SpOrtS

natiOn
On December 6, 2011, an initiative aDOpteD by HH SHeikH tamim bin HamaD al tHani, tHe Deputy emir anD Heir apparent, tO Help inStill a culture Of SpOrt intO Qatar waS annOunceD. tHe SecOnD tueSDay Of every february wOulD be a natiOnal SpOrt Day anD a public HOliDay. it waS teStament tO tHe grOwing prOfile wHicH SpOrt iS nOw enjOying in Qatar anD tHe influence it iS Having On tHe reSiDentS Here. in ligHt Of tHiS, Qatar tODay fOcuSeS On tHe effOrtS being maDe by tHe variOuS StakeHOlDerS tHrOugHOut tHe cOuntry, frOm tHe Qatar Olympic cOmmittee tO tHe variOuS SpOrting feDeratiOnS tO tHe OrganiSerS Of tHe Different graSSrOOtS leagueS wHicH are giving tHe OrDinary reSiDentS Of Qatar a cHance tO play On a cOmpetitive team. by rOry cOen

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you take a walk around the Aspire Academy, youll see that it is peppered with quotes from famous sports personalities about what it takes to succeed in sport, but also how enjoyable general participation in sport can be. The legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi holds no punches with quotes such as If winning isnt everything, then why do they keep score? to Michael Jordans more down-to-earth just play, have fun, enjoy the game philosophy. Sport includes all kinds of characters. Qatar is trying to place itself somewhere in the middle. While it wants everyone to get active and play some kind of sport as is evident in its National Sports Day initiative it is also trying to train young children to be superstars of the future, which can be witnessed any day you walk through the high-tech Aspire Zone. The country is also a big player in sports tourism, the concept of attracting tourists to the country by hosting top-quality sporting events or providing state-of-theart training facilities for top teams to come here to train. The Manchester United football team spent a week last month training at the Aspire Zone, for instance. The South American champions Uruguay play the European Champions, Spain, at Khalifa Stadium this month. Platforms like the recent Aspire4Sport Congress were perfect for allowing the various stakeholders a chance to discuss opportunities in all segments of the industry. National Sport Day However, the intention of National Sports Day is much more modest. Its remit is simple: to get people active, or to further embed sporting values into the nations culture and inspire local people to participate in sports activities. Sport wasnt always part of the Qatari vernacular and the country is now playing catch-up with much of the world. While its difficult to implant a cultural trait into a nations psyche, Qatar feels that a fit and competitive populace should be integral to its 2030 National Vi-

sion. So across the nation, on February 12, ministries, government departments, public and private sector organisations and sports clubs will be organising various activities in an attempt to create awareness about how sport can lead to better health. The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) will open its sports clubs and facilities allowing everyone men, women and children, includinf those with disabilities to practise and enjoy sporting activities. Events will be staged on the Corniche and at Aspire, Al Ra-

faa Street and the Olympic Parks. Additionally, a sport zone will be set up by the QOC near the Corniche, featuring all-day sport and recreational activities open to all from February 12-16. Qatars fastest woman, Noor Al-Malki, who represented Qatar at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and is an ambassador for National Sport Day, endorses the idea of dedicating one day every year to the ideals of sport: Initiatives like National Sport Day advertise Qatars willingness to become a sporting nation and encourage people to become sports fans. We can show other nations that our society is adopting the sporting culture and is open to fresh ideas for a healthier and robust life. Private initiatives Brave as the concept of a national sports day is, other organisations must carry the can for the remaining 364 days of the year. Qatar is a country with a very diverse demographic, where only about 20% of the population are Qatari Nationals. The remainder come from every corner of the globe and their sporting interests vary. While it may be construed as a challenge to cater for everyones interests, it can also be grasped as an opportunity. Many expatriates are only too keen to impress their love for sport on this country. Theres growth and opportunity in every sector and they know that with the right model in place, anything is possible. Quantum Sports Leagues (QSports Leagues) was founded by seven men in 2011 and has grown at a phenomenal rate since. It is a multisport league and sports management company which lives by an ethos of Have Fun, Get Fit and Make Friends by playing and enjoying sport on a regular basis. It organises sports leagues and activities for residents of Qatar. Ben Panton, one of the founder members of QSports Leagues, explained how it all began: A few of us were looking for things to do in Qatar. Joining a gym had certain limitations, in that you pay a set price for a year and youre fed up with it after a month. And

The NaTioNal sporT day is The perfecT way To Try sporT iN a fuN aNd safe eNviroNmeNT. qaTar is aT The forefroNT of sporT developmeNT aNd The healTh beNefiTs of beiNg acTive are huge: everyoNe should make sporT aN iNTegral parT of Their daily life. i hope everyoNe joiNs iN oN february 12 To make This years NaTioNal sporT day aN occasioN To remember i am really lookiNg forward To iT
abdulrahman abdulqadar abdulrahman.
paralympian 2012 and ambassador for national sport day 2013.

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the red devils train at aspire academy

part of qatars sports tourism strategy is to attract top-class clubs, such as englands manchester united fc, to doha. World class players, such as robin Van persie, Wayne rooney and michael carricK are being put through their paces.

its difficult to really meet people in that environment. We felt a soccer league might be more in tune with what we wanted to do, so we decided to set one up and see who was interested. We advertised it on Facebook, and news of the league soon spread around Doha. Our original plan was for a pilot season of eight teams where we would book a sports hall at Al Jazeera Academy. However, we had 20 or so applications, so we bumped up the number of teams to 12. The over-subscription was very encouraging, but since it was our pilot season, we decided to tread cautiously, said Panton. Since this initial offering where it had 150 members, QSports League now boasts 4,000 members. This is due to their recognition of the potential of their product. Instead of sitting on a 12-team six-a-side soccer league, it has opened up to other sports such as cricket, basketball and touch rugby. Although they are a private company and deep down you feel they would love to make some money, this doesnt seem to be their short-term goal, and it was refreshing to hear about the effort the team was putting in without any thought for real-time financial reward. One example of this is how open the company is for membership. You feel there is a sense of pragmatism about how they operate which isnt always a recognisable

we are a public faciliTy ThaT allows aNyoNe To use our courTs. as for members, we have 175 childreN eNrolled iN our TeNNis 10s school promoTiNg The game To The youNgesT group; 70 sTudeNTs oN our NaTioNal Team represeNTiNg The couNTry aT all levels of play; aNd 250 sTudeNTs iN The qTf school which is opeN To all juNiors.
nasser Ghanim al Khelaifi
president, qatar tennis federation

attribute of private companies. They run cricket leagues but they understand that those who wish to play cant afford what the league may feel is a fair price, so they adapt. While the cricket facilities in Qatar are pretty abysmal for the thousands of cricket players who are working here, they may still be better than what they are used to at home. QSports Leagues try to simulate a cricket environment as best they can. Another example is through its promotion of womens soccer. Panton explained that they didnt get involved in womens soccer for the first couple of seasons, but women now form 10% of their overall membership. Much of this is due to their tolerance for the different levels the women may be playing at. QSports League set up a womens soccer team expats with membership and trained them to play the Qatari national team in three 90-minute games last year. Panton explained that there was a huge disparity in standards. We had the ex-Dutch international goalkeeper and then a girl from Palestine who hardly ever kicked a ball, he said. So it was a real balancing act. Some of the Western girls, whose skills were more developed, really wanted to beat the Qatari girls. You could understand their frustration with the less technical girls, but we wanted an allinclusive squad; we wanted to give everyone

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a game. QSports League hired an American coach for the three-game series, whilst Panton assisted with the teams preparation to some degree. They made it clear to the Qatari team that they would start with their best team, but they would roll substitutes through the games to be fair to everyone. They lost each of the three games (2-1, 4-0 and 1-0) but the seeds for the development of womens football within the league had fallen on fertile ground. We had fifty women the following season, said Panton, and we split them into four teams of 12, where each team would have an even mix of highly technical players and novices. Panton claimed it was the womens basketball league that brought the company to a whole new level in terms of exposure and sponsorship. We tried to get more sponsors on board to be able to afford better venues and increase our exposure, he said. When we moved into womens sports we were contacted by the QOC; and the Qatar Womens Olympic Committee was interested in our basketball leagues in particular. Corporates like McDonalds came on board on the back of this, and we have just grown from there, really. Evolution Soccer (Evo Soccer) noticed a large gap in the football segment in 2007. Its set its goal to create a soccer coaching resource for the burgeoning population of Qatari and expat players and coaches. This happened long before Qatars bid for 2022 was accepted, so the timing of FIFAs decision couldnt have been better. All our coaches are trained to a high level, usually in the UK, said Tommy Westmoreland, a coach at Evo Soccer. Most groups train twice a week, with midweek focused on skills development and technique, while the weekends are reserved for small-sided games. Our U/16s recently took part in the QIAFL, an adult league in Qatar, and received huge plaudits for their technique and style of play. How do parents react to their childrens dream of playing in the 2022 World Cup? Do they see football as a viable career path because of this huge opportunity in ten years time? I think education is priority for most parents, but it cant be denied that the decision to host the 2022 World Cup has fueled great interest here and has opened up peoples eyes to the potential opportunities for these kids. Evo soccer has already sent many Qatari kids onto club teams. of participants since its inception. Other projects include the construction of sports facilities and parks throughout Qatar, such as the recent opening of the Al Wukair playing fields, which include a number of facilities for various sports. Theres no doubt that Qatar is really putting in an effort to glamorise sport and take it to another level. Chief among its goals is to get young Qataris developing a taste for sport and competition, and its SOP is the key driver towards this. The SOP hopes to create a sports culture that calls for the practice of sports for health and life in Qatari society, creating an attractive environment for students of both genders to practise physical education activities. The programme has been running for six years now between the months of October and April. Public schools (independent and nonindependent), private schools, community schools (boys and girls), kindergartens and special needs institutions participate in the competitions, games and festivals. Male students in all educational stages may participate in one team event (football, basketball, handball or volleyball) and one individual event (table tennis, fencing, swimming, gymnastics or athletics). Female students in all educational stages may participate in one team event (football, basketball, handball or volleyball) or one individual event (table tennis, fencing, swimming, gymnastics or athletics). On the sidelines of this programme, Enterprise Qatar (EQ) is working with these students through a series of workshops entitled, Innovation and Creativity Challenges, where students are grouped into teams and asked to develop certain business plans, such as how to promote Qatar as a tourist destination for the World Cup, how to increase the participation of women in sport, and how to create a sports plan for the disabled. The response has been fantastic! exclaimed PR Professional Patrick Forbes. The workshops were attended by over 400 students, from a wide range of independent and government schools. The students engaged in the activities with a lot of passion, and the level of competition was high. This is the sixth year that the SOP has taken place so it isnt the first step, but it is certainly a confirmation that there is serious interest in sports among students, and contributes to the momentum. If we are successful in reaching people when they are in their youth, they are more likely to adopt healthy habits in their adult life.

saleh al kaabi aNd ghaNim al kuwari have worked Tirelessly To improve Their golf games, aNd Now They have earNed The opporTuNiTy of a lifeTime To represeNT Their couNTry iN a home TourNameNT. parT of The missioN of The qaTar golf associaTioN is To provide qaTari golfers wiTh The access aNd supporT Needed To achieve aT a world-class level. we are proud To have These Two players represeNTiNg us iN The commercialbaNk qaTar masTers.
hassan al nuami
president of qatar golf association

Public initiatives The QOC which is in effect the Ministry of Sport in Qatar is in the midst of a fiveyear sport strategy (2011-2016). The strategy includes a number of key projects and outcomes. The Sports Participation Survey Project in collaboration with the Qatar Statistics Authority and the Qatar Supreme Council of Health is one example. The results of this survey will be announced during the National Sport Day activities. The five-year strategy hopes to increase participation, enhance and integrate planning for general and specialised sports facilities, and improve the process of building and managing sporting talents. The Schools Olympic Programme (SOP) is aimed at preparing young athletes in a sporting context and has seen a 400% increase in the number

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celebratiOn time
ben panton claims that qsports league really began to groW once the qatar Womens olympic committee and mcdonalds roWed in behind its promotion of the sport.

National Sports Federations While the QOC has adopted its five-year strategy, various other National Sports Federations (NSF) have their own strategic plans aimed at developing and supporting talented athletes. QOC and the NSFs work together as partners for all sporting events. There are a number of big events that Qatar will be hosting in the future. These include the 2014 FINA Swimming World Cup, the 2015 World Handball Championships and the 2016 UCI Road Cycling World Championships. Qatar currently hosts 30 international sporting events, which will increase to 50 by 2020. It recently had bids for the 2017 IAAF Athletics World Championship and the 2020 Summer Olympic Games turned down. Mutaz Barshim, Hamza Driouch and Ashraf Amgad Elseify are just a few shining examples of how the Qatar Athletics Federation has been supporting athletes. Their achievements include a bronze medal by Mutaz in the recent 2012 Olympic Games in London, a gold medal by Hamza in the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona and a new world record by Ashraf Amgad Elseify in the hammer discipline at the 2012 Asian World Junior Athletics Championships in Sri Lanka. Investment in these young athletes is one

tool that the QOC is using to prepare for Rio 2016 and other sporting events. The focus is on giving more attention to grassroots sport and talent development in order to secure medals in athletics and shootings which are seen as important sports for Qatar in the Olympics. Nasser Al-Attiyah of course won bronze for Qatar in the mens Skeet (clay-pigeon shooting) at the recent London Olympic Games. The Qatar Golf Association (QGA) has sixty national members and two of its upand-coming members, 18-year-old student Saleh Al-Kaabi and 31-year-old business owner Ghanim Al-Kuwari competed with the worlds best at the recent Commercialbank Qatar Masters. They realised this dream by finishing as the top two Qatari nationals at this years Qatar Open amateur event played prior to the Masters. A graduate of Aspire Sports Academy and a first-year student at Qatar University, AlKaabi has only been playing tournaments for about three years, but Qatars national team coach, Mike Elliott, believes he has the skillset to make it as a touring golfer. He hits the ball extremely long, well over 300 yards regularly, he said. Hes up there in distance with anyone. Hes also a very calm and focused person on the course. His temperament always remains the same,

which is great. Hes the whole package. Al-Kuwari, married with three children, has been one of Qatars top golfers at numerous points over the past decade. A sporadic tournament player, balancing his love of the game with life responsibilities, AlKuwari has recently re-dedicated himself as a member of the Qatar national team and played some of the best golf of his life. Elliott highlights Al-Kuwaris course management and his putting as his top skills, calling him one of Qatars most exceptional players on the green. With golf being on the programme for the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Elliott was disappointed that these men wouldnt be allowed the chance to even qualify, such were the rule adjustments made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Instead of giving the likes of Al-Kaabi, who is still a teenager, the chance to represent his country in the Olympics as an amateur, the IOC prefers to bring in the top professionals we see week in, week out on our television screens. An area that is really taking off in Qatar is motorsport. Hardly surprising when you see the speeds these boys are able to get up to on the Al Shamal road. Motorsport is growing in Qatar and is indeed a culture that has existed for many

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The qaTar moTor aNd moTorcycle federaTioN is orgaNisiNg more aNd more eveNTs every year oN various Types of TerraiN: deserT, off-road areas aNd asphalT circuiTs. more ThaN half of The eNTries iN These eveNTs are qaTari drivers or riders.
nasser Khalifa al attiyah
qatars future
eVolution sports is giVing young Kids the coaching needed to reach the top.

president, qatar motor and motorcycle federation.

years already, said Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiya, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) President. QMMF is organising more and more events every year on various types of terrain: desert, off-road areas and asphalt circuits. More than half of the entries in these events are Qatari drivers or riders. The QMMF now boasts almost 1,000 members who volunteer as marshalls for events and also participate when they can. It runs a Childrens Academy to instruct children and young people to develop their riding skills instruction which always includes an education in safety awareness. The Federation runs fourteen different events every year. International events include the Moto GP World Championship, Motocross World Championship, Qatar International Rally, Sealine Cross Country Rally, Endurance World Championship, Asia Road Racing Championship, Qatar International Enduro and Qatar International Road Racing Championship. National events include the Qatar National Rally, Qatar National Baja, National Sprint, Qatar National Road Racing Championship, Losail Asia Road Racing Championship and Track Days. The 2013 FIM Motocross World Championship will be staged for the first time in Qatar. The event will be held at the Losail Circuit on March 1 and 2.

Stakeholders This apparent boom in sporting interest in the country has whetted the appetites of the many sporting stakeholders based here. Theres money to be made on sporting infrastructure, equipment, gadgetry and clothing. The recent Aspire4Sport Congress brought many of these stakeholders together, where they discussed three segments in particular: construction, science and medicine, and technology. One of these stakeholders is TechnoQ, which has been involved in systems integration in Qatar since 1995, specialising in audiovisual, building controls, fire and security systems, lighting, information technology, broadcast and hospitality management solutions. Over the years it has built a diverse client base spans a broad range of industries including the sporting sector. The Managing Director of Techno Q, Zeyad Al-Jaidah, gave Qatar Today his thoughts on how important sport is for Qatar and how his company has put itself in a position to take advantage of the numerous projects which sport will bring to Qatar over the next decade. The sports industry is a big business that can contribute great amounts to building a strong country brand and the economy, he said. The brand of a country has a direct impact on its ability to compete and grow in the global arena. When a major interna-

tional sporting event is hosted by a country it brings in a big influx of foreign currency, tourists and additional spending on goods and services. The sports industry crosses state lines and generates exposure for almost every area of the economy. For us, as for other SMEs in Qatar, this means that we can successfully put down roots in cornering a niche with products and services serving this sector, and there is a way to carve out a piece of the market, he said. TechnoQs initial foray into sports sector came in 2004. In preparation for the Asian Games 2006, it was appointed to design and install the broadcast and audiovisual systems for Khalifa Stadium. In the years that followed, it was awarded many other projects, such as systems installations at Aspire Zone, Al Shaqab Academy and the Equestrian Centre. As a company, we have made many efforts to establish a strong hold in this field by hiring highly-skilled technical staff and investing in resources that enable us to fully understand our clients project requirements, said Al-Jaidah. We anticipate that approximately 20% of the new business will come from projects that are in the pipeline for 2022. The major factors influencing project evaluation for us will depend on the design and the technical specifications of the new buildings and stadia