Stars League (QSL), the elite division, which
launched at the start of 2008/09 and has expanded from
10 to 12 clubs for the 2009/10 campaign.
For Burrda, the decision to launch in the Gulf makes
sense for a number of reasons. Firstly, because Europe and
the US are dominated by big brands, it’s harder for startups
like Burrda to get a look in. Secondly, the Gulf is a
fast-growing sports market with a reputation for being
innovative and leading edge, which suits ambitious
new brands.
As the company said, in support of its deal with the
Qatar Football Association, “Qatar has the vision to
promote traditional sports and to introduce modern events
on a worldwide stage. Sporting facilities are among the
finest in the world and fans have a passion equal to other
world-famous sporting hubs around the globe. This makes
Qatar a perfect launch pad for us.”
But there is third reason why outfitting Qatar’s best
26 QatarSport ISSUE 7

Burrda’s kit for the Qatar national team
during this year’s World Cup qualifiers
featured an all-white away strip and a classic
maroon uniform worn by the Qatari squad for
home matches.
o o o o o o o o o
Partners
in sport
makes business sense for the Burrda brand: the sportswear
has been specially designed to help maximise performance
in hot and humid conditions. With this in mind, where
better to stress-test this proposition than the sun-drenched
shores of the Gulf?
According to Pilatus, the key difference between its
own sportswear products and those of its major rivals is
that they have developed “lighter materials than the heavy
cottons that are often used in the field of elite sport”.
At the same time, the Pilatus team has introduced a new
fabric construction, which helps regulate the athlete’s
temperature. Overall, this means Burrda clothing can help
athletes endure the rigours of the Middle Eastern climate.
The Burrda brand proposition, however, is not just built
on the notion that it aids elite performance, but also that it
looks stylish and is very comfortable to wear. While the link
with the Qatar national team is the ultimate in terms of
prestige, Burrda’s involvement in Qatar’s new-look soccer
league has been a coup for Pilatus.
As the QSL’s apparel partner, Pilatus is responsible for
providing QSL management with official uniforms and
licensed merchandise, while being official kit supplier for
six QSL teams, including the current champions
Al Gharafa. Last season, the Swiss international Hakan
Yakin acted as a brand ambassador for Burrda during his
one-year stint with Al Gharafa and this season, Juninho,
the Brazilian midfielder who made his name with
Olympique Lyonnais in France, will become the latest
high-profile international player to wear the brand in Al
Gharafa’s colours.
Burrda, it should be added, is also official apparel
merchandise partner for nine QSL clubs, which allows it
to provide items like kits, caps, t-shirts, scarves and other
accessories to Qatar’s leading clubs.
Being given the opportunity to update the kits and provide
merchandising apparel is a fantastic way for Burrda to
become part of a widely-reported story, according to
Pilatus sales and marketing manager, Joe Thorburn.
As Thorburn points out, part of the appeal of the QSL
deal is that Burrda can be seen in-stadium at match-time.
And by linking up with clubs, rather than just the league
itself, the brand is able to make an emotional connection
with fans via some of the most popular club teams in
Middle Eastern football.
Drilling down even further, Burrda has started signing
up individual stars as brand ambassadors, including Qatari
national team star Bilal Abdelrahman who now plays for
Al Kharaitiyat. The fact that both Qatari and Kuwaiti
professional football have jumped on board the Burrda
bandwagon is seen as a resounding endorsement of the
brand’s claims - and a point of great pride for Pilatus.
It should also trigger the rollout of licensed products
and merchandise in the region, an ambition that has been
bolstered by a further deal to supply QSL ball-boys with
their match kits at all QSL matches, adding to Burdda’s
presence on match-day.
Pilatus started by targeting elite football with the
Burrda brand because football is so high profile and lends
itself well to a merchandising strategy. However going
forward the company’s goal is to expand the range of its
activities across a number of major sports.
Alongside its work with Qatari soccer, for example,
Burrda also supplied the apparel for Qatar’s Olympic Team
and officials during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In
particular, it has identified sports such as golf, basketball
and running as potential areas for growth.
Burrda hasn’t just sat back and waited for the
sponsorship to have an impact either. It has been running
ad campaigns which illustrate Burrda’s USP: the ability to
stay cool in hot and competitive conditions. Using the
strapline ‘Wear The Cool’, a number of Arabic and
English-language poster designs have been rolled out
across Qatar. In them, athletes from different sports are
seen competing inside a giant ice cube - set against a desert
backdrop!
Clearly, Burrda has made a good start on the road to
being regarded as a major player - and respected partner -
in this competitive sector.
While Qatar may not be big in population terms,
Burrda - like many other players in the sports marketing
sector - clearly believes it is a country which punches above
its weight. As the 2006 Asian Games in Doha showed, the
sporting world takes notice of what is happening in Qatar
and the QSL already looks like one of the best football
leagues in Asia. Pilatus will hope that its new Qatari
connections will boost the company’s own ambitions in
the region...and further afield. With Asian football’s
showcase event, the Asian Cup, coming to Qatar in 2011,
the Burrda brand will never have a better chance to make
its mark across the wider Asian market.
ISSUE 7 QatarSport 27

Arab Cycling Championship
Sony Ericsson Championship
Global Champions Tour
IAAF Golden League: Memorial Van Damme Brussels, Belgium 04/09/2009
IAAF Grand Prix rieti, Italy 06/09/2009
FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix Monza, Italy 13/09/2009
The Walker Cup (golf) Pennsylvania, USA 12/09/2009
Tour of Britain (cycling) Great Britain 12/09/2009
FIA Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Singapore 25/09/2009
Technical Gymnastics International Tournament aspire 28/09/2009
FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix Fiji Speedway, Japan 04/10/2009
China Open (tennis) Beijing, China 03/10/2009
Presidents Cup (golf) California, USA 06/10/2009
World Gymnastics Championships London, England 12/10/2009
FIA Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix Sao Paulo, Brazil 18/10/2009
Arab Cycling Championship Qatar 23/10/2009
Sony Ericsson Doha 2009 Tournament Khalifa Tennis Complex 26/10/2009
Track Cycling World Cup Classic Manchester , England 30/10/2009
FIA Formula 1 United Arab Emirates Grand Prix abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 01/11/2009
New York Marathon new York, USA 01/11/2009
Global Tour International Equestrian Tournament Equestrian Federation Facilities 11/11/2009
Asian Adults Fencing Championship aspire 13/11/2009
Doha 4th. International Handball Championship al Gharafa Sports Club 17/11/2009
Qatar 2009 Classic Squash Championship Khalifa Tennis Complex 17/11/2009
The Dubai World Championship (golf) dubai, United Arab Emirates 19/11/2009
ATP Barclays World Tour Finals (tennis) London, England 22/11/2009
Qatar Golden Cup Championship Weightlifting & Body Building Sheraton Hotel 29/11/2009
Events diary - International and Qatar
ISSUE 7 QatarSport 29

GettiNG
StARteD
THE ASPIRE ACTIVE PROGRAMME IS HELPING QATARIS TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP
TOWARDS AN ACHIEVABLE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.
Around the world, Qatar’s ASPIRE Academy has become
synonymous with sporting excellence. But, closer to home, it
is just as well-known for its commitment to health and fitness
exercise in the community. Under the ASPIRE ACTIVE
banner, the Academy has created a series of fitness and health
exercise programmes to cater for every strata of society.
Regardless of age, status or gender, the goal is to create a
society which understands the importance of leading a
healthy, active lifestyle - and what it requires to achieve this.
This commitment is more important than ever right now,
says Maryam Mohamed Bakheet, Programme Assistant for
the Special Active programme at ASPIRE ACTIVE. “The
pressures of modern living are the same in Qatar as in the US
and Europe. Lack of movement, easy availability of fast foods
and our increasing pace of life means there is less time for
important matters such as exercise, eating correctly and taking
care of your body and your family’s health.”
ASPIRE ACTIVE has been set up to combat this problem
by helping people to help themselves. The indications are that
this is beginning to deliver results. “We have had thousands of
people coming to our classes - from mothers with babies right
through to the older generation,” says ASPIRE ACTIVE’s
Project Coordinator Dr Leonieke Richardson. “Our state-ofthe-art
facilities, exercise and fitness training expertise have
started to have a real impact on people’s lives.” ASPIRE’s
sporting and exercise facilities are now world-famous. Less
well-known perhaps is the quality of its sports science-certified
exercise and fitness training staff, who have been selected both
from within Qatar and internationally.
For instructors like Maryam, ASPIRE ACTIVE is more
than just a job, it’s part of a great nation-building exercise.
“My purpose here is to serve Qatar as a role model,” she
explains. “Our instructors are here to educate and inform
people about how to take the first step towards leading an
achievable healthy lifestyle.”
This isn’t just about turning up at ASPIRE and working
out in the gym or group fitness exercise class. For many people
who have not participated in physical activity for a long time,
there is a psychological barrier to starting again.
“I think one of ASPIRE ACTIVE’s greatest strengths is
its sensitivity to the needs of different groups,” explains Nayla
Saad Massoud, a Children’s Course instructor at AA. “To get
people participating, activities must be structured and
designed so as to grab the interest of specific local target
audiences. Importantly, we offer classes in separate locations
for men and women.
30 QatarSport ISSUE 7

Opposite page: Mothers
and their children
participate in “Mothers
Day” part of the ASPIRE
ACTIVE programme
to encourage health and
fitness among Qatari
people of all ages.
o o o o o o o o o
Health &
Society
“Our classes are carefully structured so that there is a wide
variety available - catering for beginners, those who haven’t
exercised for a long time and those who have never participated
in formal exercise classes. We also offer introductory
movement classes for children aged five and under and
mother-child classes.
“We offer dance, fitness swimming and general fitness
classes for teenagers and for children in grades 1 through 9
who want to learn sports, we send them to the ASPIRE
Academy Sport Skill Development Centre which has the
same programme and instructor quality but focuses on
teaching sports skills.”
The point about separate female facilities is crucial in
Qatar, says Nayla. “At AA, we respect cultures, values and
traditions. So, for example, our ladies and their families know
they can safely participate in an all-ladies environment.
Making all your clients feel comfortable and safe in your
location is the key to keeping them.” Dr Richardson expands
on this point. “We don’t just import fitness programmes from
other countries. We design programmes that have cultural
appeal. For us, the issue is how to balance the traditional
culture within Qatar with the needs of a modern society.”
Great facilities, instructor expertise and excellent exercise
programmes are all important, but they are only part of what
it takes to get a country’s population on the move. “ASPIRE’s
communications team works hard to market the full range of
services available at the Academy,” says Dr Richardson.
“AA focuses strongly on hosting schools, kindergartens
and clubs at the ASPIRE Dome for fun educational activity
sessions. We also visit with local organisations and liaise
closely with key partners when it comes to spreading the
message about exercise and healthy lifestyle.
“We also make sure that we have a presence at major events
so that people can talk to us about what we have to offer.
People often call us the ‘Blue Brigade’ because of the blue
ASPIRE activewear uniform we wear to make our presence
more visible.”
ASPIRE ACTIVE’s own regular fitness exercise challenge
events are popular and varied. In addition to a wide range of
exercise and recreational activities, there is an aquatic fitness
and exercise programme, which has generated a very good
response among men, women and children in its first year.
Underlining AA’s social inclusiveness message, the core
aim of the programme is to improve day-to-day fitness levels
- not produce Olympic athletes, explained Swimming
Programme Leader, Csilla Winteroube, in a recent media
interview. “It enables the participants to achieve fitness and
shed body weight through its various training methods,” she
adds. As with ASPIRE ACTIVE’s other programmes, it has
worked wonders for women, says Winteroube. “More and
more women are coming forward. Arabic women find it ideal
to train in the closed aquatic centre at the Ladies Club.”
Another aspect that the ASPIRE Active team focuses on
is winning over members within extended Qatari families.
Experience shows that support from family members is very
valuable because they can spread the health message to close
relatives. This ‘hearts and minds’ strategy is not just valuable
in terms of encouraging exercise but also in changing diet,
says Hala Daher, LifeStyle Instructor and Nutritionist at
ASPIRE ACTIVE. “Diet and exercise walk hand in hand
when it comes to maintaining your health. So talking to
family members means we can influence the food they
prepare at big social gatherings. Qatari social life is based a
lot around such gatherings so it is a good way for us to spread
the health message.”
Once again, there is need for a balance, says Hala. “We
do need to change some of the bad eating habits in the
Gulfto combat health problems connected to obesity, but
our special nutrition and lifestyle sessions are not about
putting people on a starvation diet. They are about educating
people to understand what is at stake. Our programmes
must be enjoyable and realistic if they are to work.”
ASPIRE ACTIVE’s ambitions are also helped by the
fact that the commitment to national health is high on the
political agenda. “The Qatar government takes the nation’s
health and well-being very seriously,” says Maryam. Nayla
agrees. “Look at its investment in ASPIRE. The Academy is
a shining example of how a healthy and active lifestyle can
be encouraged across all sectors of the community.” In a
similar vein, Doha’s decision to host the Asian Games in
2006 has had a knock-on effect across the wider community.
“I think it has encouraged people to try and lead a healthier
lifestyle,” says Dr Richardson. “It has also encouraged people
to consider physical education as a career. We were talking
to one young ASPIRE ACTIVE female staff member
recently who was inspired to study physical education work
at ASPIRE as a result of the Games. That’s the kind of story
that makes us very happy!”
Panel: ASPIRE ACTIVE’s Core Goals:
Through ASPIRE ACTIVE, the ASPIRE Academy has
educated the community about the importance of
regular physical activity and its relationship to
prevention of chronic diseases related to sedentary
lifestyles. To further advance this effort, Aspire Active
has drawn up the following goals:
• Spread a culture and understanding of the value
and importance of leading a healthy lifestyle
• Build trust and enjoyment through exercise
and recreational physical activity
• Develop participants’ capabilities and technique
• Strengthen muscles and build endurance
Improve fitness through a strong heart and lungs
•
For further information on ASPIRE ACTIVE exercise
and fitness programs for children, teenagers and adults,
call 413 6219 - 413 6245 - 413 6489 - 413 6472
For information on ASPIRE Sport Skill Development
Centers for children in grades 1 through 9, call 413 6570
• Erase back pain and imbalances in muscles/joints ISSUE 7 QatarSport 31

www.doha2010wic.com
Challenging the limits
The only
barrier...
Myself
The 13th IAAF World Indoor Championships, Doha 2010
Aspire Dome 12 - 14 March
See the greatest athletes of our time challenge the limits of human ambition and their
own limits of personal achievement.
Witness the enthralling, exhilarating and explosive drama unfold.
World class athletes. World class event. World class venue.

WORLD SPORTS
RANKINGS
THE BEST OF THE BEST IN SPORT… AT A GLANCE
Brazil claimed the
FIFA number one
spot after winning
the Confederations
Cup; Roger Federer
and Dinara Safina
are back on top of the
men’s and women’s
tennis rankings.
World Football - at 01/07/09
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
85
86
86
88
89
Brazil
Spain
Netherlands
Italy
Germany
Russia
England
Argentina
France
Croatia
Greece
USA
Switzerland
Serbia
Denmark
--
Cuba
Qatar
Peru
Grenada
Congo
1672
1590
1379
1229
1207
1161
1135
1091
1082
1031
1001
983
930
925
909
383
380
380
379
378
World Basketball - at 12/07/09
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
26
27
28
29
30
Argentina
USA
Spain
Greece
Serbia
Lithuania
Germany
Italy
China
Australia
--
Korea
Qatar
Uruguay
Mexico
Panama
881.0
868.2
739.0
509.0
469.0
381.0
329.0
308.0
257.7
234.0
49.5
39.8
36.0
35.2
34.6
Men’s Tennis - at 06/07/09
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Roger Federer (SUI)
Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Andy Murray (GBR)
Novk Djokovic (SRB)
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
Andy Roddick (USA)
Giles Simon (FRA)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)
11,220
11,220
10,735
9,450
8,150
5,705
5,440
4,000
3,600
3,500
3,185
World Golf - at 02/07/09
Women’s Tennis - at 06/07/09
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Tiger Woods (USA)
Phil Mickelson (USA)
Paul Casey (ENG)
Kenny Perry (USA)
Sergio Garcia (ESP)
Henrik Stenson (SWE)
Geoff Ogilvy (AUS)
Steve Stricker (USA)
Jim Furyk (USA)
Vijay Singh (FJI)
10.28
8.44
6.91
6.42
6.19
5.96
5.93
5.34
4.98
4.92
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Dinara Safina (RUS)
Serena Williams (USA)
Venus Williams (USA)
Elena Dementieva (RUS)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
Carolina Wozniacki (DEN)
Nadia Petrova (RUS)
10,521
8,758
6,617
6,591
6,071
5,980
5,400
5,066
4,780
3,300
ISSUE 7 QATARSPORT 33

QAtAr is getting it
right – top-leVel
support, A coherent
nAtionAl strAtegy,
recognising the
Multiple roles
thAt sport fulfils.
34 QatarSport ISSUE 7

Asia will the be the greatest influence on
sport in this century with the Middle East
taking a leading role, says sports analyst,
Professor Simon Chadwick.
Professor Simon Chadwick is a founder and director
of CIBS - the Centre for the International Business of
Sport at Coventry University in the UK. He has worked
as a consultant on a number of sports projects, including
those related to the economic and commercial impact of
sporting mega-events and the international development
of sports markets. In recent months Professor Chadwick
has become well-known for his work with Mastercard on a
series of reports examining the economic and commercial
impact of the UEFA European Championships and the
UEFA Champions League. Below, he casts his expert eye
over the Middle East and the dynamic role played by sport
in the region and, in particular, Qatar.
How has the role of the Middle East in world sport
changed in recent years?
Over the course of the last decade, the Middle East has
really begun to emerge as an important constituent of the
world sporting landscape. I think there are a number of
elements to this. Firstly, the Middle East has become a
major source of finance that is helping to sustain and build
sport, both regionally and globally. Secondly, the Middle
East has emerged as a location for sport and as an event
destination, attracting governing bodies and administrative
organisations to the region, as well as major sporting
events. Thirdly, the value of Middle East sporting markets
is being recognised across the world, with countries in the
region becoming important target markets,. Fourthly, the
political influence of countries, and of specific individuals,
is becoming much more obvious.
The final elements in the region’s sporting profile, and
something I know countries are working towards, is a
successful bid to host one of the world’s leading sporting
mega-events, and to deliver a succession of top-level
athletes and teams that are able to consistently compete
and succeed at the highest levels of world sport.
Overall, I think the next century is a very important
one for the Middle East. In the 19th century, the European
socio-cultural model of sport was globally predominant.
In the 20th century, a North American model of
sport replaced this as the more influential global force.
In my view, the predominant sporting model in the 21st
century will be Asian. This model will be different to
what has gone before in the way that it links not only
to sporting goals, but also much more closely to overall
national government strategy.
Why is it important that the Middle East (and in
particular Qatar) plays a full role in world sport?
For the sake of strong global sport and to ensure fairness,
equality and democracy too, it is vital that states from
across the Middle East are playing a full and active role
in the promotion of world sport. It is important too
that global sport embraces as many countries, and their
different perspectives, as possible.
My view is that different models of organisation and
management in sport need to be employed and that the
Middle East has an important role to play as we learn
how to ensure that sport continues to fulfil important
economic, social, physical and psychological roles across
the world. Given what I perceive to be a 21st century
global mega-shift eastwards in the world’s sporting power
base, I think the west has to pay much much more
attention to Asian sport and can, indeed, learn a great deal
from the integrated strategic models of sport now being
implemented across the Middle East.
The Asian Games in Qatar were seen as something of a
landmark for sport in the region. What messages did it
send to the world?
Sport is such a wonderful thing and I have a strong
conviction that we are all entitled to share the joys of being
able to stage the world’s leading sporting mega-events. Over
recent decades however, it concerns me that the award and
staging of events has been dominated by a relatively small
number of countries. I don’t think this helps sport: either
its popular appeal or its long-term development.
In my view it is therefore essential that a much broader
range of countries are in a position to successfully bid for
the right to host sporting mega events. This is why the
Asian Games in Qatar was so important for the region.
The Games announced to the world that the Middle
East is an appropriate, a legitimate and a suitably wellresourced
location for such events. The event was thus not
only good in marketing and PR terms, but also in terms of
setting some benchmarks for the standard of delivery that
governing bodies can expect if they were to award megaevents
to the region
Qatar failed in its bid to stage the 2016 Olympic Games
– should they try again and why?
There is no doubt in my mind: I think it is imperative
that Qatar bids again for the Olympic Games. We need as
many countries as possible to be in a position to bid for
such events to create a vibrant global sport environement.
Qatar must try agin - we need them to. We need an
equitable distribution of events across the world, not just a
distribution that favours specific regions. More specifically
in terms of Qatar, I think it would bring an expertise
and a competence, as well as a level of investment, that
would add a significant new dimension to the industrial
architecture of world sport.
Otherwise, I particularly liked the way in which Qatar
had considered how staging the Olympic Games would
contribute to the nation’s broader strategic objectives. In
my view, if sport is not to lose its way, if it is to demonstrate
that it has a clear and tangible role to play in the 21st
century, and if sustainability and legacy are to remain as the
cornerstones of successful sport, then Qatar is appropriately
placed to contribute to this global vision of sport.
the big interview
ISSUE 7 QatarSport 35

“QAtAr would bring An eXpertise And
A coMpetence, As well As A leVel of
inVestMent [to hosting the olyMpic
gAMes], thAt would Add A significAnt
new diMension to the industriAl
Architecture of world sport.”
the big interview
How important are schools programmes to creating an
understanding and culture of sport in a nation?
Essential, as is education at all levels of society - in
colleges, in universities, and throughout one’s life. I think
the connection between sport and lifelong learning is of
paramount importance.
In schools though, there is a particular importance
because sport has a major contribution to make in so
many different ways. In terms of skills and lifelong
learning, sport can contribute to young people learning
how to, for example, work as a team, make decisions, learn
and win, resolve conflict, and so forth. In terms of their
pastoral development, sport helps them, for example, in
their understanding of people and cultures that may be
different to their own; it helps them consider how they
engage with and interact with others, and so one. In terms
of leading a full and healthy life, sport can teach so much
about how to care for one’s body, and indeed one’s mind;
it helps in emphasising a healthy lifestyle, whether this
comes from following a good diet of food, or from using
sport as a way of relieving stress.
I also think that sport can perform what one might call
a technical role, to which there are two aspects. Sport can
be a future career for many children, whether as an athlete,
a coach, a physiotherapist, marketer or an administrator
etc. It can also be a vehicle for delivering the more general
curriculum, providing a foundation for young people to
become more closely engaged in successful learning.
How important are ‘local heroes’ to creating a culture
of sport in a nation?
Such is the pervasiveness of global sport, that I think
heroes in sport generally are needed, especially those
that embrace a set of values and characteristics that
people across the world can identify with and aspire to.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that local heroes are vital
in generating national interest and engagement in sport. If
one looks at some of the great sports people throughout
history, they have such an important role to play. If you
look at someone like the former footballer George Weah,
his contribution to Liberia was immense - he enhanced
national self-esteem, he helped to bring different societal
groups together, and he raised the country’s profile in such
a positive way.
Beyond this, sport clearly plays an important role of
engaging young people in sport, raising participation
levels, and stimulating economic activity. For instance, if
you look at the investment the UK has made in cycling, the
returns are becoming increasingly clear. Britain’s double
Olympic cycling gold medalist Sir Chris Hoy is now an
important ambassador for the power of sport and a role
model to many people. At the same time, following the
country’s performances at the 2008 Olympic Games, the
sales of new cycles reportedly increased by 20 per cent. In
short, local heroes are so important in fostering affiliation,
engagement and activity.
What lessons can the world learn from Qatar’s
investment in sports facilities and infrastructure
and general approach to integrating sport into every
element of special and economic policy?
One of my big concerns for sport across the world is that
historically, sport existed and was played for sports sake.
In no way would I suggest that this should be lost - the
joy of sport is something we should value and promote.
However, at the macro level, sport is increasingly being
scrutinised for the way in which it contributes or helps
to deliver performance outcomes. Hence, continued
investment in sport, in too many cases, is being linked
too much to the returns from, and not enough to the joy
of, sport. A personal philosophy that I adhere to closely is:
‘doing well, while doing good’.
As such, I don’t see sport as simply being, for example, an
entirely commercial activity, an exclusively social activity,
or simply just a joyous way to spend one’s time. Rather,
it is all of these things and more, but what is required of
nations is for them to integrate the multiplicity of roles
that sport fulfils. To do this requires national political
intervention; this doesn’t mean state-run sport; it does
mean that governments have to stimulate the creation of
an environment in which doing well while doing good can
flourish. That is why I think Qatar is getting right - toplevel
support, a coherent national strategy, recognising the
multiple roles that sport fulfils, investing appropriately,
promoting a sporting culture - all are important in working
towards the success of sport in its broadest terms.
What further steps does Qatar have to take to establish
itself as a major player on the world stage?
At this point, my advice would be not to deviate from
its strategy. Patience and perseverance will ultimately yield
the desired outcome. The strategic intent is there, the
investment is there, and the justification for wanting to
do it is there. My main advice would be that Qatar needs
to more actively and effectively reach out to the rest of
the world. Although personally I am aware of the efforts
Qatar is making, I am not sure that other westerners, in
particular, know what is happening in the Middle East.
Indeed, when people here in the UK discuss Asian sport,
they instinctively refer to China, then India and often
don’t consider what is happening in places like Qatar.
As such, I would say that external engagement is vital...
and a more active, strategic and coordinated approach is
probably required.
36 QatarSport ISSUE 7

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