JUSTINE EYES DOHA RETURN - Qatar Olympic Committee

QatarSport
Q1.2008
the official magazine of the qatar olympic committee
GOOD TO
BE BACK!
Justine eyes Doha return

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qatarsport.Q1.08.contents
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04 QOC comment Message from the Secretary General
05 News Course record wins Qatar Masters
12 Sports Medicine Aspetar’s world-class sports hospital
14 Stars in Qatar Justine Henin returns
18 Women in Sport Inspiring the next generation
20 Sport for All Health and fitness for the people
22 School Olympic Day Celebrating children’s sport
24 Facilities Sports clubs with a mission
27 Partners in Sport Qatar Telecom’s sponsorship network
30 Flying the Flag Mohamed Suleiman’s Olympic first
33 Sports Calendar Highlights of the sporting year ahead
34 The Big Interview IAAF President Lamine Diack
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, 2008.
www.olympic.qa
qoc@olympic.qa
Designed and produced for the Qatar Olympic Committee by SportBusiness Group, London.
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Cover photo: Getty Images Sport
Q1.08 QatarSport 3

Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee
Welcome...
...to the first edition of Qatar Sport, the official
magazine of the Qatar Olympic Committee.
The role of sport in Qatar has changed enormously
over the years. Today it is at the very heart of the life
of the country and its people. Along with education
and continued investment in the energy industries, the
development of sports infrastructure and opportunities is
one of the key policy strands introduced by The Emir HH
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, some 10 years ago.
The Qatar Olympic Committee plays the central role in
fulfilling those policies. It has the role of delivering sport
and the opportunity to take part in sport to the people of
Qatar and the world. Its responsibilities range from the
provision of community and grass-roots sports programmes
to constructing and maintaining the facilities which host
sports events at the community and international levels.
Our slogan is Sport for Life and we are driven by our
“Sport is not just for elite athletes, it is not
just for the young and it is not just for those
with money. We believe in Sport for Life.”
belief that sport has the potential to enhance every aspect of
life, both domestically and internationally. Through sport
we aim to improve the lives of the citizens and residents
of Qatar by providing the knowledge, encouragement and
facilities they need to adopt sport as part of a healthier
lifestyle.
Sport is also a way of reaching out to the world and
we are determined that Qatar should become universally
recognised as the sports hub of the Middle East and a
major destination for world-class events in all sports. We
believe that sport promotes friendship, unity and peace
and we are determined that Qatar should play its role in
this process.
One good example was provided by the 15th Asian
Games which we were proud to host in Doha in 2006.
People often ask me what was the best thing about
organising the Games and although there were many, I
always come back to the same answer.
Organising the Games was about learning to work and
deliver as a team and proving ourselves to each other and
the rest of the world. The Games were a test not only
for the Organising Committee itself, but for the whole
country. It seemed that everybody had a role to play and
a responsibility for ensuring that everything was ready –
the venues, the accommodation, transportation, roads,
communication and IT systems. It was a major challenge
and we succeeded. Hosting the Asian Games brought the
country together and helped us move forward. I think the
experience probably advanced the country by 20 years in
a very short space of time. It gave us the impetus to build,
to create and to organise and the lessons we learned, as
individuals and as a nation, will remain with us always.
Now, in the first quarter of 2008, we have fond
memories of the 15th Asian Games but our focus is firmly
on the future.
From now until October 2009 we will stage 52
international events, more or less one every two weeks.
For the first time Qatar will host the highly prestigious
Sony Ericsson Championship – the WTA Tour’s end
of season championship – and the IAAF World Indoor
Championships. These are both Grade A international
events which will be seen by huge audiences around the
world. In addition we will host world class motorcycling,
equestrian events, table tennis, fencing, gymnastics and
much more besides.
Sport has brought much to Qatar. It has helped put the
country on the map, providing a very positive introduction
to Asia and the world in general. Internally, sport continues
to draw people together and to create opportunities for
the development of culture, health and education.
Through sport we can tell the world of Qatar’s values
because we share the values of sport. It can achieve things
that politics can never do and that is why the Olympic
Games are the only place you will find 202 countries, side
by side without dispute.
In this issue of Qatar Sport we will introduce you to the
role that sport plays in our country and of our sporting
hopes, expectations and ambitions. In its pages you
will read about world-class stars who will be competing
here in the months ahead, of the venues and facilities
which are the foundations of the world of the Qatar
Olympic Committee and, importantly, about the QOC’s
programmes to involve the entire community in sport.
Sport is the best tool available to create positive change
in society and we are firmly committed to promoting
participation and the sharing of sports values. Sport is not
just for elite athletes, it is not just for the young and it is
not just for those with money.
We believe in Sport for Life.
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani
Secretary General. Qatar Olympic Committee
4 QatarSport Q1.08

Q1.08.news
SCOTT MAKES
IT A QATAR
MASTERS
DOUBLE
THE winner in 2002, ADAM sCOtt
RECLAIMED THE 2008 MASTERS
trophy at the doha golf club.
Australian Adam Scott won his second
Commercialbank Doha Masters at the Doha Golf Club
in late January, shooting a magnificent final round of 61
to beat Henrik Stenson into second place.
Scott became the youngest winner of the Qatar
Masters back in 2002 when he lifted the trophy at the
age of 21 years and 244 days.
This year he was back in style, overcoming a three shot
deficit on the overnight leader with the help of successive
birdies on the first five holes of his final round.
Star attractions
His second victory in Qatar was his sixth European Tour
win and makes him the first player to record a double in
the tournament.
The Qatar Masters has been one of the highlights
of Qatar’s sporting calendar ever since Briton Andrew
Coltart won the first tournament back in 1998. Since
then it has grown in stature and prize money and many
of the world’s leading players have graced the Doha Golf
Club. South Africans Retief Goosen and Ernie Els have
been among the winners.
The tournament, presented by Dolphin Energy, doesn’t
simply attract leading players. This year it was enjoyed by
a galaxy of sports and show business stars from around
the world.
While some came just to watch the action, others took
part in the Pro-Am event before the Masters which
featured record-breaking oarsman Sir Steven Redgrave,
cricketer Sir Ian Botham, footballer Ian Wright, tennis
player Boris Becker and 400m legend Michael Johnson.
Adam Scott, however, was the centre of the golfing
world’s attention on the final day of the main event,
when he birdied the first five holes to set up his victory.
He opted for safety at the last where a par-five left him
20 under, equalling the record 72-hole score carded by
the Scotsman Paul Lawrie in 1999.
“I am pleased to win again in Qatar,” said Scott.
“Stringing off five birdies in a row and then to keep it
going was good. It put pressure on the others. Henrik
(Stenson) did everything right. He deserved to win the
tournament. It’s hard for the guys who were leading.”
Scott started the tournament as world number eight
but his Qatar Masters win saw him leap three places in
the rankings.
After Doha, his aim is to make an even bigger
impression at world level. “I’ve matured well as a golfer
since winning here in 2002 but not won any Majors.
This is a big year for me,” he said.
Adam Scott receives the
trophy from Hassan
Nasser Al Naimi,
president of the Qatar
Golf Association, and
Andrew Stevens, Group
CEO Commercialbank
of Qatar.
Q1.08 QatarSport 5

News
in Brief
The Qatar National
Handball team’s
preparations for the 13th
Asian Championship, which will take
place in Asfahan city, Iran from 17
to 25 February, were boosted by the
attendance of HE Sheikh Saoud bin
Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary
General of the Qatar Olympic
Committee at a pre-tournament
training session in Doha.
The Qatar police team
grabbed the Qatar
Volleyball Association Cup
title after defeating the Al Arabi team
3-2 in the final, which took place in
the Al Arabi Sports Club indoor hall.
The closely fought match generated
excitement right up to the final
whistle.
The Qatar Olympic football
team finished with the
bronze medal at the
inaugural GCC Championship for
Olympic teams, which was held in
Riyadh Saudi Arabia. The team’s 1-1
draw against Bahrain in the final
match raised Qatar’s points tally to
five and secured third place in the
tournament.
32 drivers from Qatar,
UAE, Jordan, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi
Arabia participated in the Qatar
International Rally 2008, January 24
to 26. The race, organised by Qatar
Motor and Motorcycles Federation
under the leadership of Nasser bin
Khalifa Al Attiyah, marked the start
of the 2008 campaign for Qatar’s
leading rally driver, Nasser Saleh Al
Attiyah, who won the event last year.
The first Qatar National
Hockey League will consist
of two rounds, with each
team playing the other twice - with
a total of 12 league matches in two
rounds and a play-off for first and
second place and the third and
fourth place. The league final will be
held on March 21.
Anna Kournikova was
among the sports and
film stars at the 2008
Commercialbank Qatar Masters golf
tournament. She joined celebrities
including Natalie Imbruglia, actor
Omar Sharif and US sprinter Carl
Lewis at the event.
GSF STEERS YOUth
AWAY from CRIME
The ability of sport to change people's lives for the better is behind
the Qatar Olympic Committee's co-venture with the United Nations.
A unique joint initiative between the Qatar
Olympic Committee and the United Nations
is harnessing the power of sport to provide
youngsters with a positive life-focus and a
compelling alternative to a life of drug abuse and
crime.
The Global Sport Fund, set up with a multimillion
dollar donation from the QOC, is
providing activities and grants worldwide to
show young people an alternative way of life.
This year the programme will build on the
success it enjoyed in 2007 when it held its first
youth training camp in Jounieh, Lebanon.
The four-day camp enabled young people
aged between 12 and 15 from seven Middle
East countries, to learn both football and life
skills, thanks to a packed programme which
placed equal emphasis on personal and sporting
development.
The programme which delivered the camp
is run by the United Nations Office On Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) from its office within
the QOC’s Doha headquarters. Their presence
in the building is indicative of the close
relationship between UNODC and the Qatar
Olympic Committee, which set up the multimillion
dollar Global Sport Fund in 2006.
In December, QOC Secretary General Sheikh
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani visited New
York to receive a Global Sport Fund Award
from the United Nations on behalf of HH
Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Heir
Apparent.
Rami Bathish, the UNODC Project
Coordinator responsible for running this unique
initiative, reflects Sheikh Saoud’s enthusiasm for
a project capable of making a real difference to
the lives of young people worldwide.
“The initiative is based on the concept that
gainfully occupied young people are less likely to
get involved with substance abuse and criminal
activity. Sport is a powerful tool because it
engages and occupies young people in a way that
presents them with a challenge, while allowing
them to develop physical and social skills,” he
said.
“We are delighted to be working with the
Qatar Olympic Committee on this project,
which will grow significantly this year.”
The GSF Football Training Camp in
Lebanon involved 96 people from Qatar itself,
Oman, Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and
Palestine. Each national group included players
and coaches who competed in seven mixed
nationality and mixed gender teams.
The rigorous training programme saw the
players taking part in fitness, skills and tactics
sessions for three-and-a half-hours each morning
but, as Rami Bathish points out, the camp was
not just about football.
“Each day we held 45-minute Fair Play
sessions which covered a wide range of topics
from behaviour on the field to working as a
group. These issues deliver important life skills
for young people,” Rami Bathish said.
“Equally important was the social and cultural
programme, which gave these youngsters from
very different national and socio-economic
backgrounds an opportunity to learn from each
other. Their interaction resulted in a positive
6 QatarSport Q1.08

Q1.08.news
multi-cultural experience, both on and off
the field, that transcended political and social
boundaries and facilitated the promotion
of universal values and shared ideals among
them. The camp was a challenging, but
ultimately incredibly rewarding experience.
It was wonderful to see how the youngsters
reacted to the opportunity and related to
each other.”
This year the Global Sport Fund will run
more sport camps around the world and will
continue its programme of grants to fund
sports-related project in many countries. This
is a unique co-operation between a UN body
and a National Olympic Committee and I
feel privileged to be part of it,” said Rami
Bathish.
“Working from offices within the Qatar
Olympic Committee means we are at the
very heart of the organisation. It reflects
the importance that the QOC places on
the project and being here has really served
to open our eyes to the role of sport in the
pursuit of the UNODC’s objective to make
the world safer by providing youngsters with
an alternative path to a life of drugs and
crime.”
Table tennis champions at Aspire
The Qatar Open Table Tennis Championships at the Aspire
Indoor Hall, March 18- 22, will see the world’s top table tennis talent
come to town.
These are the best of the best – Olympic and world champions –
vying for valuable points in the ITTF Pro Tour standings.
Last year’s Liebherr Qatar Open saw China’s Ma Lin and Li
Xiaoxia win the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively. But that
doesn’t even begin to tell the story.
Ma Lin beat his arch rival and compatriot Wang Liqin, the world
number one, who has beaten him on the last two occasions that
the players met in Doha - defeats that were all the more painful for
coming in the final of the tournament.
In 2007, however, that sequence came to an end and Ma Lin had
his revenge in a match that saw table tennis of the highest order from
players who were then recognised as the top two players on the ITTF
men’s world ranking list.
In 2008, China’s Wang Hao has overtaken these two rivals at the
top of the rankings, making this year’s men’s singles tournament even
more fascinating.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles competition, China’s rising star,
nineteen-year-old Li Xiaoxia, beat compatriot Wang Nan in the final
- an achievement that was all the more remarkable for her stunning
victory at the quarter final stage over China’s Zhang Yining, the
reigning Olympic and World champion.
With China boasting the top five women in this year’s ITTF
Pro Tour world rankings, expect there to be even more spice to the
contests in Doha this year, as the Chinese women aim to secure their
places in Team China for the Beijing Olympic Games.
Olympic year is also a reminder that, over the next four-year cycle
of the Olympic Games, young Qatari talent could come to the fore.
Last year, ASPIRE table tennis students achieved international
success both in individual and team events at Under-15 and
Under-17 levels. Having court-side seats at this year’s Qatar Open
Championships will enhance their understanding of what it takes to
become truly world class.
Q1.08 QatarSport 7

News
in Brief
HE Sheikh Saoud Bin
Abdulrahman Al-Thani,
QOC Secretary General,
praised the performance of Qatari
riders in the HH Heir Apparent Show
Jumping Championship at the Qatar
Equestrian Federation circuit in
January. HE Sheikh Saoud said that
Qatar now has a wide base of riders
and can build on the gold medal
achievements of the Asian Games.
17 teams lined up for the
sixth Tour of Qatar (27
January - February 1) with
last year’s winner Tim Boonen, the
Belgian former World Champion in
the saddle again for the international
cycling season’s opening race. This
year’s Tour was made up of six
stages and covered a total distance
of 710 kilometres.
Mohamed Salh Idriss,
the 19-year-old ASPIRE
student, who came an
astonishing second in December’s
Lisbon Half Marathon, hopes to
compete in two more events this
year before contemplating a possible
jump to the full marathon. Idriss
beat all but one of the 1,507-man
field of athletes, from 34 different
nations in Portugal. The result was
a new personal best by a margin of
almost seven minutes.
The opening round of
the World Superbike
Championship will take
place at the Losail International
Circuit in February. The track tested
the riders before the New Year
when the Pirelli Test programme
came to Losail. In these practice
sessions, the Australian Troy Bayliss
posted the fastest time ahead of
his great rival Troy Corser. The
second quickest rider was Corser’s
team-mate and 2007 championship
runner-up, Noriyuki Haga.
Showcasing
‘Sport for Life’
An exhibition to launch the
Qatar Olympic Committee’s vision
for sport in Qatar under its new
slogan - ‘Sport For Life’ - was one
of the highlights of the ‘Life – be
part of it’ show at the International
Exhibition Centre in Doha in
November
QOC’s participation at the
exhibition was supervised by
Mrs. Khowla Khalid, who worked
alongside a team of QOC staff
from the departments of public
relations, human resources,
sports facilities and sports affairs
to deliver the ‘Sport For Life’
message to the public.
“We had an incredibly positive
response from visitors to the
exhibition,” said Mrs Khalid. “It’s
so important for the community
and for sport in Qatar that QOC
delivers our message of Sport for
Life to every social group. QOC
is committed to spreading this
message and the event provided
the perfect platform to showcase
our vision.”
QOC’s participation at the
exhibition came with the full
support of HE Sheikh Saoud
Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, QOC
Secretary General.
Three Qatari basketball
teams will take part in
GCC and Arab basketball
championships in April. Defending
champions Al-Rayyan and runnerup
Al Arabi will play in the GCC
basketball clubs tournament which
will take place in Doha, April 25 - 30.
The Qatar men’s national team will
take part in the Arab Championship
in Jordan from April 23 to May 5,
2008.
8 QatarSport Q1.08

Q1.08.news
Equestrian events
raise Doha’s profile
Show Jumping’s new gala series, the Global Champions
Tour, with a total of Euro 5.5 million in prize money at stake, is
coming to Qatar, April 10-12, 2008
The Doha Grand Prix will mark the first stage of this year’s
Global Champions Tour, and is the only event in the series to be
hosted in the Gulf region.
The series was created by the Eurosport Group and features some
of the world’s most prestigious outdoor show jumping events rolled
into a single championship.
As well as Doha, the Tour will travel to Germany, France,
Monaco, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy and Brazil, and feature
some of the world’s leading riders, including Rodrigo Pessoa, Ludo
Philippaerts, Ludger Beerbaum and Beezie Madden.
The riders will be competing for a minimum prize money of
Euro 400,000 at each Grand Prix.
Hosting the Doha Grand Prix represents a major success for the
Qatar Olympic Committee, which has made the event an integral
part of its seven-year strategic plan.
The 2008 Global Champions Tour will showcase Doha to the
world as live transmission is sent throughout Eurosport’s network
reaching over 110 millions homes across 59 countries.
Qatar, of course, has a long history of hosting equestrian events
on a national, regional and international scale.
Doha plays host to a number of international FEI sanctioned
events throughout the year and in 2008 will host the 16th Qatar
International Dressage Championship, February 25 - 27, and the
Qatar 8th International Equestrian Championship Jumping Event,
March 6 - 9.
The Qatar Show Jumping national team showed their talent
earlier this year when they participated in the Dubai, Abu Dhabi
and Al Sharjah Championships, including the Arab League Show
Jumping Championship qualifiers for the World Cup finals.
The Doha 2006 three-day event gold medalists Awad Al
Qahtani, Rashid Faraj Al Adba, Ali Al Merri and Abdullah Al Ujail
were among the Qatari delegation to the United Arab Emirates.
Ludo Philippaerts is a star name on the Global Champions Tour.
Winning the anti-doping race
Qatar has become a shining light in the promotion of antidoping
measures in the Gulf region.
In December, the Qatar Olympic Committee signed a landmark
agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to
establish a regional anti-doping laboratory in Qatar.
Sheikh Saoud said that the agreement with WADA was the first
step in making Qatar a permanent centre of anti-doping services
for the Gulf Cooperation Countries.
But the move has also added impetus to a concerted campaign
by the Qatar National Anti-Doping Commission to educate and
prevent cheating in Qatari sport.
The QOC established the Commission on March 7, 2005 to
carry out the anti-doping function on behalf of the governing body
and act as the independent anti-doping organisation for Qatar.
This year, the Commission is planning to celebrate a National
Anti-Doping Day for the first time on March 7 as the focal point of
numerous initiatives across professional and amateur sport in Qatar.
The Commission has already conducted education programmes
among Qatar’s sporting community - a move that included an
anti-doping workshop for the Professional League Committee in
January - and many other educational activities are planned for the
future. The workshops, seminars, meetings and lectures are directed
at athletes, coaches, physiotherapists, administrators and all other
supporting personnel. They aim to highlight five main issues:
anti-doping rule violation; the international standard of testing; the
therapeutic use exemption; the rights and the responsibilities of the
athletes; and the standard of the result management.
The Commission has begun anti-doping testing in Qatar’s
football, basketball, handball and volleyball leagues – and now the
message is getting across to every sector of society.
In January, the Commission launched an art competition for
children aged eight to 12 in the ‘City Centre’ mall to pass on the
message to the public about the hazards of doping and how much
doping is against the spirit of sport.
Q1.08 QatarSport 9

News
in Brief
Qatar’s paddlers trained
at Aspire in preparation
for the West Asian
qualification matches taking place
in Jordan in which the winners will
qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games and the World Championship
to be held in China in February 2008.
The sessions were organised by the
Qatar Table Tennis federation, which
has also planned outdoor training
camps in Germany and Spain later
this year.
The national bowling
team put in a series of top
class performances at the
Qatar International Open Bowling
Tournament hosted by the Qatar
Bowling Center in January. Qatar
head coach, Franc Buffa of Canada
was pleased with the performances
as Qatar gears up for the Asian
Championship and World Cup which
are scheduled for later in the year.
Scotland’s Andy Murray
won the $1.05m Qatar
ExxonMobil Open 2008. The
third seed beat the Swiss Stanislas
Wawrinka in the final at the Khalifa
Tennis and Squash Complex. During
the Championship, Anil Khanna,
president of the Asian Tennis
Federation said that if the sport is to
become truly global the possibility of
a fifth Grand Slam in Asia should not
be ruled out.
The New Year’s sporting
calendar in Qatar teed
off on January 4 when
128 golfers form 26 countries
took part in the 22nd Qatar Open
golf tournament at the Doha Golf
Club. The tournament is one of
the most prestigious events on the
GCC amateur circuit and attracts
players in large numbers every
year. The event was sponsored by
Commercialbank and Pearl Qatar.
Some of the world’s best
fencers featured at the
fifth edition of the Qatar
International Fencing Tournament
Grand Prix 2008, which took place in
January at the ASPIRE Academy for
Sporting Excellence. Participating
countries in this year’s tournament,
including a 12 member squad from
Qatar, increased to 41 as compared
to last year’s 31.
The bold and
the beautiful
Qatar’s sports facilities have won accolades in the world’s most
prestigious sports architecture awards.
Qatar’s outstanding outdoor and indoor
sports facilities won two of the most prestigious
prizes in sports architecture when the ASPIRE
Dome and Khalifa Stadium won silver
and bronze awards respectively at the 20th
International Association for Sports and Leisure
Facilities (IAKS) Congress.
The Doha venues finished in the medal
places in the 2007 contest, involving 88 sports
and leisure facilities from over 27 countries.
Having successfully hosted the 15th Asian
Games in 2006, Qatar finished ahead of all
other competition from the Gulf Co-operation
Council region.
“The facilities have become a fantastic symbol
of the continuing growth of the region,” said
Dr. Thomas Flock, ASPIRE Director General.
“These iconic buildings are also part of the
attraction for the hundreds of visitors to the
Aspire Academy in recent months.”
Designed by French architect, Roger
Taillibert, the multi-purpose ASPIRE Indoor
Hall is home to the ASPIRE Academy for Sports
Excellence and boasts the world’s largest indoor
sports dome. Covering 290,000 square metres,
it stands 46 metres high and seats 15,000
spectators.
Within the ASPIRE complex’s facilities there
are one indoor and seven outdoor football
pitches, an athletics track, an Olympic-sized
swimming pool, diving pool, combat arenas,
gymnastics arena, specially designed weight
rooms, lecture halls and dormitories to
accommodate up to 1,000 students.
As part of the 250-hectare ASPIRE Zone
sports precinct built for the 15th Asian Games,
the venue hosted seven sports during the Doha
2006 event - badminton, gymnastics, wushu,
wrestling, kabaddi, boxing and cycling.
Also designed by Roger Taillibert,
Doha’s 50,000-capacity Khalifa Stadium is
acknowledged as the best of the region’s sports
stadiums. The host venue for the track and
field contests and the Opening and Closing
Ceremonies for Doha 2006, the stadium
is uncovered around three-quarters of its
circumference, but can comfortably host any
outdoor event. During the Games the facility
unveiled the largest custom-made LED screen
ever used for a live event. At 165 metres-wide
and 39 metres at its highest point, the screen
provided a spectacular backdrop for the action.
HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-
Thani, the Secretary General of the Qatar
Olympic Committee, received the medals
from IOC Deputy President, Thomas Bach, at
the ceremony in Cologne, Germany, last year.
“This achievement is a matter of great pride
for all Gulf sports fans, as Qatar was the only
Arab State that entered the IOC competition,”
said Sheikh Saoud. “The high standard of
architecture is one component among many
that have contributed to Aspire’s international
reputation. Gaining the silver medal further
demonstrates the Academy’s emergence as a
major landmark in the sporting world.”
The prestigious awards, sponsored by IAKS
and the International Olympic Committee,
have been awarded every two years since 1987
and are known as the only architecture award of
international importance for existing sports and
leisure facilities.
10 QatarSport Q1.08

Q1.08.news
NIGHTRIDERS TO MAKE HISTORY
Qatar will host the first ever night-time MotoGP race when the
Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar comes to the Losail Circuit,
March 7-9. The glamour and excitement of the fifth Qatar Moto
GP will feature the world’s greatest riders in a high-speed night ride
unprecedented in the championship’s 48-year history.
The staging of the race will involve what is believed to be the
biggest lighting project in the world for any sporting event – almost
four thousand lights will be used to ensure visibility and remove
shadowing from the track.
“This is obviously a major project for Qatar and we are proud to
be able to say we will hold the first Grand Prix event under lights”,
said QMMF president, Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah. “While this is
great for the country’s image as a whole, it also means our track can
be used in the hot summer months and we hope this opens up more
opportunities for other motorsports events in the future.”
The potential for a night race at the championship was first
investigated at last year’s Qatar Grand Prix, when the three
permanent riders on the MotoGP Security Commission (Valentino
Rossi, Kenny Roberts Junior and Loris Capirossi) tried out the Losail
circuit on street bikes during full darkness to evaluate its feasibility.
The third longest track in the GP series boasts a 1km long straight
in which the racers can hit 330 kph, but the organisers are assured
that the riders will be able to see as well as during the daytime - and
may even come to prefer it. The night time race will allow for better
synchronisation with European television schedules and further
enhance the prestige of the Qatar MotoGP.
QATAR KICKS
OFF WORLD CUP
CAMPAIGN
Qatar’s national football team was set for a testing start to its
qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with an away
game against Asian Football Confederation new-boys Australia, in
Melbourne in early February.
The qualifying group, which also includes surprise AFC champions
Iraq and China, has already been dubbed the ‘Group Of Death’ by
the Australian media whose national team switched to the Asian
Confederation from the Oceania group only last year.
Australia, ranked 42 in the world, will inevitably start as favourites
but Qatar’s Asian Games gold medal wining team will certainly not
be overawed.
Qatar’s first home game is against Iraq in Doha on March 26 and
a tremendous crowd is expected to see the match-up with the team
which won the hearts of the world with their unexpected Asian
Championship triumph.
The Qatar national team is currently ranked 81 in the world by
FIFA, the governing body.
Qatar Football Association President, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa
Al Thani was impressed by the team’s performance in a recent draw
against Iran but acknowledged that it will be a tough battle against
Australia.
“We hope to play well against Australia. We will miss the injured
players but the coach will have to make the best use of the players at
his disposal,” he said.
Q1.08 QatarSport 11

Above: Doha’s striking
Aspetar Sports Hospital.
ASPETAR
Doha’s 5-star Aspetar sports hospital is more than just a medical facility.
SETS NEW STANDARDS
Qatar is set to become one of the world’s leading centres
of excellence in sports medicine, following the opening
of Aspetar, a 50 bed sports hospital that will set new
standards in the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries
and research which will help protect athletes from harm
and improve their performance.
Chief Medical Officer at Aspetar is Peter Fowler, a
hugely experienced and globally respected sports physician
and founder of the renowned Fowler Kennedy clinic in
London, Ontario.
He is a man who has seen and done it all in sports
medicine over the years but even he is excited and bubbling
with enthusiasm about Aspetar and its potential.
Aspetar, in Doha’s ASPIRE Zone, was inspired by and
operates under the patronage of HH Sheikh Jassim Bin
Hamad Al-Thani, the Special Envoy to the Emir HH
Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
The hospital meets international standards in the
treatment of orthopaedic problems and athletic injuries,
and uses the latest technology to guide patients through
rehabilitation for complete recovery. But the work of
Aspetar doesn’t stop there. The experience and expertise in
fitness, nutrition and training techniques will help athletes
to maximise their performance both in training and in
competition and push the boundaries of sports medicine
in ways which will be invaluable to current and future
generations of athletes, whether they operate at a social
or elite level.
Aspetar has been described as establishing a new
paradigm for sports medicine. Each of its departments is
superbly equipped.
Orthopaedic Surgical Department
The Orthopaedic Surgical Department includes four
digital operating theatres, linked to an education centre,
50 in-patient beds in two wards, a six-bed ICU (Intensive
Care Unit), 24 rooms and 48 beds for altitude simulation
(low oxygen and normabaric), day clinics and an outpatient
department.
The department provides advanced digital radiographic
imaging, extensive rehabilitation facilities, plus exercise
and sport science services.
12 QatarSport Q1.08

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sports
medicine
Clinical
Aspetar’s in-patient service focuses on musculoskeletal
injuries, both acute and chronic, and offers subspecialties
including rehabilitation, dentistry, and podiatry.
Nursing
The international nursing team delivers the highest
standards of patient care and includes specialised expertise
in orthopaedic nursing.
Rehabilitation
As proper rehabilitation is fundamental to recovery Aspetar’s
state-of-the-art rehabilitation department has exclusive
male and female areas, and provides expert Physiotherapy,
Hydrotherapy, Thalasso Therapy, Relaxation, Strength and
Conditioning as well as Functional Rehabilitation.
“In all my years I had never heard of a project like this and
I am simply delighted to be involved” said Dr Fowler who
has overseen the recruitment of the some of the world’s
best sports specialists to Aspetar.
“Aspetar brings together staff from nearly 50 countries,
each of whom brings their personal experience. It is a
truly multi-cultural project and every one of the 400 staff
members brings something unique to the team,” he said.
“Each of them is a specialist in sports and they will
share their knowledge and work together to make Aspetar
a leading centre not only in the Middle East region but
worldwide.”
The creation of Aspetar is evidence of Qatar’s
determination to build the finest possible sports
infrastructure and to deliver the best support for the
local population as well as international athletes.
Ambition
For Dr Fowler, an orthopaedic surgeon who opened
the Fowler Kennedy Clinic in Canada to meet a
growing need for specialist sports medical facilities,
working at Aspetar is the realisation of a long-held
ambition.
“As medical professionals Aspetar provides us with so
many opportunities. It is a superbly equipped facility
which has been designed to enable us to push everything
we do to the limit. It will allow all of us to do things which
we couldn’t possibly do in our own countries and that will
benefit the athletes we treat and the development of sports
medicine as a whole.”
His colleague, Senior Surgeon Nebojsa Popovic, an eminent
orthopaedic surgeon and Olympic Gold Medallist,
shares Dr Fowler’s enthusiasm.
“The attention to every little detail is simply fantastic.
Staff working at Aspetar have access to the best and latest
equipment and technology to enable them to achieve the
best results for patients.
“It is a quality environment in every way but the standard
ultimately comes down to the quality of the people and
we are delighted to have the best in the world right here.”
And the best will always attract the best. Aspetar has
already treated athletes including players from a number
of leading European football clubs and Dr Fowler expects
that trend to continue.
“As sports developed in Qatar having a first class sports
medicine facility here in Doha became more and more of
a priority,” said Dr Fowler.
“Aspetar means that Qatari athletes
no longer have to leave the country
to receive treatment elsewhere in the
Gulf region of even further afield
which is a significant step forward.
Elsewhere in the world, leading athletes
have become accustomed to
having to travel to receive the appropriate
treatment, whether that is to
specialist clinics in the United States,
Germany or elsewhere.
“Qatar is so accessible from Europe
and elsewhere in Asia that we certainly
don’t see distance as a barrier
to players taking advantage of the facilities and treatment
available here at Aspetar.”
Those who do will find more than a world-class sports
hospital. As much attention has been paid to ensuring a
comfortable stay as delivering effective treatments. They
are promised a Five Star experience with luxury rooms,
a top quality restaurant, cable television and Internet
access.
“Our aim is to use the work carried out here to create
and share a body of knowledge that will benefit athletes,”
Dr Popovic said.
“We are part of a national sports science programme and
will conduct research into diet and nutrition, physiology,
gait analysis and psychology. We even have altitude
Above: Aspetar Chief
Surgeon Nebojsa
Popovic.
“It is a quality environment in every way but
the standard ultimately comes down to the
quality of the people and we are delighted
to have the best in the world right here”
dormitories which allow up to 48 athletes to prepare for
high altitude conditions without leaving Qatar.”
The Aspetar radiology department includes state-ofthe-art
equipment and an in-house laboratory equipped
to conduct around 500 specialist tests.
The Research and Education Centre develops
specialised post-graduate degrees in sports medicine and
sport sciences. The Centre is also well positioned to play
an integral role in Qatar’s strategic national health and
medical research programmes. Research focuses on a wide
range of areas, from development of surgical procedures to
genetic factors in sport.
“We have spent three years getting the base of the
project right - making sure that the hospitality is designed
and equipped to deliver the best possible services so that it
can not only function but grow and develop,” Dr Popovic
said.
To help achieve that goal, Aspetar will be guided by
some of the best respected figures in international sports
medicine.
The last word goes to Dr Fowler. “This is likely to be
my last big project and I am delighted to be part of its
legacy,” he said.
Q1.08 QatarSport 13

14 Q1.08 QatarSport
“I had experienced probably the most difficult time in my career at
the start of 2007 and it was difficult to find my rhythm again, but
Doha was an important victory for me in getting my confidence
back and believing I could be No.1 in the world again”

o o o o o o o o o
stars
in qatar
World No.1 Justine Henin returns to Qatar in February to defend her Qatar
Total Open title. Chances are that the Belgian superstar will also be back
in November for the end-of-season Sony Ericsson Championships which will
offer the biggest winner’s cheque in women’s tennis .
JUSTINE GOES FOR
TWO IN A ROW
Women’s tennis World No.1 Justine Henin, who
is due to defend her Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Qatar
Total Open title in Doha in February, credits her 2007
victory at the Khalifa International Tennis Centre, with
giving her the confidence to record her best-ever year as
a professional.
Having first reached the coveted top spot back in 2003,
the 25-year-old Belgian returned to No.1 position in
2006 and her 6-4 / 6-2 victory against Russian Svetlana
Kuznetsova in the Doha final of 2007 clearly demonstrated
that she wasn’t going to relinquish her position without a
fight.
“As a lot of people were aware, I had experienced
probably the most difficult time in my career at the start
of 2007 and it was difficult to find my rhythm again, but
Doha was an important victory for me in getting my
confidence back and believing I could be No.1 in the
world again,” she told Qatar Sport.
And it wasn’t only her victory which left her feeling
good about her experience in Qatar.
First Class
“I played the tournament before in 2004 and was very
impressed with how the city had grown and developed
in the three years I had been away. I can only speak of my
experience at the tournament in relation to my impression
of the country and I can definitely say it was first class and
the Qataris can be very proud of the good job they are
doing,” she said.
Her 2007 Doha victory complemented wins in Warsaw,
Dubai, the French Open at Roland Garros, Brighton,
Toronto, the US Open, Stuttgart, Zurich and the seasonending
Madrid Tour Championships.
Henin, who is coached by Carlos Rodriguez, was
playing tennis before she was five and has become a role
model for female athletes throughout the world as a result
of her skill, grace and determination on court and her
approach to life off court.
In many respects she’s the perfect example of a modern
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour player; both a phenomenal
athlete and a thoroughly modern woman, actively involved
in a range of interests beyond the sport itself.
“My main memory of last year’s event was getting back on
the plane to Europe with a feeling of satisfaction following
my victory in Doha and that my game was back to the
level I asked of myself”, she said.
But what about the year ahead which, injury permitting,
is likely to see Justine back in Doha from November 3 to
take part in the Sony Ericsson Championships, following
their switch from Madrid?
Staying Fit
“Well, 2008 will be an interesting year,” she reflects. “The
Qatar Total Open will now be a Tier I event, which is one
of the most important tournaments on our Sony Ericsson
WTA Tour. I always enjoy playing outside in Qatar in
February and I hope to continue my unbeaten run in
Doha. Also, we will have our season-ending Sony Ericsson
Championships - Qatar 2008, so Doha will play a very
important role in the development of women’s tennis.
“Looking at the season as a whole, the challenge for
me will be to top 2007, which was the most successful
year of my career so far. It was also my goal to finish a
season without an injury for the first time and I am very
happy to say I accomplished that. So really, for me in
2008, the key will be to continue my level of tennis and
maintain my fitness. Thanks to my entourage, hopefully it
will continue. Away from tennis, 2007 was probably one
of the most satisfying in my life and I can say I am very
proud of the decisions I made. I look forward to enjoying
more time with my friends and family and appreciating
the good things life has to offer.”
Sony Ericsson Championship
The presence of Justine Henin and many of the world’s
leading women’s tennis players at the Qatar Total Open
has helped build the bond between Qatar and its Tennis
federation and the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
In July last year a $42 million, three-year agreement
was signed to take the season-ending Sony Ericsson
Championships to Doha, offering record prize money of
$4.45 million, equal to that of the ATP’s season-ending
Championships, the Tennis Masters Cup.
The prestige of the Sony Ericsson Championships has
Left: World No.1
Justine Henin is set on
another brilliant year
in 2008
Q1.08 QatarSport 15

o o o o o o o o o
stars
in qatar
Justine Henin
continued from previous page.
“We will have our season-ending Sony
Ericsson Championships - Qatar 2008, so
Doha will play a very important role in the
development of women’s tennis”
along with the significantly increased prize money to be
offered, demonstrates the value that the Tour’s Roadmap
circuit structure plans have injected into the sport. I am
particularly thrilled that in the year that both Wimbledon
and Roland Garros made historic decisions to award
equal prize money to the women, our Sony Ericsson
Championships will, for the first time ever in 2008, offer
equal prize money of $4.45 million.”
“We are honoured that Doha, Qatar will become the
new home of the most prestigious and widely covered
tournament on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour,” said
Sheikh Mohammad Bin Faleh Al Thani, President of the
Qatar Tennis Federation.
Above: Justine Henin
lifts the trophy at the
2007 Qatar Total
Open held in Doha.
grown since its inception and has been further boosted
by prize money to be paid to the winner of this year’s
Doha event. The singles winner’s cheque of $1,485,000
represents the largest single guaranteed payout in women’s
tennis today.
Destination Doha
Doha was selected to host the event as a result of a global
bidding process that included expressions of interest from
numerous major international cities and that resulted in
a four-way finalist bid run-off between Doha, Bangalore,
India, Istanbul, Turkey and Monterrey, Mexico.
“The awarding of our Sony Ericsson Championships to
Qatar represents an exciting continuation of our strategy
to showcase the very best of women’s tennis in different
regions and markets throughout the world,” said Sony
Ericsson WTA Tour CEO, Larry Scott.
“Doha has been a longstanding supporter of women’s tennis,
including having held the first women’s professional tennis
event in the Middle East in 2001 and has demonstrated
the ability to successfully host world class sporting
events such as the 2006 Asian Games. This agreement,
Equal Prize Money
“As the first country in the region to have staged a women’s
professional tennis event, we are particularly pleased to
offer women tennis players equal prize money at the Sony
Ericsson Championships for the first time ever. Qatar has
proven its ability to host incredibly successful world class
sporting events and we look forward to welcoming the
world’s best female athletes and making the Sony Ericsson
Championships in 2008-2010 the best season-ending
finale ever.”
Dee Dutta, Global Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson,
is equally enthusiastic about the tournament’s move to
Doha.
“We are pleased with the decision to hold the 2008 Sony
Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar. We believe it is
a natural move to take it to the Gulf Area, which is an
important market region for Sony Ericsson.”
The 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha,
Qatar will take place in the Khalifa International Tennis
Complex, a world-class facility that has been the home of
the Qatar Total Open event on the Sony Ericsson WTA
Tour since 2001. As part of the deal, the Qatar Tennis
Federation plans to expand and enhance the existing
facility. With Justine Henin expected to lead the line of
world-class talent to compete in the Championships, the
only question which remains to be answered is the name
of the eventual winner.
16 QatarSport Q1.08

WOMEN LOOK FORWARD
TO SUCCESS
Women are achieving great things across Qatari society and are
now seizing the opportunity to excel at sport.
“The girls [women’s shooters] have
scripted a new way for the rest to follow.
This shows the amount of talent we have.
If we can get results in such a short span,
imagine what we can do in the long run”
Above: Qatar’s bronze
medal-winning
shooters will inspire
the next generation of
women athletes.
In the run up to the 2006 Asian Games, Qatar’s
leading female sports star, Nada Zeidan and the President
of the Qatar Women’s Sports Committee, Dr Aneesa Al-
Hitmi, met at Qatar Sports Club and signed up to carry
the Doha 2006 Torch Relay Flame.
While they were there, they encouraged other women
to follow their lead. “It gives me such a sense of pride to
be a part of this relay,” said Dr Al-Hitmi. “It is a once-in-alifetime
experience and I encourage women from all over
Qatar to join us.”
Commitment to change
The importance of this moment is that it underlines the
leading role Qatar is playing in opening up opportunities
for women in the Middle East. More than just the
symbolic carrying of a flame, the event showed Qatar’s
commitment to improving the lot of women across every
aspect of its fast-evolving society. You only have to look
at the high number of female graduates to realise how
seriously Qatar takes its responsibility to women. Or the
country’s record in terms of employment opportunities.
Without in any way diminishing their traditional role
within the nuclear family, Qatari women have gone on to
play leading roles in education, health, the law, aviation,
finance and tourism.
In the context of sport, a key landmark was 2001 -
when the official seal of approval was given to the creation
of the Qatar Women’s Sports Committee (QWSC) under
Dr Al-Hitmi. This coincided with the unveiling of several
women’s sports centres - designed so that female sporting
talent in Qatar could be discovered and nurtured under
the guidance of specialist female coaches.
Leading the way
In just a short space of time, the results of this effort
have been striking - with increasing numbers of women
participating in international events and winning medals.
By the time of the 2006 Asian Games, Qatar could boast
a substantial number of female competitors across a range
of high-profile disciplines.
The country even managed to come away with a bronze
medal in shooting - quite an achievement when you
consider that Qatari women were not allowed to participate
in this sport until the 2002 Asian Games in Busan (Korea).
18 QatarSport Q1.08

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women
in sport
Their success is exactly the kind of response Dr Al-Hitmi
has been looking for. Speaking after the Games, she said:
“Our women shooters have put in hard work right from
the time we started. When they participated in the Islamic
tournament for the first time, they won silver and bronze.
From that point they have never looked backwards.” The
view within the Qatari sporting community is that results
like this can spark a wave of interest among the next
generation of female talent. “It’s a huge achievement for
Qatar,” said rallying ace, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah - himself
a shooting competitor in Doha. “It will really change
things for women’s sport. The girls have scripted a new
way for the rest to follow. This shows the amount of talent
we have. If we can get results in such a short time span,
imagine what we can do in the long run.”
Respecting traditions
Winning medals is, of course, crucial to any sport
development strategy. But as Dr Al-Hitmi suggests, it takes
a lot of organisational effort behind the scenes to make
things happen. Since early 2007, women across a range of
age groups have taken part in camps, friendlies, qualifiers
and competitive finals. From handball and volleyball to
table tennis and swimming, Qatar’s female athletes have
travelled as far afield as Malaysia, Taipei, Hungary, Egypt
and Tunisia.
Through it all Qatar has struck a delicate balance between
empowerment for women and respect for the traditions
of Islam. It was, for example, deemed inappropriate for
Qatari women to participate in beach volleyball at Doha
2006. But contrast that with athletics - where Qatar was
the first Middle Eastern country to allow the participation
of its women in competitions. Other sports open to
women include basketball, chess, gymnastics and archery
(in which Zeidan excels).
As in other areas of Qatari sports policy, the
QWSC’s agenda is not just about unearthing elite
talent.
Royal approval
From school age upwards, the attempt to get women
playing and enjoying sport dovetails neatly with
Qatar’s wider Sport For All agenda. A good example is
the way that the women in sport agenda has drilled down
through individual disciplines. In 2006, for example, the
Qatar Table Tennis Association started working with an
all-girls primary school in Doha to introduce the sport to
children. The hope is that some of these girls will progress
on to courses organised by the QWSC.
Similarly, Qatar’s flagship venue, ASPIRE, plays a part
in the ongoing programme to get women active. Conscious
of the need to address women’s role in the context of the
family, it joined forces with the QWSC to offer fitness
classes to women and children at Al Markhiya Girls
Primary School. Women Only and Mother and Toddler
sessions were a way of meeting women half-way - as well
as promoting the fact that women’s fitness courses are also
available at ASPIRE’s world-class sporting facilities.
Why is it, though, that the QWSC has been able to
take such strides? Well, some observers say that the root of
the story lies back in the 1970s - when Qatar first began to
realise the social benefits and underlying justice of women
playing sport.
A bigger factor, however, has
been the irrepressible energy of HH
Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-
Missned. As head of the Supreme
Council of Family Affairs, the
Sheikha has sought to introduce
modern educational programmes
for women in a way which does not
contradict Islamic teachings. It was
the Sheikha who also paved the way
for the QWSC’s creation.
Qatari sports star Nada Zeidan
can’t speak highly enough of the
Sheikha’s impact. “Sheikha Mozah
opened sport up for women. She is
a role model for all the Gulf people,
not just the people of Qatar. What
she is doing is something we are all
very proud of.”
It hasn’t been an easy road, says
Zeidan: “At first people didn’t accept
it, but now you see that children and
whole families are getting involved in
sport. In the past, a family would not
even accept it if a woman’s name was
mentioned in the media. Now we see women of Qatar
are competing for their country. Their family, friends and
people are coming to support them.”
With the Sheikha’s active support, the QWSC has been
able to form a robust framework to pursue its goals. Aside
from the visible activities outlined above, the QWSC
works untiringly to promote women in sport. There are
seminars, conferences and specialist studies designed
to improve the technical and administrative standards
of women’s sport in Qatar. In addition, there are the
Above: Nada Zeidan...
working for women’s
“Sheikha Mozah opened sport up for women.
She is a role model for all the Gulf people, not
just the people of Qatar. What she is doing is
something we are all very proud of”
recently-constructed sports facilities referred to above. To
date, Qatar has invested in five sports centres, a ladies’
tennis hall and a centre for girls’ sports. There are currently
26 Qatari female coaches in various sports fields - not to
mention experienced coaches brought in from abroad.
Also key has been the QWSC’s willingness to learn
from the international market. For example, it has worked
with the IOC and the QOC to implement internationallyapproved
programmes that enable women and girls to feel
fully involved in sport. There’s been a strong dialogue
with other regional bodies - notably the Islamic Women’s
Union in Iran, the Arab Women’s Sports League in Egypt
and the Asian Work Group For Women and Sports in
Japan. A point of pride was the election of Dr Al-Hitmi as
VP of the IWU (Asia region).
Let’s also not forget the heavy investment that Qatar
has made in bringing world-class events to its soil, which
can only serve to inspire the next crop of Qatari talent by
showing them the rewards available to those who manage
to achieve excellence in their sporting discipline.
sport.
Q1.08 QatarSport 19

Making Sport
Every sector of Qatari society can get involved in sport whether
it’s for fitness, fun or elite competition.
Above: HE
Sheikh Saoud Bin
Abdulrahman
Al-Thani, QOC
Secretary General,
supports the Sport For
All campaign.
Facing page: ASPIRE is
championing the Sport
For All agenda.
The 15th Asian Games in Doha is widely acknowledged
to have been one of the most impressive multi-sports
events to have ever been staged. As such, it is testament
to the sporting revolution that is taking place across the
Middle East. But hosting elite events is only one part
of the Qatari sports strategy. Just as important is the
country’s desire to encourage greater involvement with
sport among its population, says Tariq Al-Ali, Secretary
General of the Qatar Olympic Committee’s Sport For
All programme. “Qatar is facing the same issues as other
developed economies. Adults are busy and as a result they
are not making time for sport. Children are spending
too much of their time in front of screens and storing up
health problems as a consequence.”
Asian Games legacy
The creation of a QOC-backed Sport For All Committee
is Qatar’s attempt to address these problems. Comprising
experts in the fields of physical education, social policy and
health, it is attempting to get people up on their feet again.
The problem is not lack of facilities but lack of motivation,
says Al-Ali. “Anyone in Qatar is within easy reach of a
tennis court, swimming pool or a safe place to walk with
the family. The Asian Games legacy is that we have firstclass
facilities integrated into the fabric of Qatar.”
The good news is that the Asian Games has had a
positive impact on the way the population thinks about
sport. “We haven’t solved the problem,” says Al-Ali. “But
Qatari people felt a tremendous amount of pride in the
success of the Games - and that has made them think more
about how they might make sport a part of their daily
routine. We made sure that as many people as possible
were actively involved in the organisation of the Games -
and that has made them realise sport isn’t just about elite
achievement.”
In terms of day-to-day activities, the Sport For All
Committee is getting the message out via schools,
workplaces, community associations and above-the-line
marketing campaigns, says Al-Ali. “We have to strike the
right balance. While it is important to make people aware
of these issues, Qataris have to want to help themselves.
They need to take greater responsibility for their own wellbeing.”
In terms of its calendar of events, the Committee
spends part of its time focusing on society stakeholders
and part of its time organising events for the population.
So, for example, there has been a sports day for Qatari
Ministries and a Diplomatic Day - events designed to
keep policy-makers focused on the issue. In addition, the
Committee organises events around fishing, futsal and
fitness training. There has been a Family Recreational Day,
a UN Walk Against Hunger and, most notably, a high
profile Olympic Day Run. “The Olympic Day Run is an
initiative launched by the IOC 20 years ago,” says Al-Ali.
“We now have a Qatari version of that which acts as a great
focal point for the Sports For All philosophy.”
Last year’s edition of the Olympic Day Run saw 800
people congregate at the country’s impressive Aspire Zone
20 QatarSport Q1.08

o o o o o o o o o
sport
FOR ALL
in June to take part in a 3km run, says Al-Ali: “The
event was led by His Excellency Sheikh Saoud bin
Abdulrahman Al-Thani - which is very significant
because it shows the enthusiastic support for our
programme from policy-makers. It was a great
success - though we have been given permission
to change the date because of the hot weather in
June. Hopefully that will help us boost numbers
in 2008.”
For all ages
Looking back at the day, one of the highlights
for Al-Ali was the range of ages involved in the
event. “We divided the race into five different
categories to accommodate the ability levels of
all involved,” he recalls. “Aside from breaking
a Way of Life
groups down by age, we catered for everyone from club
athletes to those with special needs.”
The coordination of the Olympic Day Run is aided by
Olympic sponsorship partners like McDonald’s. The next
step, says Al-Ali, will be to co-opt local companies which
can help the Sport For All Committee realise its goals.
“The Committee was revamped a couple of months ago -
so there hasn’t been time to draw up a proper sponsorship
framework. In 2008 we will try and get more partners
involved in grass roots activities. When you look at how
supportive the private sector was during the Doha Asian
Games, I’m optimistic that we will again be able to draw
on their expertise.”
One local partner which has played a key part in the
Sport For All agenda is the ASPIRE Academy. It was a
partner in the Walk Against Hunger and has devised a
range of physical education teacher training courses as part
of its ongoing effort to help increase involvement in sport
in Qatar. The goal has been to provide more qualified PE
teachers - particularly those with an understanding of how
to engage with young children and women.
Fitness and health
As outlined above, the top priority for the Sports For All
Committee is to keep Qatar fit and healthy - since this has
a knock on effect in terms of social cohesion, contentment
and work-place productivity.
Al-Ali believes, however, that there is a clear common
interest between Qatar’s health agenda and its tourism
strategy. “Qatar has placed a strong emphasis on attracting
overseas visitors through golf, watersports, fishing, falconry
and horse racing - not to mention the major events we
host. These may not all be the kind of things people can
do everyday after they finish work, but they are all part
of a joined up strategy which puts sport at the heart of the
Qatari success story.
“If visitors see Qatar as a regional sporting hub, that
will rub off on how our people perceive themselves and
their society.”
Sport For All
Missions and Objectives in Qatar
• To encourage and support the development of sporting
activities through all generations
• To promote sport as an essential element for the well being
of individuals and society
• To support the efforts and development of other
organisations already involved in Sport for All
• To build on the enthusiasm and momentum generated and
help to organise nationwide sporting activities
• To undertake the challenges of a world where physical
activity is on the decrease
• To educate and inform of the benefits of sport and the
possibilities that are offered to practice sport
• To convince public authorities of the role they can play in
underlining the benefit of sport to society
Q1.08 QatarSport 21

CELEBRATING
SCHOOL OLYMPIC DAY
Qatar’s youngsters are preparing for the
climax of the School Olympic Day
programme which sets out to encourage
participation in sport and even identify
future champions.
Above: Youngsters
enjoy a day of sport,
education and culture
on School Olympic
Day .
Qatar’s youngsters will celebrate sport and the
founding of the National Olympic Committee when a
five month programme of sports and sports-related events
reaches its climax on March 14.
School Olympic Day will provide a fitting finale for the
programme which was instigated by The Heir Apparent
HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and launched
by Qatar Olympic Committee Secretary General Sheikh
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in November last year.
For some 70,000 Qatari children, School Olympic Day
“The future of sport lies with youth
and in many respects, the future of
youth lies in sport”
has provided a series of opportunities to embrace sport
and sportsmanship and to discover the virtues of a healthy
lifestyle.
Enjoying the day
“School Olympic Day is not just about competition. It
will also give the children an opportunity to enjoy sports
and understand the role that it can play in their lives,
not just as competitors but from a social point of view,”
explained QOC Director Khalil Al Jaber, who oversees
the programme.
Boys and girls from Qatar’s public and private schools
will have a chance to take part in eight events, including
football, handball, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics,
swimming, fencing as well as educational and cultural
challenges before the Closing Ceremony on March 14,
the anniversary of the QOC’s establishment in 1979.
“Everyone is now looking forward to the events at Aspire
on November 14 and we expect a large crowd to share the
moment,” said Khalil Al Jaber.
“Right now children are entering a competition to take
part in the Closing Ceremony and to devise the slogan
for next year’s events. In this way everybody has an
opportunity to be part of the day, not only those who are
taking part in the various events.”
School Olympic Day is a key part of the QOC’s strategy
to engage the community in sport and to promote the
concept of committing to Sport for Life.
“It works on every level,” said Khalil Al Jaber.
“In each school two hours per week is set aside for School
Olympic Day. This is on top of the three hours of physical
education which are a mandatory part of the curriculum
for all children in Qatar.
“This helps us to allow children to experience different
sports and to compete in those that they enjoy and have
an aptitude for. We hope that experience of sport will stay
with them for life and that they will remain interested and
active.
The future of sport
“We also involve the parents who, naturally, have an
important role to play and the Sports Federations who
have the opportunity to identify potentially talented
youngsters at an early age. That has to be good for the
longer-term development of sport in Qatar.
“We share the same concerns as other National Olympic
Committees and national governments about the way
that changes in lifestyle and diet are beginning to affect
the health of the nation. School Olympic Day is a
tremendously important national event which addresses
many concerns. We want our youngsters to experience
sport, enjoy themselves and adopt healthy lifestyle habits.”
Khalil Al Jaber, who joined the Qatar Olympic
Committee from the Ministry of Education, has travelled
widely and brought lessons learned in Europe, the
United States and elsewhere to bear on the work of his
department.
“We are always listening and learning from governments
and academic institutions around the world. In fact, we
are working with Loughborough University in the United
Kingdom to develop our Physical Education curriculum.
It is very important to us that we provide the best
opportunities and teaching for the pupils. “
“We want them to find the School Olympic Day activities
fun and socially stimulating. The important thing is that
it is not really about the result of the game but the results
in the longer term in the way an entire generation engages
with sport as part of life.
The main School Olympic Day competitions and
ceremonies at ASPIRE on March 14 will be preceded
on March 13 by a series of activities for beginners and
young children. The event will also provide a showcase for
traditional Arab sports which are a central part of Qatari
culture.
“IOC President Jacques Rogge has identified the fact
that the future of sport lies with youth and that, in many
respects, the future of youth lies in sport. We fully support
his plans for a Youth Olympic Games and my sincere wish
is that we will see Qatari athletes competing in the Youth
Olympic Games and the Olympic Games themselves as
a result of the inspiration of the School Olympic Day,”
Khalil Al Jaber said.
22 QatarSport Q1.08

BUILDING THE
FOUNDATIONS
OF QATAR SPORT
How the Qatar Olympic Committee’s
Facilities Department plays a unique role
in delivering opportunities for Sport For
Life and attracting major international
events to the country.
Above: Inside the
state-of-the-art Al-
Sadd Stadium, one of
the jewels in Qatar’s
crown of sporting
facilities.
While many of Qatar’s leading sports venues have
won international acclaim in recent years, the commitment
to quality in design, construction, functionality and
management is not restricted to those facilities selected to
stage world-class events.
The role of providing and maintaining sports facilities
throughout Qatar, from the Khalifa International Tennis
and Squash Centre to superbly equipped sports clubs
in outlying communities, falls to the Sports Facilities
Department of the Qatar Olympic Committee and is,
consequently, firmly embedded in the QOC’s mission.
Facility pioneers
“We may well be the only Olympic Committee in the world
to have its own engineering department,” says Fareed
Mohammed Al-Abdullah, Director of the Sports Facilities
Department, whose work in providing, equipping and
maintaining the facilities used by professional athletes and
the community at large underpins the entire QOC concept
of Sport For Life. In Qatar the promotion of sports and a
healthy lifestyle and the provision of the required facilities
are simply indivisible. Fareed Mohammed Al-Abdullah
was appointed director of this critical department in
2007, having overseen the development and operation
of facilities for the previous year’s Asian Games in Doha.
He’s a highly qualified civil and structural engineer with
a passion for sport and the leisure industry and, from his
office amid the forest of elaborately designed, futuristic
tower blocks which characterise modern day Doha, it is
easy to understand how his department fits into the overall
picture of development.
“Sport is at the heart of social policy here in Qatar, which
makes the work of the department essential,” he said.
“Our role is to plan, construct and maintain new sports
facilities as well as developing and upgrading existing ones.
We want to be pioneers in providing the best interactive
sports facilities and services and, in doing so, to help build
Qatar’s global presence by applying innovation to the task
of enriching the nation’s sports infrastructure.”
Not that the department’s work is restricted to Qatar
itself. In addition to a comprehensive workload over the
length and breadth of the country, the Sports Facilities
Department is playing a pivotal role in a number of
important Qatar Olympic Committee projects beyond its
own borders. These include building the Sakhnin Stadium
in Palestine, developing the Tuzor Stadium in Tunis
and building the South Olympic City in Ansar, South
Lebanon.
“Our objective is to improve the quality and number
of sports facilities in Qatar to ensure that we provide our
existing users and future customers with the best services
and ensure the highest level of satisfaction. That is critical
both to our ability to attract international events to Qatar
and to encouraging Qatari citizens to engage in and really
enjoy sports,” Al-Abdullah said.
Delivering strategy
“Our strategy falls into three broad areas. First, we must
improve access to and usage of existing venues. Second, we
have to ensure that we build and operate sufficient facilities
to cope with the booming population of Qatar, both in
terms of Qataris and the growing number of expatriates.
Third, we will construct and operate purpose-built venues
for activities which are not currently catered for.”
The large, multi-disciplined team of people responsible
for delivering the wide-ranging programmes consists of
24 QatarSport Q1.08

designers and engineers, administrators and technicians
who operate in four sections: Engineering; Contracts and
Work Orders; Operations and Maintenance; and Services
and Facilities Preparation.
The departmental structure is designed to ensure that
every base is proficiently and professionally covered, from
grand plans for new buildings to the provision of all
requirements to stage a sports event.
Event ambitions
It is also a structure which reflects the breadth of the department’s
remit and the way it dovetails with QOC and
national policy. Al-Abdullah is clearly proud of what his
team has achieved to date and will oversee an ambitious
programme in the years ahead as Qatar underscores its
place in world sport. The department has a full and growing
schedule of projects designed to ensure that facilities
are always able to deliver optimum services to their users.
“The Asian Games were only the beginning for sport
in Qatar. We now have a programme to ensure that we
build on the progress achieved and the momentum we
have created,” he said.
“Our current schedule includes the provision of new
swimming pools at a number of sports clubs, upgrading
the tennis and squash complex to increase capacity
of the main court to 12,000, designing and building
an Endurance Village in the south of Qatar, creating a
new indoor equestrian facility and a new beach sports
compound.”
The result of this constant round of activity is that Qatar
has one of the world’s most modern and sophisticated
sporting infrastructures, enabling it to host regional and
world championships in the broadest range of events and
disciplines.
“The Asian Games was the biggest challenge that I have
faced and I am very proud to have been a part of it,” said
Al-Abdullah.
“The work that we undertook for the Asian Games and
since has also enabled us to develop a tremendous amount
of knowledge and practical experience which we are now
able to contribute worldwide. This can be seen directly in
our overseas projects, but also in the number of visitors
who come to Qatar to see how we do things.”
And that is clear evidence of how the world of sport is
changing.
o o o o o o o o o
FACILITIES
BRIEFING - THE QATAR OLYMPIC COMMITTEE’S KEY FACILITIES
Delivering sports opportunitiES for the entire population is a key part of the
department’s brief and is met in Qatar’s more remote areas by a Social and Cultural
Clubs project which delivers facilities that combine football field, gymnasium and
changing rooms with a library, computer hall and multi-purpose hall capable of
staging a range of events. At the next level of facility standard are the ‘Second
Grade’ clubs, equipped to match any in the world.
These clubs provide not only a key element of the Sport for Life programme but
the impetus and support required by budding athletes to develop their enthusiasm
into international class performances. Other facilities are purpose-built to meet the
needs of individual sports or group of sports, but each benefits from a consistent
commitment to quality in design, construction and equipment.
LOSAIL INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT
DOHA SAILING CLUB
Built in 2005 on the Doha Corniche,
the club hosted the Asian Games sailing
programme.
QATAR EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION
This world-leading facility incorporates
leading-edge technology. It includes an
indoor training and warm-up arena, main
arena, more than 150 fully air-conditioned
stables, offices, store-rooms, jockey’s rooms
and a mosque.
Designed and built with safety in mind,
the track - which includes a drag strip -
was designed to provide a testing ground
for up and coming racing enthusiasts to
hone their talents. Recent developments
include the construction of a new, twostorey
administration building, track
modifications, installation of a new
electronic screen and spectator seats.
LUSAIL SHOOTING RANGE
The region’s largest shooting facility was
upgraded for the 15th Asian Games. It
covers more than 1 million square metres
and comprises open and covered ranges
of up to 300 metres, large electronic
scoreboards and the facilities required to
record and edit results digitally.
Continued overleaf...
Q1.08 QatarSport 25

BRIEFING - THE QATAR OLYMPIC COMMITTEE’S KEY FACILITIES
Continued from previous page
KHALIFA INTERNATIONAL TENNIS
AND SQUASH COMPLEX
This long-established venue for ATP Tour
and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour events was
the centre for tennis at the Asian Games,
for which the main stadium court was
extensively refurbished and broadcast
standard lighting introduced. The complex
has a further two main courts with
spectator seating and 23 outside courts as
well as state-of-the-art squash centre and
support facilities.
MAJOR SPORTS CLUBS
AL-RAYYAN
QATAR SPORTS CLUB
AL-GHARAFA
The Al-Rayyan club’s 25,000 seater stadium
has hosted matches in the Gulf Football
Tournament, West Asian Games and Doha
2006 Asian games as well as for the Qatari
national team. It is a self-contained sports
complex with an indoor hall capable of
accommodating 3,000 spectators, training
hall, hockey field and further football and
athletics training facilities.
AL-ARABI
Established in 1952, the Al-Arabi Sports
Club is considered one of Qatar’s finest. Its
stylish main stadium accommodates 13,000
spectators and is complemented by a
multi-purpose indoor hall, swimming pool,
training fields, administration and changing
facilities.
Described as a ‘pearl on the Doha
Corniche’ the Qatar Sports Club has built
an international reputation. It has hosted
the IAAF Qatar Super Grand Prix event
since 2004 and many other international
events. The 15,000 capacity main stadium
is equipped with an athletics track, while
the original sports hall has been expanded
and complemented by a stunning new
multi-purpose hall.
AL-KHOR
The Al-Khor club is a gathering place for
the communities of Northern Qatar. In
addition to the main stadium, it comprises
swimming and diving pools with a multipurpose
indoor hall and squash courts.
AL-WAKRA
Established nearly 50 years ago, the Al-
Wakra club has a refurbished main stadium
and a 50m x 50m multi-purpose indoor
hall.
With a capacity of 25,000 spectators, the
main stadium at the Al-Gharafa Sports
Club has hosted many international
football events. But the stadium is not
the only highly impressive feature of this
centre of sporting excellence. The club’s
main sports hall is a stylish modern facility,
with a seating capacity of 3,000 spectators
for a wide range of sports activities, while
the training and administration facilities
included within the complex are all worldclass.
AL-SADD
The Al-Sadd Sports Club comprises a
stylish, modern 15,000 seat stadium and
a range of other world class facilities. The
complex includes an Olympic standard
swimming pool, a multi-purpose indoor
sports hall, along with training pitches and
an athletics track.
26 QatarSport Q1.08

o o o o o o o o o
partners
in sport
Qtel and sport –
the perfect match
Sport will be high on the agenda for Qatar telecom (QTEL) in 2008 and
beyond. The telecoms company will support many of Qatar’s most
High-profile events this year from golf to MotoGP and tennis to athletics.
The years of change before and after the 15th Asian
Games Doha 2006 have been unprecedented in the
history of Qatar sport. It has been the best of times with
every sporting stakeholder getting behind the government
plan to put sport at the centre of national life.
The business sector has been especially supportive,
as exemplified by Qatar’s leading telecommunications
company, Qatar Telecom, which has seldom been far
from the action in pursuit of this goal.
Qtel aims to support the sporting culture of the State
of Qatar while demonstrating the country’s expertise
in organising and hosting the best-in-class events. It’s a
strategy that encompasses tennis, golf, football, motorsports,
athletics and, of course, the Asian Games, and
has helped attract major international stars like Justine
Henin, Roger Federer, Ernie Els and Sergio Garcia
to these shores. But at its core, says Adel Al Mutawa,
Executive Director Group Communication Acting
at Qtel, the sponsorship strategy is based around one
simple idea - contributing to the community.
“As a Qatari company, Qtel believes it needs to
contribute to the community,” Al Mutawa explains.
“One of the major activities within the community is
sport so we believe there is a role for the private sector to
play in supporting these activities, especially those that
involve youth. As part of our investment in corporate
social responsibility, Qtel is also working in sponsorship
of the health and education sectors so there are different
elements to our strategy that will all have a positive
impact in youth and the community.”
While these important sectors deserve Qtel’s attention,
the biggest sponsorship ever undertaken by Qtel - and
the biggest technical and logistical challenge - was Qtel’s
sponsorship of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006.
Qtel was the first of the big four ‘Prestige Partners’
to sign up for Doha 2006 and, as the official telecoms
provider to the Games, it needed as much time as
possible to put the communications infrastructure for
the event in place.
The Games of your Life
Qtel spent over QR 500m ($137 million) to provide
all telecommunications-related services for the Asian
Games and Qtel’s team worked tirelessly for two years
to upgrade its fixed and wireless networks to handle
the massive influx of visitors, international media and
broadcasters from around the world.
The result was a text-book delivery of the telecom
requirements of the Games that has raised the bar for
other operators around the world in delivering such
huge international events.
“Qtel was thrilled to be part of the Asian Games because
it was a national event,” says Al Mutawa. “As a Qatari
company we put in a lot of effort to support the country
in its goals for the Games - to achieve the expected results
and make sure the telecoms infrastructure could support
Above: Adel Al Mutawa,
Executive Director
Group Communication
Acting at Qtel.
Main picture: The
Serbian teenager Ana
Ivanovic won last year’s
Qatar Telecom German
Open.
Q1.08 QatarSport 27

QTEL – RAISING
QATAR’S PROFILE
“Through our commitment to
sport we are certainly raising
the profile of Qatar. In only a
few short years, Qatar has had
phenomenal success holding a
number of international sporting
events. People have travelled
from all over the world to attend
these events, which has resulted
in a boost to tourism numbers
as people discover the potential
of Qatar. Through sponsoring
sports events, we can show
the international community
our wonderful nation and can
establish it as a world class
leader in organising international
events. We want to be an example
of how to do things right, and
here at Qtel, we want to support
that movement and help Qatar
enjoy its success and realise its
potential.”
Above: Veterans of the
track, Nigel Mansell
and Pierluigi Martini
before the Grand Prix
Masters of Qatar 2006.
so much traffic. This sponsorship was something different
- it was not only about financial support, but about
helping Qatar host the Asian Games and investing in the
communication infrastructure to handle the bandwidth
required to broadcast high quality video all over the world.
The Doha Asian Games Organising Committee was
really proud that during the whole period of the Games
there was not a single error in the telecoms infrastructure
carrying their content - the TV pictures, the radio, the
GSM, everything. And because of this major investment
we believe we can support the country in hosting whatever
events come in the future.”
“The [Doha 2006] sponsorship was
something different - it was not only about
financial support, but about helping Qatar
host the Asian Games”
Total commitment
The legacy of the Games in terms of Qtel’s capability
and continuing commitment to sport is impressive.
One month after the Games, Qtel had another chance
to prove its worth with the 10th anniversary of the
Commercialbank Qatar Masters at the Doha Golf Club.
Qtel was one of the major supporters of the $2.2 million
event, which featured household names such as Retief
Goosen, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Chris DiMarco.
Again, Qtel’s involvement helped broadcasters and media
deliver high-quality programmes, and send pictures and
reports to ensure that coverage of the PGA European Tour
and Asian Tour-sanctioned event was bigger than ever
before.
Important as it is, Qtel’s technology support for major
events doesn’t tell the full story. In fact, it’s not too strong
a statement to say that over the past five years, Qtel has
helped put Qatar on the sporting map. In 2006, Qtel
supported tennis with its sponsorship of the Qtel ATP
Tour of Champions, which saw tennis greats such as Henri
Leconte, Pat Cash and Richard Krajicek all play in front of
large crowds in Qatar.
This event includes players who have been either a
world number one during their competitive playing
careers, a Grand Slam singles finalist or a singles player
in a victorious Davis Cup team. Qtel is currently the
exclusive sponsor of this world-class event.
Qtel and the Qatar Tennis Federation share a longstanding
partnership and the telecoms company has been
a sponsor of the Qatar Tennis Open championships for
men and women (title-sponsored by Exxon Mobil and
TotalFina Elf respectively in 2007) for several years.
Tennis has also served the Qtel brand well in its support
of QTF events outside Qatar, including the Qatar German
Open Ladies Tournament (Tier I) in Berlin since 2005
and the ATP Masters Series for Men in Hamburg from
last year. Europeans are intrigued by Qatar’s presence in
the presentation and organisation of these events, and for
Al Mutawa, the sponsorships make perfect sense.
“In these sponsorships outside of Qatar, we are not only
supporting the federation in promoting the sport, but
promoting Qatar to the world,” he says. “When reaching
outside of Qatar we prove that we are capable of handling
and supporting the tennis federation in Germany or
anywhere in the world.
“We believe that by sponsoring the Qatar Telecom
German Open we will further strengthen Qatar’s
commitment to supporting first class sports events. In fact,
due to its overwhelming success, the International Tennis
Federation is now thinking of permanently moving the
tournament to Qatar. This is a wonderful testament to the
success of Qatar’s organisation and infrastructure and to
its success as a truly world-class sporting nation.”
Last May, Qtel further demonstrated its continuous
commitment towards promoting sports in Qatar as the
exclusive Prestige Partner of the Qatar Athletics Super
Grand Prix.
This event, which has been held in Qatar since 2005, is
hosted by the Qatar Association of Athletics Federation
in collaboration with the IAAF and attracted some of the
world’s biggest names in Athletics to the Qatar Sports
Club. “We believe this event continues to show Qatar’s
commitment to the world of sport and its place as an
internationally renowned sporting destination,” says
Al Mutawa. “We will continue to be involved in any
28 QatarSport Q1.08

o o o o o o o o o
partners
in sport
Left: Qtel services
featured in the Media
Centre for the 15th
Asian Games.
opportunity to raise Qatar’s profile in all international
sports events.”
Qtel’s portfolio of international event sponsorships has also
grown with the exclusive sponsorship of the Grand Prix
Masters of Qatar 2006, organised by the Qatar Motor and
Motorcycle Federation which gave local sports enthusiasts
the opportunity to see legendary drivers, such as former
F1 stars Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi, for the first
time in Qatar. In motorsports, Qtel is also a supporter of
MotoGP and the Endurance Championships.
And, of course, Qtel is a major supporter of national
events involving Qatar’s most popular sport. In an
agreement with the Qatar Football Association, Qtel is the
Platinum sponsor of the Emir Cup and the Heir Apparent
Cup. Qtel’s profile in football will build on its status as
one of four Prestige Partners of the 17th Gulf Cup held
in Doha in 2004, which will always be remembered for
Qatar’s penalty shoot-out win against Oman in the final.
Future ambitions
Looking to the future in terms of new technology, event
sponsorship and, of course, competition in Qatar’s
telecoms market, which came into play on December
10, Qtel is well-placed to make a full contribution to the
quality of Qatar’s commercial and sporting life. Al Mutawa
welcomes competition and believes it will raise standards
- and focus business strategies. “I think competition will
bring telecoms to an advanced stage in the state of Qatar.
We are going to develop our services and look into our
strategy in order to give an even better contribution
towards the community.”
This is partly being shown in Qtel’s new role as a
distributor of sports content to mobile handsets. Qtel
customers can now not only receive near-live video goal
highlights of Qatari League matches, but also subscribe
to SMS and video alerts from English Premier League,
Spanish and Italian Leagues, and there will be more
leagues and sports to come.
But it’s in the sponsorship strategies that Qtel can really
reach out to the hearts and minds of the people.
“We always try to link our brand with many elements
QTEL – SUPPORTING SPORT IN QATAR
“We support sport in Qatar because of the tremendous
importance it plays in human life, health and the
development of our country. We believe that sport
encourages a healthy mind and body and we’re keen to
support the sporting culture of the State of Qatar, and
demonstrate our country’s expertise in organising and
hosting best-in-class events. Here at Qtel, we know
that by supporting sport we can actually support our
society as it continues to grow. We recognise the great
diversity of our population, with people from every
corner of the globe calling Qatar home.
Sport has always been a bridge between people. It is
therefore important for us to back the expansion of
sport both on a national and international level and for
us to safeguard its growth within Qatar. Sport matters
to the people, to the country and to Qtel. We work hard
to ensure we are constantly challenging and raising
current standards to make the quality of our service
truly world class.”
in life so we have a new sponsorship strategy that will be
shown to the public from 2008 which will have a different
angle towards supporting the community and different
ways of reaching different segments within the country,”
Al Mutawa asserts.
But be assured that sport will play a big role. “With
the investment in sports infrastructure, Qatar will move
forward with more events and activities for sport. We need
to be a partner with sport and help to build that success
and be a partner of that success.”
“We will continue to be involved in any
opportunity to raise Qatar’s profile in all
international sports events”
Some might doubt that a private company could be so
committed to its country’s sporting goals, but Al Mutawa
is clear about Qtel’s inextricable link with the fortunes of
Qatar and its people.
“Qtel is linked with Qatar - our campaign is linked
with Qatar and the success of the country is linked to the
success of Qtel,” he says.
“We believe in partnership and mutual benefit and that
there should be a strong telecoms company in this country
that is supporting many different events. We are linking
our dream with the success of Qatar.”
Q1.08 QatarSport 29

o o o o o o o o o
flying
the flag
Olympic bronze
Mohamed Suleiman won Qatar’s first ever medal at the Olympic Games when
he won bronze in the 1500m at Barcelona 1992 - an achievement that has
earned the runner a special place in Qatar’s sporting history. Since then,
Suleiman has seen support for athletics bloom in Qatar.
Golden memories
Right: Mohamed
Suleiman enjoyed a
medal-winning run
of success for Qatar
during the 1990s.
For many athletes, their careers come full circle the
moment they finish competing and pass on the baton of
their experience to the next generation of youthful talent.
When Qatar Sports spoke to Mohamed Ahmed
Suleiman, Qatar’s first-ever Olympic medalist in the
1500m at the 1992 Barcelona Games, he was doing just
that, having overseen the Qatar Cup Indoor competition
for the youngest class of athletes - the mini cadets and
youth - at the ASPIRE Indoor Hall in December.
Coincidently, he had just been talking to a friend about
the incredible facilities at ASPIRE and how things had
changed from his youthful training days, when there were
just two or three tracks to practice on, including Khalifa
Stadium.
“I ran at the Asian Games in Seoul 1986,
Beijing 1990, Hiroshima 1994 and in
Bangkok 1998 and, believe me, Doha
2006 was something special.”
Now, he says, there are running tracks and grass pitches
everywhere you look in Qatar. “I never thought I’d see
such a big change in my lifetime, “says Suleiman. “Sport
in Qatar is one hundred times more advanced than it was.
It’s good for the young athletes, but we were lucky, too,
because we had the support of the royal family.”
Support networks
In his role as Assistant Secretary General of the Qatar
Athletics Federation (QAF) - and as chief commander of
the Military Athletics Section - he remains at the heart of
the sport in Qatar, which he first represented aged 15 at
the 1986 Arab Youth Championship.
As enthusiastic about athletics as ever, Suleiman recalls
the support he himself received as a young athlete leading
up to his historic bronze medal finish in Barcelona, as if
it were yesterday.
This came not only from his Czech coach, Stanislav
Strobel, but from HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa
Al-Thani, then the Crown Prince of Qatar. “Without his
support I could not have become world class or go on to
win an Olympic medal,” says Suleiman. “I have always had
his support and I will never forget it. Our leaders know
about sport and support sport from their hearts - not just
me, but all athletes who have won medals in the Asian
Games and other championships. I remember that eight
months before the Olympic Games, the QAF organised
training in Arizona in the United States. Before leaving,
I went to His Highness’s house and he said he believed I
could win an Olympic medal.”
Before Barcelona the signs were indeed good for the
young Suleiman. After qualifying for the 1991 World
Championships in Tokyo, where he came ninth, his
coach said that only his inexperience had stopped him
from doing much better. To prove the point, Suleiman
beat both the silver and bronze medallists from Tokyo in a
European Grand Prix event in Rome just two days later.
In the Olympic year, he also beat the 1500m world
record holder, Noureddine Morceli from Morocco, twice
and expectations were high in the summer of 1992 that he
could achieve a bronze or better at the Games.
Unforgettable moments
In Barcelona, Suleiman won his heat and in the semi-final
set a new Olympic record of 3.34.77. But the final was
a different story. “I’d beaten [the eventual gold medal
winner] Fermin Cacho in the semi final, but the final
was run very slowly and I finished in 3.40.77, six seconds
slower than in the semi-final. I thought I had a silver
medal, but this Moroccan guy [Rachid El Basir] got to
the line before me. I was a little unhappy because I knew I
could have done better, but at the same time I was happy
to win the first Olympic medal in the history of Qatar
and the Gulf. The Crown Prince told me many times that
however many medals we get in the Olympics, ‘you will
always be the first’.
Back in Doha, his reception was ‘fantastic’ and topped off
by a celebration along the Corniche in front of thousands
of supporters chanting his name. “After the medal my life
changed completely,“ says Suleiman. “It was a really great
time. I’ll never forget it and I know my people will never
forget it. If I won ten gold medals I could not repay my
country in how they supported me.”
From a humble Corporal in the Qatar Army, Suleiman
30 QatarSport Q1.08

was promoted to Lieutenant - he is now a Major - but
his middle-distance running exploits didn’t end in 1992.
Suleiman won successive Asian Games gold medals in the
1500m in 1990, 1994 and 1998, as well as numerous Arab,
Asian and Army Championship medals.
He retired in 2000 having run in the 5000m final at
the Sydney Olympic Games – and now it’s the athletic
exploits of young Qataris and the sporting ambitions of
its leadership that inspire Suleiman.
“It’s not easy to find talented athletes, but there are
many here who have the talent and will be participants for
Qatar in the next five to six years, ‘ he says. “They all want
to become like me or Talal Mansour [Qatar’s 100m flyer]
or Ibrahim Ismail [the former Asian Games 400m recordholder],
athletes who have now retired. The population
here is very small but we also have 10 Qatari guys who will
become world-class in sprints, middle distance, jumping
and throwing and should do well over the next three or
four years.”
Suleiman feels it would be unfair to name the hottest
young athletic prospects, but applauds the QAF President
and IAAF council member Dahlan Al-Hamad, who has
helped to set up the annual Super Grand Prix and attract
the World Indoor Championships to Doha in 2010. This,
he says, has created a growing interest in athletics among
young Qatari athletes.
“The Crown Prince told me many times that
however many medals we get in the Olympics,
‘you will always be the first’.”
Future perfect
But in terms of event hosting, nothing compares to the
15th Asian Games Doha 2006, which yielded two track
gold medals for Qatar and added a new experience for
Suleiman, who was one of the six special torchbearers to
do a lap of Khalifa Stadium in front of 50,000 fans at the
dramatic opening ceremony.
Suleiman joined five other legends of Qatar sport - the
world champion bowler Salem Bu Sharbak, footballers
Mubarak Mustafa and Mansour Muftah, rally driver
Nasser Al-Attiya and fellow athlete Talal Mansour - who
carried the Flame around the perimeter of the arena,
past the athletes from 45 countries and regions who had
assembled in the centre.
Says Suleiman: “For all of us that day, it felt like we had
won a gold medal at the Olympics!”
After the incredible Opening Ceremony, the 15th Asian
Games more than lived up to his expectations. “I ran at
the Asian Games in Seoul 1986, Beijing 1990, Hiroshima
1994 and in Bangkok 1998 and, believe me, Doha 2006
was something special,” he says.
Of course, for Suleiman, who retired from competitive
athletics in 1999, the chance to add to his five Asian
Games gold medals on home soil came too late.
But Doha’s hosting of the world’s second largest multisports
event after the Summer Olympic Games left a
lasting impression on the former athlete.
“We did a great job. We have fantastic facilities and now
all the people in Qatar talk about sport - my father, my
grandfather, my brother. It’s excellent.”
Q1.08 QatarSport 31

www.globalsportfund.com
Sport—
a universal
language
The Global Sport Fund (GSF)
promotes sports and healthy
lifestyles among young people
around the world. The GSF, an
initiative sponsored by the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
and the Qatar Olympic Committee,
encourages young people to
develop their potential and to keep
away from using drugs.

Arab Swimming Open Championships
Artistic Gymnastics World Cup
Qatar Classic Squash Competition
Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
Super Bowl XLII Arizona, USa 03/02/08
Qatar International Sailing Championship Doha Bay 03/02/08
Asian Indoor Athletics Championships ASPIRE 10/02/08
Asian Junior (under 10) Football Festival Doha 14/02/08
Nascar, Daytona 500 Daytona, USa 16/02/08
WTA Qatar Total Women’s Tennis Open Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex 18/02/08
World Team Table Tennis Championships Guangzhou, China 24/02/08
Artistic Gymnastics World Cup aSPIRE 04/03/08
8th Qatar International Equestrian Jumping Championships Equestrian Federation Facilities 06/03/08
Australian Grand Prix Melbourne, Australia 06/03/08
Qatar MotoGP Losail International Circuit 06/03/08
IAAF World Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 07/03/08
International Junior Table Tennis Championships aSPIRE 11/03/08
Qatar International Junior Squash Championship Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex. 13/03/08
School Olympic Day aSPIRE 14/03/08
12th Qatar International Table Tennis Championship aSPIRE 18/03/08
Qatar Classic Squash Competition (exact date TBC) Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex 04/08
Arab Swimming Open Championships aquatic Centre, Aspire Zone 04/08
International Best Jockey Championship Equestrian Federation Facilities 04/08
The Grand National Aintree, UK 05/04/08
XVI ANOC General Assembly Beijing,China 06/04/08
Equestrian Global Champions Tour Equestrian Federation Facilities 10/04/08
The Masters (golf) Augusta, USa 10/04/08
Fencing World Cup Beijing, China 18/04/08
Qatar Athletics Super Grand Prix (exact date TBC) Qatar Sports Club 09/05/08
SportAccord Athens, Greece 02/06/08
Wrestling Youth Asian Championships aSPIRE 04/07/08
Events diary - International and Qatar
Q1.08 QatarSport 33

WHY UNIVERSALISATION IS the key to
the future
Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF, athletics’ world governing body, looks
ahead to the 2010 World Indoor Championships in Doha and considers some
of the major issues facing the sport he loves.
Above: Lamine Diack –
eight years at the helm
of the IAAF.
The world’s leading track and field athletes will
head for Doha in 2010 to compete in the IAAF World
Indoor Championships, one of the most prestigious events
on the international sports calendar.
The event will be held in the award-winning Aspire
complex, which will provide the perfect stage for athletes
aiming to deliver the ultimate performance after months
of training geared towards the quest for Gold.
For the International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF), the world governing body of Track
and Field, the decision to award the World Indoor
Championships to Qatar is recognition of the country’s
established relationship with international athletics and a
vote of confidence in its ability to deliver a world-class event.
And for Lamine Diack, the Senegal-born president of the
IAAF, the choice of Qatar has even greater significance.
Now in the early months of his second term in office,
Diack is a firm believer that the future of Athletics lies
in taking athletics to new countries and engaging youth
and that the Middle East and Asia are hugely important
marketplaces.
The ‘white-haired man from Senegal’ - as he describes
himself - is a former French long-jump champion and a
passionate lover of football. As a player he was a quality
midfielder before injury ended his football career but as a
coach he took the Senegal team to the brink of World Cup
qualification long before the nation’s leading players had
made an impact on the world stage.
34 QatarSport Q1.08

the big interview
Above: Lamine Diack sees exciting times ahead for athletics in the Middle East.
He has been running the Monaco-based IAAF for eight
years, taking the job as a stop-gap after the death of the
Italian Primo Nebiollo and subsequently winning two
elected terms. Now, in the early months of his second and
final stint in the hot seat, he has a clear mission to handover
a sport which has led a successful fight against doping,
built a compelling and sustainable commercial structure
and ensured its future by engaging kids around the world.
Universal sport
“One of my main priorities as IAAF President, in my final
four-year mandate, is to work hard for what I call the
“universalisation” of our sport,” Diack told Qatar Sport.
“Already, with 212 Member Federations, the IAAF
represents one of the few sports that can gather the
whole world at a sporting event. But now, I want the
championships also to be spread all over the world. It
is really important for the worldwide development of
athletics that developing, ambitious countries have the
chance to organise top competitions in athletics and I
believe that the Middle East, particularly the Gulf region,
has tremendous potential.”
The president is certainly confident that Qatar has the
facilities, infrastructure and event management skills to
ensure the success of the World Indoor Championships.
“I am sure that they will do an excellent job organising
this competition. The facilities are superb and there is a lot
of enthusiasm and good will amongst the hosts,” he said.
“The main advantage of Qatar is that they have proved
to be a ‘friend’ of athletics for many years now. I still recall
“The main advantage of Qatar is that they
have proved to be a ‘friend’ of athletics
for many years now. I still recall when the
Emir personally informed me that he had
a real love for our sport and was anxious
to help it develop in his country.”
when the Emir personally informed me that he had a real
love for our sport and was anxious to help it develop in his
country. Originally, he organised a Grand Prix meeting
only for men, then, in 1998, the Grand Prix competition
was open to women as well, which proved to be a great
success. This meeting is now one of the fastest growing
on the international circuit. Doha also hosted the IAAF
Grand Prix Final in 2000, just after the Sydney Games
and, since then, the country has gone from strength to
strength, not only in terms of a booming economy, but in
its efforts to attract sport.”
Growth potential
Like many other leaders of world sport, Lamine Diack
was clearly impressed by the way the Track and Field
programme at the 2006 Asian Games operated.
“All of us who were in Doha for those Games were
extremely impressed by the organisational efforts and it is
clear that track and field will always be at the heart of any
major Games, whether at an Olympic or an Area level,”
he said. “This is something that we don’t take for granted
Q1.08 QatarSport 35

the big interview
Lamine Diack – continued from previous page.
though, which is why we work hard on our development
activities to make sure that track and field develops
real roots and becomes a genuine part of the culture,
particularly in schools and amongst the youth. We are very
happy that Qatar has adopted the IAAF’s Kids Athletics
programme – which is intended to allow youngsters to
practice the basics of athletics – in a way that is appealing
and fun”.
His focus on the role of sport in general - and
athletics in particular - in helping develop and provide
opportunities for youngsters, mirrors that of the Qatar
Olympic Committee itself and is based to a large extent
on personal experience.
“The key to everything is making the sport universal
and getting youth involved and we aim to play our part
to the full. This is a very important time for the world in
terms of health issues such as obesity and heart disease.
Because of its very simplicity, athletics has a role to play in
encouraging people to become more active and healthier
and we will work with governments and other groups to
achieve this.”
“We are very keen to promote the Middle
East – where there is massive growth
potential in business terms, participation
levels and fan bases. You can already see
athletics pushing hard in this region.”
“There is no doubt that while the IAAF needs to be diligent
about ensuring stability in ‘old markets’ for athletics such
as Europe, the exciting developments will come in areas
of the world where there is economic strength and where
our sport is not yet mature. This is why the IAAF is very
keen to promote the Middle East - where there is massive
growth potential not only in business terms but in terms
of participation levels and fan bases. You can already see
other sports like F1, golf, tennis and rugby pushing hard
in this region and athletics is no exception”.
Personal development
Diack is passionate about athletics because of what the
sport has given him and what he sees it doing for others.
“In my younger days at school we did basic athletics
- middle distance running, jumping and rope climbing.
When I was 12 or so I wanted to be the best in my class, I
wanted the class to be the best in the school and I wanted
the school to be the best in the area in every sporting
activity we were involved in. In this way athletics helped
my self-knowledge and personal development and gave
me and my schoolmates the opportunity to test ourselves.
Importantly, the disciplines learned and strengths built
for athletics prepared us to learn and develop the more
specific skills you need for others sports such as football,”
he said. Today, however, the relationship between sport
and childhood has changed significantly in many parts
of the world and this, says Diack, is cause for the gravest
concern.
“Athletics helped me to develop and I am concerned that
children today are not getting the opportunities which I
enjoyed,” he said.
“Today when children do sport it tends to be only
football rather than athletics plus football which is the
ideal combination. That’s why we are putting so much
effort into developing opportunities for youngsters to
participate in athletics because, unfortunately, they are not
always able to do it at school.”
Sporting heroes
He is also aware of the role of sporting heroes in encouraging
participation. His own boyhood hero - perhaps surprisingly
for somebody growing up in French-speaking Senegal
- was the English footballer Stanley Matthews, a winger
who inspired a generation of youngsters, not only through
his skill, but his attitude to sport and life in general.
Diack refuses to subscribe to the cynical view that there
are few heroes in athletics today.
“There are stars in every generation,” he says. “The
important thing is to provide them with the opportunities
to appear as role-models.”
If you look in the right places, athletics is packed-full of
inspirational athletes and their inspirational stories. Why
does Heile Gabriesellase, the Ethiopian distance runner,
crook his arm when running? It’s the legacy of carrying his
school books under his arm on the 10 kilometre, barefoot
run to and from his village to school as a youngster.
And what about Paula Radcliffe, the British runner
whose resilience and determination saw her recover from
the massive disappointments of the Athens Olympic
Games to triumph in this year’s New York marathon, after
becoming a mother for the first time.
IAAF World Indoor Championships
Discipline by discipline, country by country, there
are many more stories to tell. These are the tales of
achievement against adversity, of obstacles overcome and
of determination rewarded which tell what Diack sees as
the real story of athletics.
For Diack and the IAAF, the 2010 World Indoor
Championships in Doha will mark the beginning of a
new chapter in that story and create new heroes for a new
generation. The Championships will be played out in a
nation where sport is central to government policy and
where the focus on youth participation is seen by many
outsiders as a model for the rest of the world.
So how does world athletics’ leader sum up the potential
for sport in Qatar?
“Well, the IAAF World Indoor Championships will
take place in a venue that was built for the Asian Games
and I believe that the facilities are such that virtually every
major sport in the world could host a top event in Qatar,”
he said.
“That is a tribute to the intelligent leadership of the
Qatari authorities since, by hosting international sport, a
country is able to promote its image in a very positive way
and also contribute to better understanding and tolerance
between nations and cultures. My message today is to keep
up the good work and I look forward to my next visit!”
36 QatarSport Q1.08