eyes on china gold - Qatar Olympic Committee

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QatarSport
Q3.2008
the official magazine of the qatar olympic committee
qatar’s stars
bound for
beijing
eyes
on
china
gold
GAME ON!
WORLD CUP SUCCESS
FOR QATAR
JUMP FOR JOY
IRISH RIDER WINS
DOHA SHOW
THE BIG INTERVIEW
GEORGE O’GRADY
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qatarsport.Q3.08.contents
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Silver Metalic
04 QOC Comment
Message from the Secretary General
05 News
2010 World Cup Qualifiers
10
The Emir’s Cup
More than a match
12
Exhibitions Life - Be Part of it!
14
Beijing 2008 History in the making
24
Stars in Qatar
Ireland’s Show Jumping sensation
26
Partners in Sport QNB’s sponsorship portfolio
29
Health & SocietyAspetar sets new standards
31
Sports Calendar
33
World RankingsThe best of the best
34
The Big Interview
Highlights of the sporting season
European PGA chief George O’Grady
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.
Maroon
www.olympic.qa
[email protected]
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Silver Meta
Designed and produced for the Qatar Olympic Committee by SportBusiness Group, London.
Cover photo: supplied by the QOC
Q3.08 QatarSport 3
Welcome...
Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Secretary General, Qatar Olympic Committee
Like people the world over, we are eagerly looking
forward to the Olympic Games.
This summer over 10,000 athletes and officials and a
further 20,000 media representatives will be in Beijing to
celebrate sport, life and humanity in what has come to
be known as The Greatest Show On Earth.
The Opening ceremony is set to become the most
watched programme in the history of television with
nearly 2 billion people around the world tuning
in. That surely underscores the global importance
of these Games.
The Olympic Games represents the pinnacle of every
competitor’s sports career. They may set new records and
even win world championships but, in most sports, an
Olympic Gold medal is the ultimate goal.
“The values of sport and fair play are
more important than the barriers
of nationality and politics”
That is why I am delighted that Qatar will send
its biggest ever delegation to the Beijing Games. Six
federations - Athletics (Track and Field) Archery, Fencing,
Swimming Shooting and Taekwondo - are sending
competitors and our nation will also be represented in
the Paralympic Games.
In many respects, the Olympic Games provide an
indicator of how far sport in Qatar has come and how
quickly it is developing. It is a credit to the federations,
their coaches and officials that we are sending more
competitors to the Games than ever before and there is
also a belief that Qatari athletes have a genuine chance of
winning medals in a number of events.
That is a real mark of progress for everybody involved
in sport in Qatar and a tribute to the inspiration and
leadership of HH the Emir.
The Olympic Games will provide inspiration for a
generation of youngsters watching around the world
and I am sure that the performance of our athletes
will encourage Qatari youngsters to emulate them, by
showing them that by recognising and developing your
talents, anything is possible.
The importance of the Olympic Games is heightened
4 QatarSport Q3.08
in Qatar because of the central role of sport in our
country. The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) is
responsible not only for the team which represents Qatar
in Beijing but for all aspects of sporting life. (QOC)
is the clear link between the medal hopefuls in China
and the youngsters taking their first sporting steps as
participants in our schools Olympic Day programme.
It is what connects the major international events
which are staged in our country and the thousands of
men, women and children who take part in the Aspire
Active programme.
We are confident that the people of Qatar will provide
fantastic support to our athletes and those of other
nations during the Olympic Games but the Olympic
Committee is determined that the focus on sport does
not end with the closing ceremony.
Our role is continue to provide the facilities, coaches
and stimulus to encourage every Qatari and Qatar
resident to make sport part of their lives, not simply as
spectators but as participants.
Not everybody will ever run a marathon, fewer still will
complete the 100 metres in under 10 seconds. Not all of
us can be a top class footballer or win a tennis title.
But sport is amazingly diverse and offers most people,
irrespective of age or gender, an opportunity to participate,
to be part of a new and stimulating community and enjoy
the health benefits of a more active lifestyle.
The Olympic Games are the embodiment of sport’s
role in life and goes beyond the arena itself. Despite the
fact that the world is an intensely complicated place, the
Olympic Games represents a willingness to embrace a
spirit of togetherness, where the values of sport and fair
play are more important than the barriers of nationality
and politics.
Those are the values at the heart of the Qatar
Olympic Committee and which drive our unchanging
policy to become a welcoming host to the world’s major
sports events.
In the spirit of sport I would like to wish the
Beijing Organising Committee, the Chinese Olympic
Committee and every participating Olympic Committee
enjoyable and successful Games.
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani
Secretary General. Qatar Olympic Committee
Q3.08.news
A last ditch win against Iraq
has given fresh impetus to
QATAR’s World Cup 2010
qualifying campaign
World cup
campaign
back on
track
Qatar has been drawn in a Group A with Australia, We have beaten some strong sides this year and have
Japan, Bahrain and Uzbekistan as the 2010 FIFA World learned a lot along the way. Our next target is reach the
Cup Asian Zone qualifying tournament reaches its World Cup finals.”
Commenting on Qatar’s prospects of reaching the
final group stages.
Qualification for the last 10 was sealed in dramatic finals after the draw, President of the Qatar Football
style on June 22 when the boys in maroon triumphed in Association, HE Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed
a must-win preliminary group match against the 2007 Al-Thani, added: “Group A includes teams of a high
technical level and great reputation in Asia, but [I
Asian Champions Iraq.
Held in Dubai as a ‘home’ game for Iraq, striker, believe] Qatar will compete strongly to qualify for the
Saeed Al Bashir scored the only goal of a nerve-jangling finals in South Africa.”
In Group B, South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia,
encounter in the 77th minute, raising Qatar’s points tally
which all qualified for the last World Cup in 2006, will
to 10, to finish in second place behind Australia.
“It was very tense out there,” admitted Qatar’s battle North Korea and the United Arab Emirates for the
Uruguayan coach Jorge Fossati after the match. “But right to play in South Africa.
The first and second places of each group qualify
my players played according to plan. It was extremely
pleasing to see how they performed with their backs to directly for the finals, while the third placed teams will
play-off against each other for the right to take on the
the wall.
“We [also] managed to defeat our critics - and the winner of the Oceania Confederation for the final place.
The two groups will be contested on a home and away
entire football hierarchy [in Qatar] deserves to celebrate
basis between September 2008 and June 2009. Qatar will
this great win.”
Fossati added that he has faith in his players to face Uzbekistan in Doha on September 6 in the opening
deliver the goods in the next stage of qualifying. “I am match. The second encounter will be against Bahrain on
very optimistic about our chances because my players September 10, in Manama, while their third match will
have shown tremendous spirit in the last few months. be against Australia on November 15, in Australia.
Qatar’s crucial 1-0 win
against Iraq sparked
celebrations among
Qatari fans in the
stadium and joyous
scenes on the pitch as
manager Jorge Fossati
congratulated his players
after the final whistle.
Q3.08 QatarSport 5
News
in Brief
Young Qatari athletes
brought home three gold
medals from the 13th Asian
Youth Athletics Championship in
Jakarta, Indonesia, in June. Charles
Bit Koksh bagged gold in 1500m
event and then on the closing day,
added gold in the 5000m. Musab
Abdulrahman Balah won gold in
the 800m. The competition saw the
participation of 600 athletes from 36
Asian countries
Qatar’s Abdullah Koni
has joined the fifth list of
contenders for the AFC
Player of the Year. The procedure
for selecting the best player in Asia
has been overhauled to inject more
transparency into the process with the
big announcement scheduled to be
made at the awards gala on November
25 in Shanghai. Thirteen players have
been short-listed for the award.
The Qatar Tennis Federation
(QTF) has held outdoor
training camps to prepare its
national team for youth competitions
in Arab Championships in Tunisia,
Morocco and Egypt as well as Open
Championships in Portugal and Spain.
Khalid Al Khulaifi, the QTF Board
Member and Head of National Teams
Committee wants the young players to
gain more experience abroad.
The Qatar Basketball
team will participate in the
King Abdullah Basketball
Championship to be held from July 25
to August 3, 2008 in Amman, Jordan. Qatar’s participation in the event will
come prepare the team for the Asian
Basketball Championship to be held
in Kuwait in October and the GCC
Basketball Championship to be held
in Oman.
Qatar’s Bandar Al Shafi
won the title of 34th Hong
Kong Bowling Open beating
China’s Wang Tyn in the final match.
Al-Shafi defeated compatriots Saeed
Al-Hajri and Mubarak Al-Muraikhi in
the opening rounds to set up a semifinal with 2006 World Championship
Masters champion Biboy Rivera.
6 QatarSport Q3.08
Qatar’s new waterpark will feature a slalom course.
Doha goes to
the extreme
It’s one of the fastest growing participation
sport sectors – and now it looks to get its very
own venue in Qatar.
Extreme sports have taken the world by
storm in recent years, with the exhilarating,
thrill-seeking athletes taking activities off the
streets and into the mainstream.
Now there are plans afoot to capitalise on
its rise with a state-of-the-art extreme sports
complex to be build at the Aspire Sports City.
Among its features will be a water park and a
slalom course, ideal for canoeing and kayaking.
And that’s not all. There are also plans in
the pipeline for the Middle East’s first indoor
football dome too.
Dubbed the Qatar Dome, it is designed to
create year-round opportunities to stage major
competitive matches in a bid to boost interest
and participation levels in the sport.
According to the Qatar Olympic
Committee, the plans will meet the long-term
needs of the community and further advance
sport in Doha.
The proposed extreme sports and football
venues are also part of the QOC’s ambitious
‘Masterplan for Venue Development’ which is
designed to ensure Qatar’s sports facilities are
among the best in the world, attracting major
events while proving attractive and accessible
for the local population.
Other facilities being discussed include a
new swimming centre at the Al Gharrafa Club
and a multi-purpose sports complex at the
Shaffallah Centre
9-BALL Pool makes STUNNING DEbut
Ian Anderson, President of the World PoolBillard Association, has hailed the success
of the Qatar International Open 9-Ball
Championship, which was organised by the
Qatar Billiard and Snooker Federation (QBSF)
from June 27 to July 5.
Anderson thanked the QBSF’s warm
hospitality and praised its high organisational
skills in hosting this major event, which saw
more than 200 cueists from around the world
descend on Doha to compete for a total prize
money of $400,000.
Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al Sahlawi, President of
the QBSF, added his appreciation of the Qatar
Olympic Committee for encouraging QBSF
activities and promoting the game among
Qatar’s younger generation.
Arab countries were represented by 88
players in the preliminary rounds, with the
hosts Qatar putting forward 30 hopefuls.
It was the top stars from Europe, the USA
and the rest of Asia, however which dominated
events on the blue baize.
The main round of 32, which took place at
the Snooker Federation Hall, saw a number of
international stars make their move.
Double world champion, Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes
of the Philippines, a legend of the sport, was
beaten by Germany’s Ralf Souquet in the early
stages - a defeat that was avenged by fellow
countryman Dennis Orcollo in the semi-finals.
In the final, Orcollo took on the Dutchman
Niels Feijen, and opened up an early lead,
which he maintained to take the title 13-5.
According to the hosts, the event had
been a great learning experience for the local
players and after the tournament, the QBSF
announced that a Qatari team will participate
in the inaugural World 10-Ball Championship
in Manila, capital of the Philippines, from
October 6-12, 2008.
Q3.08.news
ball
y
e
ll
o
v
ld
o
h
to hips
r
Qatampions
Cha
The International Volleyball
Federation (FIVB) has announced
that Qatar will play host to the FIVB World
Club Volleyball Championships in 2009. The top five
clubs from each continent will participate in the Championship as
well as the national champion of the host country and two wild card teams,
which will be agreed by the FIVB before the tournament.
The World Club Championships will be based upon a unique format in
which the sport will take on rules that are more favourable to producing longer
rallies and a more fluid style of play.
The Volleyball Golden Formula (VGF) is a concept devised by Qatar Volleyball
Association (QVBA) technical director, Hussein Imam Ali, and approved by the
FIVB to make the sport more appealing.
“The most admired scoring points that draw cheers from the fans are those
featuring lengthy rallies as they are full of action and hold them in tension,”
said Ali, who is also a member of the FIVB Coaches Commission. “The
VGF concept will restore equality in the attack and defence, in a sport
which is presently heavily loaded in favour of attack.
“The important constituent of this rule is that the opening
attack is allowed only from the three metre line. Tall players are
only a small number in the world and are slower in movement
and agility. The use of the VGF in a match will allow the
significant number of players of medium height to play a
bigger role with their skill.”
Following a recent meeting in Lucerne,
Switzerland, the FIVB confirmed that the
World Club Championships should be
reinstated after a seven-year gap. The
new tournament style of play is
expected to usher in a new era of
volleyball on an international level
and offer an alternative style of play to
the traditional discipline currently practiced. The decision to reinstate the Championships was
based primarily upon test events that were conducted the previous year in Doha in conjunction
with the national volleyball championships. The test events were held at several local sporting
venues in Doha including Al Ahli, Al Rayyan, Qatar Sports Club and Al Arabi. Al Ahli Club was
victorious in the VGF tournament conducted last year where Sandy Steel, President, FIVB Rules
of the Game Commission, was present to supervise the tournament.
The dates and venues of the Men’s World Club Championships to be staged in Doha will
be announced during next month’s FIVB congress when they convene in Dubai, however Al
Jazeera Sport has already been announced as the host broadcaster. The Women’s World Club
Championships will be held in the UAE.
Q2.08 QatarSport 7
News
in Brief
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh
Al-Attiyah along with
Northern Irish co-driver
Chris Patterson dominated the FIA
Middle East Rally Championship,
when they won 12 of the 13 special
stages of the 8th Syrian International
Rally. The defending regional
champions began the final day
almost four minutes in front of their
nearest rivals and produced great
performance over the fast gravel
stages that make the Syrian event
one of the most challenging in the
Middle East. The duo’s winning
margin was a staggering 5 minutes
and 20.7 seconds.
The current men’s 3,000m
steeplechase world record
holder, Qatar’s Saif Saeed
Shaheen secured the silver medal
at 5000m during a comeback race
in Belgrade, Serbia in May - his
first race since September 17,
2006 when he won the World Cup
steeplechase. Due to injuries, he was
not able to run during the whole of
2007 and missed the Osaka World
Championships. The athlete will
compete at the Beijing Olympic
Games for Qatar.
Al Ahli on Friday night
beat Al Sadd, 29-28, in the
Emir’s Cup handball final
at Al Gharrafa Hall. Al Sadd were
aiming to win their eighth Emir’s Cup
title, but Al Ahli denied them at the
final hurdle by juts one point. Sheikh
Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani,
Secretary General of the Qatar
Olympic Committee, handed over
the trophies to the winners and the
runners-up at a spectacular prize
giving ceremony.
Q-League champions Al
Gharaffa have signed a
two–year contract with
Fernando Lucio da Costa, a proven
goal scorer from the Brazilian club
Internacional. The 30-year-old was
joint top scorer in the 2006 Copa
Libertadores and voted Man of the
Match in the South American final
which was won by Internacional.
8 QatarSport Q3.08
ASPIRE students earn
their wings at the
graduation ceremony.
Aspire inspires
first graduates
Qatar’s ASPIRE Academy has celebrated
a milestone with the graduation of its first
student intake.
The graduation ceremony marked a
historic moment for the Academy, with the
students - some of who joined at the age of
thirteen years old - moving on to further
education, vocational training and even full
athletic careers.
In total, 23 successful students graduated
at the ceremony, the majority of whom joined
the Academy in 2004 following its launch.
Experts from ASPIRE’s Quality
Management, Education and Social Affairs
Department (QESA) have ensured that the
young men have been provided with a fullyrounded program of learning, both in and out
of the class room.
Among the graduates are students who
have specialised in football, table tennis,
athletics, swimming and squash. All of them
have balanced a busy sporting schedule
with diligent study and education across an
advanced curriculum.
Guest of honour at the Graduation
Ceremony was ASPIRE Ambassador and
triple world record holder Hicham El
Guerrouj of Morocco.
The double Olympic champion, who
broke world records for the 1,500 meters, the
mile and 2,000 meters, spoke to the students
about the importance of study and dedication
as part of a successful career in athletics.
“Internationally, ASPIRE is recognised
as a pioneering project to discover and
develop world-class athletic talent in
Qatar,” El Guerrouj said. “The students
who have graduated today were among
the first pioneers, and they deserve our
congratulations and support.”
ASPIRE’s Career Management
programmes provide guidance throughout
students’ time at ASPIRE, ensuring that every
student athlete leaving the Academy possesses
a professional or academic career plan
consistent with his capabilities and interests.
Many of the successful students have
developed exceptional aptitude in their
chosen sporting field. Class valedictorian
Ahmed Khalil addressed his fellow student
athletes at the ceremony, and urged them to
continue to train and develop their skills.
Ahmed Khalil said: “The graduating
class of 2008 all look to make the best
possible contribution to Qatar, whether as
sportspeople or in our future careers. ASPIRE
has given us a very strong start by providing
us with both sporting development and
education - we now need to ensure that we
build on this platform.”
Since its opening, the Academy has
successfully created an environment that
supports the student athletes, and the success
of the graduates is an important benchmark
for the Academy’s growth.
Prof. Dr. Dieter Hackfort, Dean of
ASPIRE said: “Each and every student has
made remarkable progress during their time
with us in their personal development and
in achieving success both academically and
in their chosen sport. These students will
be an inspirational example and will induce
motivation to other students at ASPIRE, and
to other young athletes in the region.”
The students, he said, have competed in
national and international tournaments across
the world, giving them an understanding of
competing at the highest level.
Q3.08.news
olympic
support
wins award
Former International Olympic
Committee (IOC) president Juan Antonio
Samaranch presented one of Qatar’s
leading sport administrators with a special
award in May to recognise his and his
hard-working team’s efforts in supporting
the Olympic Movement.
Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman
Al-Thani, Secretary General of the
Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC),
was presented with the 2007 IOC
Award during a recent visit to the IOC’s
headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The award is presented to individuals
who have shown continued support
to the ideals and aims of the Olympic
organisation and recognises the giant steps
taken in recent years by the QOC.
Among its various initiatives and
programmes it has launched to both
highlight the key ideals of the Olympic
Movement and enhance the role the
QOC plays in society have been schemes
designed to reach out to the very youngest
in communities.
Among those was Schools Olympic
Day. Launched in 2007, its mission
HE Sheikh Saoud receives his award from IOC Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch.
statement was to “Create an event to
educate, engage and influence young
athletes inspiring them to play an active
role in the local community”.
Open to talented young athletes
from local schools, it showcased the best
emerging young talent in a range of
sports including gymnastics, swimming,
basketball, football and volleyball.
Hailed a huge success, and culminating
in a grand finals day where laptops were up
for grabs for the successful youngsters, it
proved so popular the IOC has since decided
it is going to look to introduce it to other
national Olympic committees elsewhere.
In addition, physical education in
schools was upgraded to become an
obligatory subject in a bid to improve the
overall health and well-being of the young
generation. And it was the continuing
support to other NOCs, which helped
land the recent IOC Award.
In particular, was a recent delegation
sent to Yemen. They were despatched to
help the Yemen Olympic Committee in
their preparations up to and including
the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Juan Antonio Samaranch made the
presentation in his capacity as Honorary
President of the IOC.
asian games best FOR MEDIA SERVICES
Members of the
media from all over
the world enjoyed
unparalleled
service at the 15th
Asian Games.
Media services delivered at the
15th Asian Games in Doha have been
voted among the best in the world in
2006/07 by the International Sport Press
Association (AIPS).
The Asian Games were singled out for
awards along with the Wimbledon Tennis
Championships and the 11th IAAF World
Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan.
The Asian Games is the second largest
multi-sports event in world sport with
more than 8,000 athletes competing in 39
sports over 15 days presenting a complex
organisational and delivery challenge for
the two outsourced companies, contracted
by the Doha Asian Games Organising
Committee, to serve the world’s media
during the event.
Q3.08 QatarSport 9
A visiting delegation
from the Asian Football
Confederation (AFC)
has endorsed Qatar’s venues and
facilities for the 2011 Asian Football
Cup, said Saoud Al Mohannadi,
Secretary General of Qatar Football
Association. “The AFC Competitions
Committee visited stadiums, training
fields and the media centre and were
impressed with the facilities and
arrangements,” he said.
Qatari sprinter Thamir
Nasser and middle
distance runner Musab
Abdulrahman Balah won silver
medals at the 13th Arab Youth
Athletic Championship held in
Tunisia. Young Qatari women
also competed in the event with
the objective of increasing their
experience at international arena,
said Mariam Al Ishaq, Administrator
of the Qatar Women Athletes team.
The Qatar military
taekwondo team won
three medals - one gold
and two bronzes - at the 3rd Arab
Military Taekwondo Championship
held in Sanaa, Yemen in June.
Abdullgadir Al Adhami won gold in
the 84kg event, while Fahad Ahmed
Ali Mohammed Saad finished with
bronze the 67kg and 54kg events
respectively.
Qatari women’s air rifle
star Mahbubeh Akhlagi
won gold medals in both
the 10m and 50m events during
the Qatar Shooting and Archery
Federation’s Cup Championship,
organised by the QSAF and held at
the Lusail International Complex.
Two-time world pool
champion, Efren Reyes
of Philippines, has
praised the organisation of the
Qatar International Open 9-Ball
Championship held at the Qatar
Billiard and Snooker Federation.
Reyes 53, said he appreciated the
technical quality and organisational
work behind the tournament.
10 QatarSport Q3.08
More than just
a match
This year’s Emir’s Cup Final proved as thrilling off the
pitch as on it as the Qatar Football Association (QFA) put
on a range of entertainment to turn the match into a
community event
As fans flocked to watch Al Gharrafa and
Umm Salal battle it out for victory on the pitch
- and a place in the AFC Champions League
for 2009 - the QFA looked to capitalise on the
sport’s growing interest levels.
In a bid to boost both the numbers of
spectators at the match and at future games,
and to encourage a new generation to
participate in football, there were more than
20 activities lined-up to encourage the party
atmosphere outside Khalifa Stadium in the
Aspire Zone, Doha.
Coined the Cup Emiri Festival, fans were
treated to a host of activities ranging from
poetry recitals and circus acts to musical
numbers and magic tricks.
Ali Al-Nuaimi, the QFA’s Assistant General
Secretary explained: “It was more than just a
match. We wanted to share the occasion with as
many people as possible. We wanted to provide
Q3.08.news
“this emir’S cup
final was one
of the most
colourful and
noisy we have
ever seen ”
A day of dramatic action on the pitch
saw Umm Salal clinch the Emir’s
Cup, while the entertainment off the
pitch turned the Cup final into a
memorable all-day event for the fans.
a unique flavour to the final.
“Our strategy was very much around
community involvement and we spoke at
length to our sponsors so we could partner
with them in their promotional activities
around the event.
“It was a day to celebrate and unite.
What we wanted to achieve was that
everyone who left the stadium came away
with a fantastic and long lasting impression.
We put in a lot of hard work to ensure
this Emir Cup final was one of the most
colourful and noisy we have ever seen.”
Among the line-up entertaining the
crowds were poets such as Mohammad bin
Fates Al-Marri and Khalil Al-Tamimi. The
well known Qatari poets gave recitals.
One of the most popular attractions was
the chance for fans to win one of 20 Toyota
vehicles in a special competition.
The motor manufacturer had models
such as two Land Cruisers, one Avalon,
three Camrys and 12 Yaris up for grabs.
In order for the thousands of fans to
enjoy the events gates opened at 3pm
– some four hours before the teams got
the game underway. And after the game
finished, there was a colourful laser and
firework display.
All of which was the perfect icing on the
cake, for a game which proved to be a real
cliff-hanger.
With Al Gharrafa looking to complete a
league and cup double, they took the lead,
only to be pegged back by Umm Salal.
With the game tied at 1-1 in the first half,
two more goals before full-time saw the 90
minutes finish with the scores level at 2-2.
After extra-time could not separate the
sides, it went to penalties where Umm Salal
emerged victorious, scoring four penalties to
Al Gharrafa's one.
They were awarded with the golden
trophy by HH The Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin
Khalifa Al-Thani.
QOC HONOURS SPORTING
PERSONALITIES
The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) has
honoured the country’s top sporting talent
with awards for outstanding achievements
in the season 2007–2008.
HE Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al
Thani, Secretary General of Qatar Olympic
Committee (QOC) led the awards celebrating
more than 50 leading sportsmen and
women, teams, federations and sponsors,
voted for by members of the national media.
The ceremony held at the Al Rostah
Hall in the Diplomatic Club witnessed
participation of Qatar’s best athletes and
personalities including Deputy Premier
and Minister of Energy and Industry – HE
Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah who received
the ‘Pioneers’ award. The Qatar women’s
basketball team, winners of the gold medal
at this year’s 11th Pan Arab Games, won the
‘Appreciation Cup’ for the best sports team.
For the federations, the Qatar Shooting
and Archery Federation, received the
‘Golden Federation Cup’, while the Qatar
Volleyball Association, was awarded the
‘Ideal Association Cup’.
The ‘Best National Coach Cup’ was
granted to Abdullghadir Mughaiseeb, coach
of Al Sailiya Sport Club, while the Qatar
national volleyball team coach, the Croatian
Igor Arbutina, was selected as the ‘Best
Foreign Coach’ based on the team’s gold
medal showing at the last Arab Games in
Cairo. Qatar National Bank from the public
sector received the ‘Sport Sponsor Cup’,
while Al Emmadi Enterprises from the
private sector received the same accolade. Q3.08 QatarSport 11
ooooooooo
LIFE - Be
part of it!
The Qatar Olympic Committee
has high hopes for the second
‘LIFE – Be Part of it!’ sports and
lifestyle exhibition, which will
celebrate a range of new Ideas
and productS FOR ALL ITS PEOPLE
in Doha this October
A dynamic lifestyle exhibition aimed at showcasing
Qatar’s growing reputation as a regional sport hub and
spreading sports culture throughout the Middle East will
welcome the sports industry and general public through
its doors in October this year.
Under the patronage of the Qatar Olympic Committee,
the ‘LIFE - Be Part of it’ exhibition is expected to attract at
least 120 world-class exhibitors and 8,000 visitors to the
Doha Exhibition Centre over four days [October 15 to
18] for what has become the region’s largest sports, health
and fitness show.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, the
2008 edition will be run by the QOC in collaboration
with QatarExpo, an event management group, which aims
to advance the level of regional and international
participation in the event.
“Commenting on the ambition and scope of this year’s
‘LIFE - Be Part of it!’, QOC Secretary General Sheikh
Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told ‘The Peninsula’
newspaper. “We want to show the world that Doha is the
sports capital of the region. Since sport is a way of life for
us, we would like to take this feeling around Middle East
and the rest of Asia. “
According to Sheikh Saoud the exhibition will spread
this message in more ways than one. “The QOC’s motto is
‘Sport for Life’ and we are pleased that we are in a position
to engage National Olympic Committees in the region
and other well-established sports associations or federations
for the exhibition. I hope we will be able to host what
should be the biggest sports exhibition not just in the
Middle East but in Asia as well.”
When asked about international brands and organisations
likely to take part in the exhibition, Sheikh Saoud added:
“We will invite all major sports brand names like adidas,
Nike, Puma - and many others - to our exhibition. This
exhibition will not only look at companies promoting
their brand names, but we are also focusing on general
fitness, equipment and sports medicine.”
The encouragement of healthy living is another major
component of the exhibition. “We decided to be part of
this exhibition knowing how important it is to have a
healthy generation, which believes in the importance of
sports in their daily lives,” Sheikh Saoud said.
Moreover, the organisers believe that this year’s
exhibition will be even bigger and better than last year’s
event. Visitors to the exhibition, for example, will
view a large selection of sports equipment from than 10
sports equipment providers, discover the latest trends
12 QatarSport Q3.08
SHOWCASE
FOR THE
NEXT
GENERATION
Child’s play...this year’s
‘Life - Be Part of it!’
exhibition aims to show
that Doha is the sports
capital of the region.
Exhibition Zones
Sports & Fitness Zone:
Interactive Zone
Sports Associations
Government Bodies
Sports TV channels
Sports Magazines
Sports equipment
Sportswear
The Natural
Health Zone:
Health food,
supplements
and
beverages
Herbal and
natural
health
remedies
Dietary and herbal
supplements
Vitamins
Organic food and
beverages
Nutrition Products
The Tourism Zone:
Sports Tourism
Health Tourism
Agrotourism
Magazines/Publications
Tourism Associations
Chamber of Commerce
in sportswear, and get to know the benefits of
spas, beauty products, diets and new ways to
treat injuries.
According to Waleed Wahba, Project Manager
with QatarExpo, there will be many highlights this
year, but perhaps most important is the increased
presence from sporting organisations. Around 35 per
cent of the exhibition floor space, he says, will be
taken up by Qatar’s federations and sports clubs with international organisations also likely to
participate. As part of the sports focus, Qatari athletes
who have excelled in different sports over the last
decade will also be honoured for their ‘outstanding’
achievements at the event.
The QOC together with the ASPIRE Academy
will announce the awards during a gala dinner held
on the opening night.
Sport and Fitness, however, is just one of six
exhibitor zones (see box) and the business-to-business
strand of the exhibition is more focused on the
Spa and Wellness zone.
“The exhibitors are targeting both consumers and
traders, but the health, beauty and sports messages
are more targeted at consumers. Then we have the
companies, mostly in the fitness and well-being field,
which are more interested in business-to-business
trading with Qatar and the region.”
But whatever the exhibitor’s target market, Mr
Whaba is encouraged by their take-up rate this year.
“Last year, the number of companies was 80; this
event will have at least 120 companies from 18
countries. This year, we have three big companies
from Japan for the first time, as well as a company
from Italy, the UAE, Egypt, China, the Lebanon and
many others. Our plan for 2009 and 2010 is to
convert 60 per cent of exhibitors to those from
international markets.”
But any event sponsored by the QOC, ASPIRE
and the National Health Authority is bound to have
a more wide-ranging agenda than simply business.
‘LIFE - Be Part of it!’, he says, is more concerned with
the promotion of sport, health and well-being. The
success last year not only gave credibility to the event,
but has also allowed QatarExpo to work on this
project with great motivation in order to accomplish
further success.
‘LIFE - Be Part of it!’ is the first exhibition to talk
about health and sport in the region. There’s nothing
quite like it in the Middle East and we are
working closely with the QOC in developing new
ideas and to send the right messages about health,
sports and lifestyle.”
QatarExpo will be promoting the event in the
national media and in Doha’s main shopping malls
over the coming months and will be going further
afield in the future to ensure it becomes a truly
international event. After all, ‘LIFE - Be Part of it!’ is
a motto that everyone can relate to.
Spa & Wellness Zone:
Spa & wellness equipment
and products
Medical supplies
Wellbeing, relaxation &
beauty items
Health retreats, beauty &
wellness centres
Massage products &
equipment
Saunas and Jacuzzis
Education, publications
and the latest
developments
and enhancements in spa
techniques and technology
The Yoga Zone:
Interactive Zone
Yoga sessions
Retreats
Spiritual music and
merchandise
Alternative Medicine Zone:
Aromatherapy products
and treatments
Crystal therapy sessions
Reiki
Bach flower essence
remedies
Q3.08 QatarSport 13
ooooooooo
beijing
2008
GREATEST
SHOW ON
EARTH
From Olympia to Beijing, the story of the
Olympic Games continues to inspire individuals
and nations to achieve great things
When the curtain goes up on the Opening Ceremony of
the XXIX Olympic Games on August 8, the eyes of the
world will turn to Beijing.
The Summer Olympics will be watched by more than
three billion people across the globe - around half the world’s
population - and will involve some 10,000 athletes competing
in 302 events across 28 sports.
Most of the athletes will have trained for many years in
preparation for their big moment on the world’s greatest
sporting stage, living a dream they may well have nurtured
since childhood.
And just as individuals are inspired by the Olympics
Games so are nations. For the hosts, in particular,
Beijing 2008 is an era-defining moment, which should
crystalise China’s growing status in the world within a single
global sports event.
As the International Olympic Committee President
Jacques Rogge earlier this year. “We gave the Games to a
country that represents one fifth of mankind. We gave the
Games to a country that will change, that is changing.”
14 QatarSport Q3.08
The IOC chief hopes that this year’s Games will again
demonstrate the power of sport to bring nations and peoples
together. Indeed, it’s the extraordinary achievement of the
Olympic movement that it has come to represent some of
the best aspirations of mankind; to become a unique force
for good - wherever the event is staged.
These positive principles are enshrined in the Olympic
charter, which says that the goal of the Olympic Movement
is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by
educating youth through sport, practiced without
discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit.
This spirit of athletic endeavour will transfix the world
during the 16 days of action from the sporting fields and
arenas of Beijing. But it’s a spirit that has its source in more
ancient arenas than the hi-tech sporting palaces of Beijing.
The multi-media extravaganza on show in Beijing
originated in the athletic spectacles held more than 2,500
years ago in Olympia, Greece, the site of the ancient
Olympic Games.
The atmospheric ruins of Olympia remains a symbolic
and ceremonial focus of the Olympic movement, but at the
height of the ancient Olympics, the stadium in Olympia
could accommodate more than 40,000 spectators, who
gathered to see the exhibitions of strength and speed that
were held every four years for more than 12 centuries.
The ancient Olympics were very different from the
modern Games. Only ‘free men’ who spoke Greek could
compete, instead of athletes from any country. Moreover,
the Games were always held at the same site instead of
moving around to different venues.
There were also fewer events. At first there was only one
competition - a short sprint measuring between 180 and
240 metres or the length of the stadium. Further foot races
were added over the years, as were other events, including
boxing, wrestling, pankration (full-contact fighting), chariot
racing, as well as a pentathlon which consisted of wrestling,
running, long jump, javelin throw and discus throw.
Such was the power of the Games that some archeologists
believe that wars were halted between the city-states of
Greece so that the athletes as well as the spectators of the
Olympics could get there safely. Such a beneficial side-affect
however did not stop the Romans from banning the Games
in the 4th century - closing a chapter in the Olympic story
for more than 1,500 years.
How the Games were revived more than one hundred
years ago is far less testing for Olympic historians.
International interest in the ancient Olympics had been
growing in the nineteenth century when the French
educationalist Baron de Courbetin called for a
return of Olympism.
The aristocratic founder of the modern Olympic
movement believed that education was the key to the future
of society, and on June 23, 1894, he organised an
international congress at the Sorbonne in Paris, which led to
the establishing of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) with De Coubertin becoming the first
General Secretary.
Among the IOC’s early decisions was to stage the fist
IOC organised Olympics in Athens, Greece in 1986, an
event which they decided should be held every four years.
Inset: The Olympic
Flame is lit in Olympia,
Greece. Main picture:
The Olympic Stadium
in Beijing will
showcase the world’s
best athletes.
Q3.08 QatarSport 15
ooooooooo
beijing
2008
The current Olympic Charter too can be traced to the
principles established by De Courbetin. The first two
‘Fundamental Principles’ of Olympism exemplify the
idealism behind the sporting activity.
Olympism, says the first principle, is “a philosophy of
life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities
of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and
education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life
based on the joy of effort, the educational value of
good example and respect for universal fundamental
ethical principles.”
The second principle states that the “goal of
Olympism is to place sport at the service of the
harmonious development of man, with a view to
promoting a peaceful society concerned with the
preservation of human dignity.”
These ideas and others put forward by the
founders of the modern Olympic movement have
not only endured, but spread across the globe.
Today, 202 National Olympic Committees and 35
International Federations are part of the Olympic
Movement. This year’s host nation China, for
example, formally entered the Olympic stage in
1936 in Berlin, Germany; the Soviet
Union entered the Olympics for the
first time in 1952 in Helsinki, Norway;
and Qatar first competed at a Summer
Games in Los Angeles, USA, in 1984.
New to the rigours of top-level
international competition, Qatar’s
initial effort was not an immediate
sporting success, but at the Barcelona
Olympic Games in 1992, Qatar won
its first medal when Mohammed
Suleiman took home the bronze in the
men’s 1500 metres. Eight years later at
Sydney 2000, Qatar’s second medal was secured
when Said Saad Asaad won the bronze medal in
the Men’s 105kg weightlifting.
This year, Qatar will send its strongest ever
team to compete for medals in Beijing, but for
Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani,
Secretary General of QOC, the Movement is
about far more than the number medals won.
In May, Sheikh Saoud received the 2007
IOC Award for individuals who support the
Olympic Movement from Juan Antonio
Samaranch, Honorary President of the IOC in
Lausanne. The award was given to the QOC a
because of its contribution in supporting other
National Olympic Committees such as the Yemeni Olympic
Committee.
The honour also reflects the QOC’s committed strategy
for sport in line with the directions of the QOC president,
HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. The QOC’s
mission is “to become a leading nation in bringing the world
together through sport”. It is an ambition that will be reenergised in the sporting venues of Beijing this August, and
one that will continue to burn brightly long after the Closing
Ceremony as Qatar seeks to create its own sporting heroes to
match the legends of past Olympic Games.
16 QatarSport Q3 .08
Qatar at the Olympic Games
1984
The 1984 Summer
Olympics were
celebrated in Los
Angeles, USA. Carl Lewis
made the his first of four
appearances in the
Olympics, and equalled
the performance of
Jesse Owens of 1936 by
winning four gold
medals in the 100m,
200m, 4x100m relay and
the Long Jump. In their
first Olympics, Qatar
competed in the men’s
football and athletics
events.
1988
The 1988 Summer
Olympics were hosted by
Seoul, South Korea. The
Canadian Ben Johnson
won the 100m in a new
world record, but was
disqualified after testing
positive for steroids.
Tennis returned to the
Olympics after a 64-year
absence and Steffi Graf
added to her four Grand
Slam victories in the
year by also winning the
Olympic title. Qatar
fielded just one
athlete - in the men’s
10,000m.
From the top:
Cathy Freeman
wins 400m gold
for Australia
in Sydney; Liu
Xiang powers to
victory in the
110m hurdles
in Athens; Carl
Lewis wins
another gold
medal in Los
Angeles 1984.
1992 The 1992 Summer
Olympic Games were
held in Barcelona, Spain.
In basketball, the
admittance of pro
players led to the
American Dream Team,
led by Michael Jordan,
which won the gold
medal with ease. Qatar’s
football team won the
Gulf Cup that year and
competed in the football
competition, while
Mohammed Suleiman
took the bronze medal
– Qatar’s first Olympic
prize - in the 1500m.
1996
The 1996 Summer
Olympics, known as the
Centennial Olympics,
were celebrated in
Atlanta, United States.
Cycling professionals
were admitted to the
Olympics for the first
time, with five-time Tour
de France winner Miguel
Indurain winning the
inaugural individual time
trial event. Qatar sent
competitors in athletics
and for the first time in
shooting.
Olympics were
celebrated in 2000 in
Sydney, Australia . The
local star Cathy Freeman
won the women’s 400m
final in front of a jubilant
Sydney crowd at the
Olympic Stadium. Qatar
sent competitors in
athletics, shooting, table
tennis, and weightlifting
with Said Saad Asaad
winning the bronze
medal in the Men’s
105kg weightlifting. Bilal
Saad finished tenth in
the men’s shot-put.
Olympic Games were
staged in Athens,
Greece. Liu Xiang
became the first Chinese
man to win an Olympic
track and field gold
medal when he won the
110 metres hurdles as
China came within four
gold medals of the USA.
Qatar sent participants
in athletics, shooting,
swimming and
weightlifting with Musa
Amer coming closest to
a medal with a fourth in
the final of the men’s
3,000m steeplechase.
THE WORLDWIDE OLYMPIC PARTNERS
ooooooooo
beijing
2008
“”
As far as I am
concerned, the
athletes are the
VIPs. They deserve
their place on the
world stage
Khalil Al Jabber, Director of Sports Affairs at the Qatar Olympic
Committee, is also Chef de Mission for the Qatar team at the Beijing
Olympic Games. He explains his role and ambitions for the olympic
GAMES and hIghlights how the Games fit with Qatar’s NATIONAL
‘Sport For Life’ policy
The Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games
will be an unforgettable day in the lives of all of those
involved - athletes, officials and spectators alike.
There, in Beijing’s innovative Birds Nest Stadium, the
nations of the world will join forces to celebrate sport and
the spirit of Olympism, two of the forces at the very
heart of modern Qatar.
The moment when the Qatar team’s representatives make
their way into the stadium for the Opening Ceremony will
be a particularly proud moment for Khalil Al Jabber, the
team’s Chef de Mission and Sports Affairs Director of the
Qatar Olympic Committee.
The opening ceremony effectively marks the end of one
phase of the Chef de Mission’s role and the beginning of the
vitally important second. Here months and years of
meticulous planning, training and team selection come to
an end and all attention focuses on the performance of the
team’s athletes under the glare of the world’s attention.
18 QatarSport Q3.08
“There is tremendous public excitement in Qatar and
huge support for our athletes and my job as Chef de
Mission is to ensure that they have the ability to focus solely
on their performance and not worry about any other
details,” Mr Al Jabber said.
“As far as I am concerned, the athletes are the VIPs. Our
role is to serve them and help them produce their best
possible performances in Beijing. They deserve their place
on the world stage and we all know that good performances
can be inspirational for those watching back home in Qatar
and elsewhere.
“We have to realise that every athlete is different and has
very different requirements. Our job is to understand that
and to make sure they have everything they need to succeed
to the best of their abilities.”
It is that mind-set which has helped ensure that no
previous Qatar team has been better prepared for the
Olympic Games. Evidence of the detailed planning which
Qatar’s Beijing 2008
Chef De Mission,
Khalil Al Jabber,
understands that
Qatar’s athletes must
strive to achieve
individual goals at
the Olympic Games.
Q3.08 QatarSport 19
ooooooooo
beijing
2008
has gone into making the Road to Beijing
as smooth as possible can be found in the
massive free-standing calendar which
stands outside Khalil Al Jabber’s offices on
the 20th floor of the Olympic Tower in
Doha. This is the time-line writ large, a
clear indication of the tasks to be completed
each day as the countdown to Beijing
continues. Next to it are diagrams of the
accommodation which will be found in
the Olympic Village, introducing the
athletes to the realities of Olympic
life well before they step onto the
‘plane to China. Khalil Al Jabber
is determined that he and his
delegation will be ready and
absolutely nothing is being left to
chance.
Months before the Games, the
Chef de Mission had accompanied
federation chiefs and other officials
on fact finding visits to Beijing in
order to familiarise themselves
with the facilities and conditions
they will face when the team
arrives from its training camp in Hong Kong a few days
before the official opening of what it still generally agreed
to be The Greatest Show On Earth.
The Qatar delegation will consist of competitors,
coaches, medical staff and officials, some of whom will
stay in the Olympic Village.
“We are expecting to have a team of 27 athletes in six
different sports in Beijing,” explained Khalil Al Jabber.
“We will be represented in track and field, shooting,
fencing, weightlifting, swimming and taekwondo and
while it is difficult to predict the outcome of events we will
certainly be looking for progress in every area,” he said.
Qatar’s strength in shooting disciplines has been well
established over the years and with Nasser Saleh Al-Attiya
taking fifth place in the 2000 Sydney Games and fourth in
Athens four years ago, there are strong hopes that further
improvement will result in a medal for Qatar.
Likewise in weightlifting where Jaber Saeed Salem won
the Bronze medal in Athens, there are high hopes, if not
expectations, of an even better placing this time around.
Elsewhere the team will have young competitors taking
place in their very first Olympic Games in both the 100m
breast stroke swimming event and in fencing, while in
Taekwando, Abdulqader Hikmat Sarham will be looking
to build on the success enjoyed in wining Gold at the 13th
Asian Games in Doha.
“Every member of the team will give 100 per cent in
their events but we are realistic enough to know that not
all have a realistic medal chance,” Khalil Al Jabber said.
“But in every case we know that each athlete has their
own personal goal. For some it would be a triumph simply
to get into the final of their event.”
“The performance of the team means a lot to Qatar and
its people. Over the years we have built a good infrastructure
for sport and made sport and sports participation central
“we expect to
have a team of
27 athletes
competing in
six different
sports AT
beijing 2008”
20 QatarSport Q3.08
to life in the State. We are now gradually beginning to see
the fruits of the investment that has been made.
“For example, this is the first time we have been
represented in Taekwondo which means that the standard
must be improving thanks to the facilities which are
available. Fencing is another sport which has taken giant
steps as the federation was only established 12 year ago
and now has a representative in the Olympic Games.”
Today everybody involved in sport in Qatar is focused
on the Games and helping the competitors achieve
maximum performance.
“The Federations and everybody else are being very cooperative. Everybody shares the same goal,” Khalil Al
Jabber said.
The Beijing Olympic Games provide a global showcase
for sport in Qatar but the Chef de Mission sees the Games
not as an end in themselves but as a stepping stone on a
longer and ultimately more important journey.
“The Olympic Games provide an opportunity to show
Qatar and the world what is happening in sport in Qatar.
Our ultimate goal though is beyond Beijing. It is about
continually bringing youngsters into sport, identifying
their talents and providing them with the facilities,
resources and support they need to achieve their potential,”
Khalil Al Jabber said.
“We have to think constantly about the future and
while our immediate focus may be Beijing 2008, at the
back of our minds is the task of developing talent for the
2010 Asian Games in Guanzou and, beyond that, the
Olympic Games in London in 2012.
“We have created a sports structure in Qatar in which
everything comes under the Olympic umbrella. This
extends from our highly successful Schools Olympic Day
programme to the Games themselves.
“For reasons of enjoyment, social fulfilment and health,
we want to encourage Qataris of all ages to engage in sport
and it is particularly important to do this by working
closely and supporting youngsters.
“Schools Olympic Day succeeded in involving hundreds
of thousands of young Qataris in sport, some for the first
time. Many will have enjoyed the experience and been
encouraged to develop their sporting interests and talents
as far as they will take them.
“This, alongside our ongoing talent identification
programmes, will help us to recognise potential among
youngsters and develop them for the future. The Youth
Olympic Games in Singapore may provide a platform for
some of them but our focus is longer-term.
“Success in the Olympic Games will be celebrated
throughout Qatar and provide clear evidence of
what can be achieved on the world stage. I hope and expect
that this will inspire youngsters who will want to
emulate members of the Beijing team at Olympic Games
in the future.
Like some members of his team, this will be Khalil Al
Jabber’s first Olympic games and he is delighted to be a
part of it.
“Whether I carry the flag or the country’s name, the
Opening Ceremony will be a very proud moment for me
personally and for my country,” he said.
ooooooooo
beijing
2008
Samuel Adil Bari Francis
Athletics : 100m
Bound
for
beijing
Career Highlights
•H
older of the Qatari, Gulf Arab and Asian
record in the 100m event, with a time of 9.99
seconds. Holder of the international military
100m record.
•A
sian Championship, 100m, Gold Medal,
Jordan 2007
•4
th International Military Athletics, 100m, Gold
Medal, India 2007
•2
nd Indoor Asian Athletics, 60m, Gold Medal,
Macao 2007
•A
sian Indoor Championship, 60m, Gold Medal,
Qatar 2008
Mohammed Aaisa Adhawadi
Athletics: 110 m hurdles
Career Highlights
•Q
atar and Gulf record holder
• Arab Championship, Bronze Medal, Syria 2001
• 14th Asian Games, 6th place, Korea 2002
•A
rab Championship, Bronze Medal, Jordan
2003 14.11 sec Bronze
• Gulf Military Champs, Gold Medal, U.A.E. 2006
• Gulf Military Champs, Gold Medal, Qatar 2007
• Arab Championship, Gold Medal, Jordan 2007
• Asian Champs, Silver Medal, Jordan 2007
•W
orld Military Athletics Championship, Silver
medal, 2007 India
Sultan Khamis Zaman
Athletics: 5,000m/10,000m
Career Highlights
•G
ulf Cross-country Championship 12km, Team
Gold, Qatar 2005
•W
orld Military Cross-Country championship
5km, Gold Medal, Tunisia 2004
•A
rab tournament 10,000m Silver Medal, 2007
•A
rab tournament 5,000m, Silver Medal, 2007
•3
rd Asian Indoor Championship 3,000m, Gold
Medal, Qatar 2008
•W
orld Cross-Country Championship 12km
Bronze Medal, Scotland 2008
•W
orld Military Cross-Country Championship
12km,Team Gold, Switzerland 2008
•A
rab Military Cross-Country Championship
12km, Team Gold, Tunisia 2008 M
Thamer Kamal Ali
Athletics: 3,000m hurdles and 1,500m
Introducing the qatari
athletes who will be
battling for medals at the
olympic games
Career Highlights
• World Military Cross-Country Championship
5km, Team Gold, Tunisia 2004
• Arab Military Cross-Country Championship
5km, Team Gold, Algeria 2008
5km, Team Gold, Switzerland 2008.
• Asian Indoor Championship 3,000m, Gold
Medal, Qatar 2008
• World Cross-Country Championship 5km, 5th
Place, Kenya 2007
• Arab Athletics Championship, 3,000m, Silver
Medal, Jordan
Q3.08 QatarSport 21
B
A
C
Rashid Shafi Bital Adusri
Athletics: Discus
Ahmed Hasan Abdullah
Athletics: Long distance
Career Highlights
• Qatari record holder
•8
th Asian Youth Games, Gold Medal, Singapore
1999
•1
1th Arab Championship, Gold Medal,
Lebanon 1999
• GCC Championships, Gold Medal, Kuwait 2000
•A
rab Military Championships, Gold Medal,
Qatar 2001
• Grand Prix, 62.77m Qatari record, Qatar 2001
•W
orld Military Championship, Silver Medal
Lebanon 2001
• 1Arab championships, Gold Medal, Syria 2001
•A
sian Championships, Gold Medal, Malaysia
2002
•A
sian Athletics Championship, 4th place,
Korea 2002
Aaisa Ismail Rashid
Career Highlights
•W
(long distance), Team Gold Tunisia 2004
•W
(long distance), Team Gold Tunisia 2008
•W
(long distance), Team Gold, Switzerland 2008
Felix Kikway Kipur
Career Highlights
• Asian Champs, 5,000m, Gold Medal, Jordan 2007
•A
rab Military Cross-Country Championship 5km,
Team and Individual Gold Medals, Algeria 2008
•W
12km, Team Gold, Switzerland 2008
•W
orld Cross-Country Championship 12km, Team
and Individual Bronze Medals, Scotland, 2008
22 QatarSport Q3.08
D
Career Highlights
•H
older of the Qatari, Gulf and Asian 10,000m
records
•W
Individual Bronze and Team Silver, Belgium
2004
•W
12 km, Team Gold, Tunisia 2004
•W
Team Bronze, France 2004
•W
orld Half-Marathon Championship, Bronze
Medal, India 2005
•A
sian Championships, 10,000m, Gold Medal,
Jordan 2007
•A
sian Championships, 5,000m, Silver Medal,
Jordan 2007
•W
orld Cross-Country Championship, 8th place
for individual and Team Bronze, Scotland 2008
•W
Jamal Bilal Salim
Career Highlights
• Long distance Cross-Country, Team Gold 2004
•A
siana athletics tournament 3,000m hurdles,
Bronze Medal, Qatar 2006
• Arab Athletics Championship 5,000m, Silver
Medal, Jordan 2007
•W
12 km, Team Gold, Switzerland 2008
•A
rab Military Cross-Country Championships,
Team Gold, Algeria 2008 Algeria
•W
orld Cross-Country Championship, Team
Bronze, Scotland 2008
E
Zakaria Ali Kamil
Career Highlights
•A
sian Athletics Championship, Silver Medal,
Jordan 2007
• I AAF World Championship, Qualifier, Japan,
2007
Mubarak Hasan Shami
Athletics: Marathon
Career Highlights
• Holder of the Qatari Marathon record.
•W
12km, Team Gold, Tunisia 2004
•W
orld Half-Marathon Championship, Silver
Medal, Canada 2005
•G
ulf Championship Half marathon, Gold Medal,
Bahrian 2005
•W
orld Military Marathon Championship 12km,
Individual and Team Gold, Italy 2005
•W
orld Athletics Championship Marathon, Silver
Medal, Japan 2007
•1
5th Asian Games Marathon, Gold Medal, Qatar
2006
•W
orld Cross-Country Championship, Individual
and Team Bronze, Scotland 2008
•W
•A
rab Military Cross-Country Championships,
Team Gold, Algeria 2008 Algeria
Yousif Uthman Qadir
Athletics: Marathon
Career Highlights
•G
ulf Cross-Country Championship 12km,
Team Gold, Qatar 2005
•G
ulf Athletics Championship, Half-marathon,
Bronze Medal, U.A.E 2005
•H
amburg International Marathon
Championship Marathon Qualifying record +
personal record, Germany 2007
F
I
G
H
J
Daham Najim Bashir
Athletics: Middle distance
Khalid Aaisa Alhamadi
Fencing
Usama Mohammed Alaaraj
Swimming: Breaststroke
Career Highlights
• Qatar record holder over 1500m and The Mile
• Bislett Games (Mile), Gold Medal, Norway 2005
•M
adrid Grand Prix 3000 m, Gold Medal, Spain
2005
•V
an Damme Memorial 1500m, 4th Place,
Belgium 2005
•A
thens Super Grand Prix, 1500m, Silver Medal,
Greece, 2005
•1
5th Asian Games 1,500m, Gold Medal, Qatar
2006
•M
adrid Grand Prix 1,500m, Silver Medal, Spain
2007
Ibrahim Babekr Mahmedin
Athletics: Triple jump
Career Highlights
• Qatar and Arab record holder.
•1
0th Arab Championship, Bronze Medal, Taif
1997
• J unior World Championship (triple jump), Gold
Medal, Poland 1999
•A
sian Youth Games (triple jump, Bronze
Medal, Singapore 1999
•G
CC Youth Championships (long jump) Doha
Gold Medal, Qatar 1999
•G
CC Youth Championships (triple jump) Doha
Silver Medal, Qatar 1999
•G
CC Youth Championships (triple jump) Doha
Gold Medal, Muscat 2001
•H
is Highness the Emir’s Championship, Gold
Medal, Qatar 2003
•H
is Highness the Emir’s Cup, 17.15 metres
and new Arab and Qatari record, Gold medal,
Qatar 2004
•O
lympic Games 16.71 metres Heats, Greece
2004
Abdulqader Hikmat Sarhan
Taekwondo under 80kg
Career Highlights
• 15th Asian Games, Gold Medal, Qatar 2006
•W
TF Asian Taekwondo Qualification
Tournament, Silver Medal, Vietnam 2007
Career Highlights
•C
hampion of Qatar at youth, junior and open
levels
•F
irst place at the youth and junior levels in the
2004 Gulf fencing championship
•S
econd place at the individual junior level in the
2004 Arab fencing championship
•F
irst place (team) in the 2007 Arab junior fencing
championship
•T
hird place for the teams at the 2007 Asian
Junior Championship
•H
e has taken part in a number of international
championships and advanced to the later rounds.
Masoud Saleh Hamad Al-Athba
Shooting:
Career Highlights
•T
wo Gold Medals (individual and team) from
14th Asian Games 2002 in Busan, Korea
• Silver Medal of Asian Clay Shooting
Championships 2007 (Manila, Philippines);
•S
ilver Medal in Afro-Asian Games 2003 (Haider
Abad, India)
•H
e is a repeated winner and medallist of
various GCC and Arab Championships in
individual and team events.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiya
Shooting: Skeet
Career Highlights
• 4th place : 2004 Olympic Games, also participated
in Olympic Games in Sydney and Atlanta.
• World Cup, Bronze Medal, Italy 1997
• World Cup, Silver Medal, Italy, 2001
• Asian Championships, Silver Medal, Indonesia
1995.
• Asian Championships, Gold Medal, Thailand 2001.
• Asian Championship. Silver Medal, India 2003
• Asian Championship Gold Medal, Singapore 2006.
• Winner and medalist of various GCC and Arab
Championships in individual and team events.
K
Career Highlights
•G
old Medal in the 100m and 200m breast
stroke in the 2004 Gulf championship.
•G
old Medal in the open-water team race, and
silver medal in the open-water individual race,
in Doha in 2005.
•G
old Medal in the 100 m and 200m short-lane
breast stroke in Kuwait in 2006.
•G
old Medal in the 100m and 200m short-lane
breaststroke in Kuwait in 2008.
Jabber Saeed Saleh
Weightlifting: 105kg
Career Highlights
•W
orld Weightlifting Championships, Bronze
Medal, Thailand, 2007
• Asian Championships, Gold Medal, China, 2007
•W
orld Championships, Bronze Medal, Qatar,
2005
•W
orld Weightlifting Championship Gold Medal,
Canada, 2003
• Asian Games, Gold Medal, Busan, Korea, 2002
• Asian Championships ,Gold Medal, Japan, 2001
• 4th place at the Sydney Olympic Games 2000
Nasser Saeed Al Sehouti
Paralympian
Ali Abdulla Mohsen
Paralympian
Picture captions
A - Mubarak Hasan Shami; B -Usama
Mohammed Alaaraj; C - Samuel Adil Bari
Francis; D - Daham Najim Bashir; E - Ibrahim
Babekr Mahmedin; F -Rashid Shafi Bital
Adusri; G -Jabber Saeed Saleh; H -Nasser
Saleh Al-Attiya; I - Zakaria Ali Kamil; J - Ahmed
Hasan Abdullah; K -Abubekr Ali Kamal
Q3.08 QatarSport 23
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STARS
IN QATAR
WHEN IRISH
EYES ARE
SMILING
Denis Lynch took the show
jumping world by storm when he
won he won the Global Champions
Tour Grand Prix in Doha. Now, he
just can’t stop winning
24 QatarSport Q3.08
Show Jumper Denis Lynch is riding on the crest of a
wave. In April, the Irishman, then placed 90th in the
International Equestrian Federation rankings, astonished
the equine world when he guided his 10-year-old wonder
horse ‘Lantinus 3’ to victory in the Global Champions
Tour Grand Prix event in Doha.
Lynch and Lantinus have since recorded an impressive
series of wins, taking the Grand Prix at La Baule, France
and the Grand Prix at Rome, where he recorded the only
double clear round of the competition.
But it’s the Doha win in the first leg of the prestigious
Global Champions Tour, which really made his rivals sit
up and take notice.
The unassuming 32-year-old is not one to blow his own
trumpet, but the big prize money win was all the more
remarkable since the horse and rider have only worked
together since October 2007.
Last year, the Swiss industrialist Thomas Straumann
bought the gelding from Jan Tops, the driving force behind
the Global Champions Tour. It was Tops who invited the
Germany-based Lynch to take part in the event.
Lynch responded to the challenge by resting Lantinus
for six weeks ahead of the competition – and the rest is
history. “It’s been a dream come true finding this horse and
having this success has been brilliant,” says Lynch. “ It was
my first time in Doha, but it was a fantastic experience there was a great atmosphere and the course and facilities
were first class.”
Arriving in Doha on the Wednesday before the
competition for a day of ‘schooling’ around the unique,
oval Qatar Equestrian Federation arena, Lynch and
Lantinus had time to adjust and observe their new
environment. “The stables were air-conditioned and you
couldn’t get any better anywhere in the world,”
says Lynch. “For the grooms that go with
the horses, it’s very important that there are permanent
stables and air conditioning, just as there will be in Hong
Kong, China for the Olympic Games. On the competition
nights, the air temperature was quite warm, but that was
no problem for Lantinus.”
In fact, nothing appeared to unsettle the horse in Doha
and for those looking for clues to the Grand Prix final on
Saturday, Lynch and Lantinus signaled their potential
when coming second in the 1.50m jump-off class. “On
the Friday, I wasn’t trying to win,” Lynch confides. “I
wanted to keep some speed and power for Saturday.”
On the night of the final - with €100,000 at stake for
the winner - Lynch used this reserve power to stunning
affect. After two clear rounds, Lynch qualified for a third
round jump off against four other riders. Riding second of
the five, he calculated that another clear round would put
him in a medal position.
“If you get a clear round, you’re always in with chance of
getting in the top three. You need to think realistically, so
be quick, but don’t be headstrong. On the last run I was
quick and thought I’d done a good job, but I wasn’t
at all sure I was going to win. I went into the jump-off
with the intention of just leaving all the fences up. But the
horse is naturally quick, and his finishing time put the
rest under pressure. That’s my tactic but I guess everyone
knows it by now!”
Germany’s Alois Pollman-Schweckhorst on Lord Luis
also put in a clear round, but Lynch came home almost
half a second faster to secure his biggest prize to date.
If Doha proved he has the right stuff to succeed under
pressure, Lynch is also quick to give praise to Lantinus.
“This horse is so special,” he says. “He has the scope and
the strength and a brilliant temperament. At first, in a lot
of situations he was ‘overbrave’ and went more quickly
than I wanted, which was a handicap. My job is to keep
him under control and believe in the way he believes in
himself. He’s a big horse – 1.80 metres – and he really
wants to run.”
This positive impression was evidently shared by equine
admirers in Qatar. After the race, a tempting offer of over
€5 million was put before the horse’s owner. However,
according to Lynch, Mr Straumann bought Lantinus for
sport, not for profit. “Lantinus was bought to jump and
Thomas loves him,” says Lynch.
Indeed, a real possibility exists that the duo could
represent Ireland at the Beijing Olympics – an act of
generosity from the Swiss owner, which would be wellreceived in Tipperary, the rural Irish county where Lynch
was brought up.
The same rider and horse combination should also
return to Doha for next year’s final of the Global
Champions Tour when a staggering €2.5 million will be
on offer to the 25 qualifiers. The choice of Doha for the
final, which was announced after the Grand Prix in Doha,
demonstrated just how well the Qatar Equestrian
Federation organised the event but also the keen equine
interest of Qatar’s ruling family and the Qatari people.
“The development of show
jumping in the Middle east is
fantastic. It’s the way forward...
not just because I won in Doha!”
Left: Irishman Denis Lynch,
riding Lantinus, clears
another hurdle at the Global
Champions Tour Grand
Prix in Doha. Right: Lynch
celebrates victory in the
local style.
Lynch himself is enthusiastic about the sport’s
development in the region and looks forward his return to
Doha next year. “The development of show jumping in the
Middle East is fantastic. It’s the way forward and good for
our sport in general - not just because I won in Doha!
“The Middle East brings purchasing power to the
industry, which keeps the bloodstock prices up, which is
good for the sport.
“But it also brings a great hospitality and positive
mentality to the sport. The racing world has been in the
Middle East for some time and now show jumping has
arrived. I really like it and others riders feel the same.”
As for the skills of the local riders, Lynch is impressed. “I
was quite amazed by the riding standards. In general,
they have the same competitive minds that we do. It
makes no difference what country you’re from – everyone
has an individual style, and the best of them believe
in their style.”
In the light of his Doha performance, Lynch has every
right to be confident about the future with Lantinus.
“There will definitely be more big wins. Since April last
year, he has won more than €500,000. He is one of best
horses in world.”
Q3.08 QatarSport 25
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PARTNERS
IN SPORT
Qatar National Bank has been sponsoring
sports events FOR two decades and is now a
key supporter OF QATAR’S NATIONAL STRATEGY
It’s not unusual for blue-chip brands to support their
local sports industry through sponsorship and official
supplier agreements.
But you definitely get the sense with Qatar’s leading
companies that they like to go the extra mile. Over and
above their commercial objectives, there seems to be a
genuine desire to participate in Qatar’s great nationbuilding agenda.
A great case in point is QNB – the Qatar National
Bank which has been sponsoring set-piece sports events
for the best part of two decades. Whether it is football,
tennis, motorsports, traditional sports or flagship events
like the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, it’s a given that QNB
will have played a pivotal role.
In recent years, the driving force behind the bank’s
emphasis on sports sponsorship has been QNB chief
executive Ali Shareef Al Emadi. And he has made it clear
on numerous occasions that QNB’s commercial success
goes hand in hand with Qatar’s prosperity as a nation. For
Leading from t
him, sports sponsorship is not just about articulating the
bank’s core values, it’s about fulfilling its responsibility to
the wider Qatari community.
Aside from QNB’s commitment to achieving its own
commercial objectives, Mr Al Emadi’s approach to sports
sponsorship consists of three main elements. Firstly, a
desire to put Qatar on the international map by sponsoring
iconic events. Secondly, a commitment to developing
young Qatari talent. And thirdly, an attempt to keep the
local population healthy and active by supporting local
community sporting events.
The classic example of how to achieve all three of these
goals at the same time was QNB’s support for the
2006 Asian Games. A brilliantly-executed event, QNB’s
36.5 million Riyal (US $10 million) financial contribution
was undoubtedly a key element of Doha’s success.
But just as important to the smooth running of the overall
planning process were the bank’s logistical expertise and
sponsorship experience.
For QNB, active involvement with the Asian Games
actually began in early 2005 when it signed its deal with
the local organising committee [DAGOC]. Straightaway,
Mr Al Emadi set up a permanent supervising committee
to manage the bank’s preparations for the Games. By
overseeing the committee himself, Mr Al Emadi sent out
two messages. Firstly, that the bank’s sponsorship strategy
would not be executed in a way which would affect its core
banking services. And secondly, that the Games really
26 QatarSport Q3.08
Above: QNB was at the
heart of the action during
the 2006 Asian Games.
Below: QNB Chief Executive
Ali Shareef Al Emadi awards
Maria Sharapova with the
Qatar Open trophy.
mattered to the bank (something he also demonstrated by
taking part in the Doha torch relay).
Indeed, QNB made sure its involvement with the
Games touched the bank at every level. For example, it
issued a special credit card to commemorate the Asian
Games - donating part of the card’s revenues to the Reach
Out To Asia campaign. It also worked with DAGOC to
create an Information Emergency Centre – equipped with
state-of-the-art technology to help tackle any emergency.
As the Games approached, QNB employees became part
of a vast field force of volunteers which ensured the Games
ran smoothly.
In terms of maximising exposure for both the bank and
the event itself, QNB sponsored the official uniforms of
10,000 volunteers from 93 nations.
The bank’s commitment to the success of the event also
required a lot of activity around arrivals from abroad.
Temporary bank branches within the Athletes’ Village,
the temporary airport and the main media centre were all
built to serve QNB clients and to promote the Bank’s
products and services. QNB also ran a well-organised
corporate hospitality programme. This played a key role in
showcasing the capabilities of both the bank and Qatar to
partners.
Of course, it would be wrong to suppose that QNB’s
interest in sport was limited to a few weeks at the end of
2006. Mr. Al Emadi has often stressed that the bank’s role
in supporting the 2006 Doha Asian Games was not an
the front
isolated one-off - but an integral part of its wider strategic
efforts to bolster Qatar’s sports sector.
For many years, QNB has been a key supporter of the
Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) – a partnership which
was re-affirmed in 2006 when the bank signed an
agreement to became the exclusive sponsor of Qatar’s
major championships in football, basketball, volleyball
and handball (a deal which factors in existing support for
leading Qatari soccer events - the Emir Cup and the Heir
Apparent Cup).
Worth QR 25 million over three years, the deal is the
first time a single Qatari institution has undertaken an
initiative of this magnitude. And it couldn’t have come at
a better time – providing local athletes with the kind of
stable support they need in the run up to Beijing 2008.
Not only that, but QNB’s Olympic link has allowed it
to reach out and engage with Qatari consumers once more.
For the first half of the year, it ran a credit card
promotion with Visa (an IOC TOP sponsor), which will
enable six lucky winners to attend the Beijing Olympics.
In doing so, it found a way to keep up the momentum
created by Doha 2006.
Often, investment in a new area of sponsorship leads to
cutbacks in existing commitments. But QNB has been
careful not to turn its back on long-established
arrangements. It continues to sponsor the Qatar’s Men
and Women Tennis Championships – ATP and WTAendorsed events which attract world-class talent.
QNB’s commitment to tennis is part of a long-standing
partnership with the Qatar Tennis Federation, which
dates back to the early 1990s. Explaining the rationale for
the sponsorship, Mr Al Emadi said: “Our focus has been
on giving Qatar the boost it deserves in order to receive
international recognition, and we truly believe that
supporting Tennis will help achieve this objective.
We have been partners with QTF for 14 years, during
which time this relationship has blossomed to a stage
where Qatar’s tennis tournaments are recognised all
over the world.” QNB has also played its part in the
motorsports revolution sweeping across the Middle East.
Through its partnership with the Qatar Motor and
Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), it is the sponsor of both
the QNB Losail Motorbike Race and the Qatari Middle
East Rally Champion, Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah.
Once again, Mr Al Emadi is keen for QNB to lead
from the front: “This agreement falls in line with QNB’s
plan to be actively involved in sponsoring and supporting
local sport in Qatar. It allows us to strengthen our
involvement in the development of motorsports, which
enjoys widespread popularity in Doha.
“This last comment is a reminder of how important
the local population is to QNB’s strategy. QNB, for
example, has stayed loyal to traditional favourites such as
horse racing and camel racing. As Mr Al Emadi concludes,
“Maintaining a strong link with the past will enable the
country to move forward with confidence.”
Q3.08 QatarSport 27
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HEALTH
AND SOCIETY
Aspetar delivers best-in-class
ORTHOPAEDIC treatment
Aspetar’s reputation for orthopaedic surgery is growing in the Gulf
as it leads the region in ground-breaking surgical procedures
iStock
Aspetar, Qatar’s Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine
Hospital, is to stage a world-class conference on
orthopaedic surgery in the Aspetar Auditorium on
19-20 November 2008.
The 1st Annual Aspetar Arabian Gulf Sports Medicine
Meeting will be organised by Peter Fowler and Craig
Bottoni, Aspetar’s chief medical officer and chief of surgery
respectively, and is supported by ISAKOS – the International
Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic
Sports Medicine.
Camera (arthroscope) surgery is a key procedure in the
treatment of sporting injures, in particular those affecting
an athlete’s knee and shoulder, and Aspetar is now a
leading regional centre for this careersaving surgery.
In April, Aspetar
become the first hospital in Qatar to carry out a
‘double bundle arthroscopic posterior cruciate ligament
(PCL)’ reconstruction. PCL injures are less common
than those affecting the anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL), but can be equally destructive.
The operation was led by Dr Bottoni, who developed
this new surgical technique in 2003 and has used it in
over 100 operations before joining Aspetar. “This is a
relatively new technique but we believe it makes a
difficult operation slightly less challenging,” said Dr
Bottoni. “It is our intention at Aspetar to become a
PCL referral centre for the region.”
Dr Bottoni was involved in another landmark
procedure this year, when, with the assistance of Dr
Mohammed Al Ateeq, he performed the ‘first double
row, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair’ at Aspetar.
The arthroscopic technique allows the shoulder injury
to be repaired through very small skin incisions through
which a camera (arthroscope) and surgical instruments
are passed.
Dr Bottoni has received several international awards for
his sports medicine research in knee and shoulder injuries
and their surgical repairs. Among his many accolades, is
the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
(AOSSM) Excellence in Research Award, which he won in
2005 for research on arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
In 2007, he won AOSSM the O’Donohue Sports
Injury Research Award for research into optimal
timing of ACL surgery.
He is the programme director
for this November’s
conference
and
along with Peter Fowler, a world leader in all
areas of orthopaedic sports medicine, patient
care, research and teaching, will host a group of
prominent sports medicine specialists.
These will include Dr Richard Hawkins,
the former team physician for the 1998 and
1999 Super Bowl Champions, the Denver
Broncos, and co-founder of the Steadman
Hawkins Clinic; Dr Charlie Brown, a knee
specialist from the Harvard Combined
Orthopaedic Services and Dr Peter Pascal, a
US-based orthopaedic surgeon and sports
medicine specialist.
The meeting will include expert lectures and
live surgery demonstrations within the brand
new Aspetar facility.
Special
achievements
The Sport Affairs Department of the Qatar Olympic
Committee (QOC), in association with the Qatar Sport
Federation (QSF) for Special Needs, has held its first
paralympic sports festival at the Qatar Sports Club.
“We want to bring these people closer to the society
and make the society accept them,” said Khalil Al Jaber,
Director of QOC Sport Affairs Department. “There is an
active participation from people in paralympic sport these
days - and two of our athletes will be competing in javelin
and weightlifting at the Beijing Paralympics this year.”
Dr Hassan Mohammed Al Ansari, Secretary General,
QSF for Special Needs stressed that those with special
needs are provided with training by specialist coaches.
A SPECIAL PAralympic FESTIVAL
iN doha CONFIRMED THE GULF
STATE’S COMMITMENT TO sport
for all its people AHEAD OF
THE 2008 BEIJING GAMEs
Above: Dr Craig Bottoni
performed the first ‘double
bundle arthroscopic
posterior cruciate ligament
reconstruction’ surgery in a
Qatari Hospital.
Q3.08 QatarSport 29
ooooooooo
HEALTH
AND SOCIETY
“We have about 300 people with special needs who are
active in sports,” he said. “Our aim is to promote sports
among these people and give them an opportunity to live
a normal life.
“The federation facilitates are not only for the adults:
we have children from the age of 12 years from other
schools who are given training,” he added
The festival featured a number of events and saw wide
participation from both the disabled and others. It began
with a friendly football match between two teams
comprising people with mental disabilities.
Goal ball, a special game for the blind using perforated
balls with a bell inside also attracted much attention. The
players had to prevent goals being scored by tracking the
ball’s movement by sound. Cultural events, and other
games for people with different kinds of disabilities,
besides cultural events, were also held. “Qatar gives great
importance to these kinds of activities, ” said Mr Al Jabber.
“We have a number of organisations for people with
special needs which are actively involved with QOC and
are supporting all our activities.”
Paralympic athletes took centre stage at the Qatar Sports Club.
GSF WARNS TEENS
AGAINST drug use
THE united natioNS AND Qatar’s
olympic authorities are
SHOWING the SPORTING world
NEW WAYS TO RESPOND TO drug
use AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) and several Qatar-based organisations put
together a series of awareness programmes in Doha to
mark the ‘International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking’ on June 26.
The campaign was first launched by the United Nations
General Assembly in 1987 and this year, as in the past, was
targeted towards youth and students, under the theme,
“Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community.
No place for drugs”.
In response to the global problem, the Global Sport
Fund (GSF), the Qatari fund set up by the QOC
and UNODC to encourage young people to lead a healthy
lifestyle, is also launching a unique attempt at drug
use prevention to support youth-in-sport projects in
several countries.
Young people will be encouraged to take up amateur
sports to promote healthy lifestyles that include being part
of a coaching programme in which they practice fair play
on the field and essential social values and related life skills
off it. For this, a number of camps with participants taking
part from over 30 countries are set to take place in Africa,
Asia and South America by the end of 2008.
QOC became the first sports entity in the world to join
30 QatarSport Q3.08
hands with UNODC in establishing the Global Sport
Fund (GSF) in 2005. “QOC is the only national Olympic
committee in the world to join UNODC for such a
venture,” said Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani,
Secretary General of QOC.
“We started the Schools Olympic Day, a feat lauded by
the IOC, and we feel equally satisfied by backing a
programme, which is exclusively devised to supporting the
youth of the world.”
Among the events that took place on June 26, the
Permanent Committee on Drugs and Alcohol Affairs, on
behalf of the Qatar government, conducted exhibitions,
presentations and lectures to raise awareness among the
public on the dangers of using drugs, while a campaign by
the Indian Anti-Smoking Society raised awareness of the
dangers of smoking in their community.
Public lectures on the dangers
of drug-abuse formed part
of the International Day
against Drug Abuse and
Illicit Trafficking on June 26.
Arab Shooting Championship
Qatar Squash Classic
Sony Ericsson Championships
The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
France
05/10/08
IAAF World Road Running Championships Brazil
12/10/08
Japanese Grand Prix Japan
12/10/08
Madrid MastersSpain
13/10/08
MLB World Series USA
22/10/08
Asian Optimist Sailing Championship Doha Sailing Club
24/10/08
Rugby League World CupAustralia 26/10/08
MotoGP final race of seasonSpain 26/10/08
World Superbikes final race of season
Portugal 26/10/08
Qatar Squash Classic Championship Khalifa Tennis Complex 27/10/08
F1 GP final race of season
Brazil
02/11/08
U-14 Int. Tennis Championship Khalifa Tennis Complex
03/11/08
Sony Ericsson Tennis Championships
Khalifa Tennis Complex
04/11/08
Int. Car Endurance Rally Losail Int. Circuit
06/11/08
The 8th Arab Shooting Championship
Lusail Shooting Range 10/11/08
World Touring Car Championship Macau 16/11/08
Davis Cup final TBD
21/11/08
The 4th Asian Technical Gymnastic Championship Aspire Zone
23/11/08
Omega Mission Hills World Cup China
7/11/08
European Short Course Swimming Championships
Finland 07/12/08
Gulf Sailing Trophy Doha Sailing Club 08/12/08
Qatar Int. Bowling Open Championship
Qatar Bowling Center
04/12/08
The 2nd. Cycling Golden Shirt Open ChampionshipAround Qatar
18/12/08
Doha U-16 Handball Int. Championship Al Gharrafa Club
18/12/08
End of NFL regular season 28/12/08
USA
Events diary - International and Qatar
Asian Optimist Sailing Championship
Q3.08 QatarSport 31
www.globalsportfund.com
Youth in sport—
Create a world
of motion!
Imagine what would happen if the
1.7 billion youth — more than a
quarter of the world’s population
under 25 years of age — took part in
a sport. What a world of motion that
would be. The Global Sport Fund
(GSF) is working to help young people
do just that. It is an initiative of the
United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime and the Qatar Olympic
Committee to aid youth to develop
their potential, live healthy lifestyles,
and stay away from drugs.
World sports
rankings
Clockwise from the top:
Women’s tennis No. 1 Ana
Ivanovic; South African
star Bryan Habana; the
peerless Tiger Woods; and
FIFA’s top 2 soccer nations.
the best of the best in sport… at a glance
FIFA – at 11/06/08
1
Argentina
2
Brazil
3
Italy
4
Spain
5
Germany
6
Czech Republic
7
France
8
Greece
9
England
10 Netherlands
11 Portugal
12 Romania
13 Cameroon
14 Mexico
15 Croatia
16 Ghana
17 Scotland
18 Bulgaria
19 Colombia
20 Turkey
-83 Qatar
84 Libya
85 Iceland
86 Zimbabwe
87 Trinidad and Tobago
1559
1513
1424
1303
1274
1246
1143
1133
1123
1111
1094
1069
1041
1020
1017
986
978
949
904
877
-373
369
367
367
365
IRB - at 11/06/08
1
South Africa
2
New Zealand
3
Argentina
4
Australia
5
England
6
Wales
7
France
8
Ireland
9
Fiji
10 Scotland
90.81
89.59
87.42
84.20
83.36
80.12
79.61
77.18
76.29
74.92
World Golf - at 12/06/08
1
Tiger Woods (USA)
2
Phil Mickelson (USA)
3
Adam Scott (Australia)
4
Ernie Els (South Africa)
5
Geoff Ogilvy (Australia)
6
Justin Rose (England)
7
Sergio Garcia (Spain)
8
Steve Stricker (USA)
9
Vijay Singh (Fiji)
10 Jim Furyk (USA)
19.44
10.21
5.86
5.72
5.62
5.44
5.22
5.21
5.14
5.09
ATP Tour - at 11/06/08
1
Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
3
Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
4
Nikolay Davydenko (Russia)
5
David Ferrer (Spain)
6
Andy Roddick (USA)
7
James Blake (USA)
8
David Nalbandian (Argentina)
9
Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland)
10 Richard Gasquet (France)
6675
5585
5225
3050
2905
2405
2015
2000
1615
1595
FIH ABN-AMRO - at 12/06/08
1
Germany
2
Australia
3
Netherlands
4
Spain
5
Korea
6
Pakistan
7
Argentina
8
England
9
India
10 New Zealand
1921
1898
1743
1689
1435
1353
1115
1092
1078
1020
Sony Ericsson WTA Tour - at 11/06/08
1
Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)
2
Maria Sharapova (Russia)
3
Jelena Jankovic (Serbia)
4
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
5
Elena Dementieva (Russia)
6
Serena Williams (USA)
7
Venus Williams (USA)
8
Anna Chakvetadze (Russia)
9
Dinara Safina (Russia)
10 Marion Bartoli (France)
4222
3806
3755
3565
2750
2676
2606
2541
2222
2035
Q3.08 QatarSport 33
O’Grady
looks
east
for
growth
34 QatarSport Q3.08
George O’Grady’s office is tucked away behind the first
tee of Wentworth’s famous west course, which for the
last 25 years or so has been the centre of the PGA
European Tour’s world. How long this remains the case is
open to question.
For now, this is European golf ’s headquarters, situated
deep in the London stockbroker belt, surrounded by some
of the most expensive real estate in Europe. Every May,
golf fans come in their thousands to watch the BMW
PGA Championship, and to peek through the hedgerows
of the estate’s famous residents.
Where once the stucco-fronted mansions were occupied
by old school bankers from the City of London and stars of
the British entertainment industry, they have been largely
replaced by an international elite: the stars of private
equity and the Premier League, Andriy Shevchenko has
spent his Chelsea sojourn here and Boris Berekovsky, the
secretive exiled Russian oligarch, lives in one of the estate’s
many tree line roads.
In many ways the PGA at Wentworth is a throwback,
to the days when the Tour’s big dates were the national
open championships of Europe, held in Ireland, France,
Italy, Spain and Portugal. But those days are gone and
they’re not coming back.
George O’Grady has overseen a revolution, one that
started more than 25 years ago, when the European Tour
broke out of Europe. Along with former Tour Chief
Executive Ken Schofield from whom he took over in 2004,
O’Grady has steered a new course, one that has led to a
power and influence shift from Wentworth to golf ’s new
playground in the Gulf.
The Dubai Desert Classic led the way, followed in 1998,
by the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, which has grown
into one of the key events of the early season schedule.
With a $2.5million purse on offer, the Qatar event has
been won by some of the game’s most illustrious players.
Australian Adam Scott negotiated the 7,355 yard Doha
Golf Club course to win the 2008 tournament, thereby
adding his name to those of Retief Goosen, Henrik
Stenson and Ernie Els among others on the trophy.
From his perspective as Chief Executive of the European
Tour, George O’Grady draws parallels between the Dubai’s
explosive golfing growth and the potential of Qatar.
“The big move will happen when they build the second
golf course,” he says, noting how quickly the Doha
coastline has developed since his first visit. “They have
many hotels now. But at first they only had one, which
is now the Doha Sheridan. As they develop the coastline,
the same growth of the game in Qatar will occur as it
has in Dubai.”
The importance of the relationships between the Tour
and countries in the region are obvious. Golf ’s traditional
sponsorship model is coming under pressure. The banks
and car-makers, who have long supported the sport
are facing uncertain economic times. The oil wealth of
Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, along with the respective
governments’ tourism agenda, provides a welcome source
of income.
For Qatar in particular, O’Grady says golf, along with
other sporting events, has helped establish the country on
the world map. “A camera at a tennis event just shows
a tennis court. The camera at a golf tournament shows
the whole area, they are feature golf courses, which are
then discussed by the commentary teams. In Qatar golf
has helped attract investment into the region, and people
certainly know where it is.”
This year saw the second Abu Dhabi Championship
and further events in the region are sure to follow. The
Tour has recently gone into partnership with Axem Sports,
a company operating out of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. It
seems likely then that Saudi Arabia will soon be added to
the Gulf Swing.
O’Grady’s view of sports marketing was handed down
to him by John Jacobs, a former chief of the tour. Jacobs
was asked in the early 1970s what he was going to do to
attract the interest of sponsors. He replied: “I won’t, I’ll be
trying to create an image so sponsors will come looking
for me.” This approach reached a zenith late last year with
an announcement that stunned seasoned observers of the
game. From 2009 the Tour’s money list will be renamed the
Race to Dubai and the season will culminate in The Dubai
World Championship held at the Jumeirah Golf Estates,
the richest event ever staged anywhere in the world.
the big interview
The PGA European Tour Chief
Executive George O’Grady sees
the future in the new golfing
destinations of the Middle
East and Asia
Above: Last year’s Qatar
Open Masters winner,
Adam Scott. Following
page: O’Grady relaxes
with golf star Padraig
Harrington as the
European Tour visits the
Middle East.
“The big move will happen when
they build the second golf
course [in Doha]. In Qatar, golf
has helped attract investment
into the region”
Q3.08 QatarSport 35
the big interview
GEORGe O’Grady – continued from previous page
“In China, there are masses
of people being groomed and
coached in golf because... it is the
done thing in business”
Players will be ranked according to their earnings from
all events on The European Tour international schedule,
including all European Tour tournaments, the Major
Championships and the World Golf Championships.
Players ranked from 1 to 60 in The Race to Dubai then
compete in the season’s climax, the $10 million Dubai
World Championship. Following this tournament, the
season’s 15 top-ranked players by earnings share a Bonus
Pool of $10 million. The Number One player will receive
$2 million, the runner-up $1.5 million and the thirdplaced player $1 million, with prizes down to the 15th
player, who will earn $250,000.
“With the combined prize funds of The Dubai World
Championship and The Race to Dubai, we have the
prospect of a player standing over a putt for $3,666,660,”
said O’Grady, when the announcement was made.
The scale and ambition of the event is a direct assault
on the PGA Tour, which for the first time is showing signs
of status anxiety. American golf ’s hierarchy has watched
on as O’Grady has spread in to the Middle East and Asia,
adding lucrative new commercial partners and opening up
new markets, most notably in China and India. All four
World Golf Championship events, controlled by the PGA
Tour are this year held in America. The Road to Dubai
comes a year after Tim Finchem, O’Grady’s American
counterpart, launched the FedEx series, itself a response
to falling TV ratings and concerns that the game stateside
is over dependent on Tiger Woods.
Underpinning this anxiety is the thought of losing their
trump card to an international tour, a seemingly distant
prospect despite the riches on offer. Woods has said he
doubts he will be in Dubai next November, saying the
rigours of maintaining his European Tour card, a prerequisite of entry, will be too much.
Woods’ absence would undermine the Dubai event’s
World Championship claims, and it remains to be seen
if the Tour will accommodate his schedule to get him in.
Such is his pulling power that even mega-rich events can
look pedestrian without him. For example, HSBC pulled
36 QatarSport Q3.08
out of its sponsorship of the World Matchplay, also at
Wentworth, after five years of a ten-year deal, originally
set to run to 2012. Woods played just once during the
bank’s sponsorship of the event, losing in the first round
to Shaun Micheel in 2006.
“We are unashamedly about business,” says O’Grady,
who was a former executive with oil company Esso. “We
follow the money.” He has noted a significant change in
the objectives of the Tour’s international partners. “In the
early days it was about big global companies trying to
break in to the China market. Now it is as much about
Chinese course developments and companies promoting
themselves to the world. Governments around the world
have decided that golf is a good role model for its citizens,
because of all the accompanying virtues of character
building, leadership and etiquette that go with it”.
The next step for Qatar, China and the other golf
destinations is to increase participation among their own
people, allowing the sport to move from something they
watch to something they do.
“In China, there are masses of people being coached
and groomed in golf because they deem it to be
acceptable and it is the done thing in business. You have
to be careful who you invite to play in a Pro-Am because
they always say yes”.
Viewing figures play a major part in the decision making
process of the new generation of tour sponsors says O’Grady.
“They are very much more research driven. Whatever the
euphoria they feel on the Sunday of a tournament, the
chairman’s whim is no longer as important. But it is worth
noting that it is still important, he or she signs it off, but
now it has to be backed up with pages of figures”.
The key to providing sponsors with this evidence
lies in the television contracts negotiated centrally by
O’Grady and his team. The European Tour is available
in 80 million homes via a deal with The Golf Channel in
the US, ensuring events such as the Qatar Masters is seen
around the world.
“It starts with having quality pictures,” says O’Grady,
referring to the broadcast service provided by European
Tour Productions, a joint venture between the tour and
IMG Media. “We are able to guarantee high class pictures
anywhere in the world. It means we are selling quality and
certainty rather than hope”.
As the golfing economy of Qatar grows, this sounds
like good news.

eyes on china gold - Qatar Olympic Committee

Transkript

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