sports nation

On December 6, 2011, an initiative adopted by HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent, to help instill a culture of sport into was announced. The second Tuesday of every February would be a National Sport Day and a public holiday. It was testament to the growing profile which sport is now enjoying in Qatar and the influence it is having on the residents here.

In light of this, Qatar Today focuses on the efforts being made by the various stakeholders throughout the country, from the to the various sporting federations to the organisers of the different grassroots leagues which are giving the ordinary residents of Qatar a chance to play on a competitive team.

By Rory Coen cover story Sports nation

you take a walk around the , sion. So across the nation, on February faa Street and the Olympic Parks. Addition- you’ll see that it is peppered with quotes 12, ministries, government departments, ally, a sport zone will be set up by the QOC from famous sports personalities about public and private sector organisations near the Corniche, featuring all-day sport what it takes to succeed in sport, but also and sports clubs will be organising various and recreational activities open to all from how enjoyable general participation in activities in an attempt to create awareness February 12-16. Qatar’s fastest woman, sport can be. The legendary American foot- about how sport can lead to better health. Noor Al-Malki, who represented Qatar at ball coach Vince Lombardi holds no punch- The Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) will the 2012 Summer Olympics, and is an am- es with quotes such as “If winning isn’t ev- open its sports clubs and facilities allowing bassador for National Sport Day, endorses erything, then why do they keep score?” to everyone – men, women and children, in- the idea of dedicating one day every year to Michael Jordan’s more down-to-earth “just cludinf those with disabilities – to practise the ideals of sport: “Initiatives like National play, have fun, enjoy the game” philosophy. and enjoy sporting activities. Events will be Sport Day advertise Qatar’s willingness to Sport includes all kinds of characters. staged on the Corniche and at Aspire, Al Ra- become a sporting nation and encourage Qatar is trying to place itself somewhere people to become sports fans. We can show in the middle. While it wants everyone to other nations that our society is adopting get active and play some kind of sport – as the sporting culture and is open to fresh is evident in its National Sports Day initia- ideas for a healthier and robust life.” tive – it is also trying to train young children to be superstars of the future, which can be Private initiatives witnessed any day you walk through the Brave as the concept of a national sports high-tech Aspire Zone. day is, other organisations must carry the The country is also a big player in sports can for the remaining 364 days of the year. tourism, the concept of attracting tour- Qatar is a country with a very diverse demo- ists to the country by hosting top-quality graphic, where only about 20% of the popu- sporting events or providing state-of-the- lation are Qatari Nationals. The remainder art training facilities for top teams to come come from every corner of the globe and here to train. The Manchester United foot- “The National sport day is the their sporting interests vary. While it may ball team spent a week last month training perfect way to try sport in be construed as a challenge to cater for ev- at the Aspire Zone, for instance. The South eryone’s interests, it can also be grasped as American champions Uruguay play the Eu- a fun and safe environment. an opportunity. Many expatriates are only ropean Champions, Spain, at Khalifa Sta- qatar is at the forefront of too keen to impress their love for sport on dium this month. Platforms like the recent sport development and the this country. There’s growth and opportu- Aspire4Sport Congress were perfect for al- nity in every sector and they know that with lowing the various stakeholders a chance to health benefits of being active the right model in place, anything is pos- discuss opportunities in all segments of the are huge: everyone should make sible. industry. sport an integral part of their Quantum Sports Leagues (QSports Leagues) was founded by seven men in 2011 National Sport Day daily life. and has grown at a phenomenal rate since. However, the intention of National Sports “i hope everyone joins in on It is a multisport league and sports manage- Day is much more modest. Its remit is february 12 to make this year’s ment company which lives by an ethos of simple: to get people active, or to “further “Have Fun, Get Fit and Make Friends” by embed sporting values into the nation’s national sport day an occasion playing and enjoying sport on a regular ba- culture and inspire local people to partici- to remember – i am really look- sis. It organises sports leagues and activities pate in sports activities”. Sport wasn’t al- ing forward to it” for residents of Qatar. ways part of the Qatari vernacular and the Ben Panton, one of the founder members country is now playing catch-up with much of QSports Leagues, explained how it all be- abdulrahman abdulqadar of the world. While it’s difficult to implant abdulrahman. gan: “A few of us were looking for things to a cultural trait into a nation’s psyche, Qa- paralympian 2012 and ambassador do in Qatar. Joining a gym had certain limi- tar feels that a fit and competitive populace for national sport day 2013. tations, in that you pay a set price for a year should be integral to its 2030 National Vi- and you’re fed up with it after a month. And february 2013 | Qatar Today 45 COP 18

the red devils train at aspire academy part of qatar’s sports tourism strategy is to attract top-class clubs, such as england’s manchester united FC, to . WORLD CLASS PLAYERS, SUCH AS ROBIN VAN PERSIE, WAYNE ROONEY AND MICHAEL CARRICK ARE BEING PUT THROUGH THEIR PACES. it’s difficult to really meet people in that en- attribute of private companies. They run vironment. We felt a soccer league might be leagues but they understand that more in tune with what we wanted to do, so those who wish to play can’t afford what we decided to set one up and see who was the league may feel is a fair price, so they interested. adapt. While the cricket facilities in Qatar “We advertised it on Facebook, and news are pretty abysmal for the thousands of of the league soon spread around Doha. Our cricket players who are working here, they original plan was for a pilot season of eight may still be better than what they are used teams where we would book a sports hall to at home. QSports Leagues try to simulate at Academy. However, we had a cricket environment as best they can. 20 or so applications, so we bumped up the Another example is through its promo- number of teams to 12. The over-subscrip- tion of women’s soccer. Panton explained tion was very encouraging, but since it was that they didn’t get involved in women’s our pilot season, we decided to tread soccer for the first couple of seasons, but cautiously,” said Panton. “We are a public facility that women now form 10% of their overall mem- Since this initial offering where it had bership. Much of this is due to their toler- 150 members, QSports League now boasts allows anyone to use our ance for the different levels the women may 4,000 members. This is due to their recog- courts. As for members, we be playing at. nition of the potential of their product. In- have 175 children enrolled in QSports League set up a women’s soc- stead of sitting on a 12-team six-a-side soc- cer team – expats with membership – and cer league, it has opened up to other sports our 10s school – pro- trained them to play the Qatari national such as cricket, and touch rugby. moting the game to the young- team in three 90-minute games last year. Although they are a private company and est group; 70 students on our Panton explained that there was a huge dis- deep down you feel they would love to make parity in standards. some money, this doesn’t seem to be their national team – representing “We had the ex-Dutch international goal- short-term goal, and it was refreshing to the country at all levels of keeper and then a girl from Palestine who hear about the effort the team was putting play; and 250 students in the hardly ever kicked a ball,” he said. “So it was in without any thought for real-time finan- a real balancing act. Some of the Western cial reward. QTF School which is open to all girls, whose skills were more developed, One example of this is how “open” the juniors.” really wanted to beat the Qatari girls. You company is for membership. You feel there could understand their frustration with the Nasser Ghanim Al Khelaifi is a sense of pragmatism about how they less technical girls, but we wanted an all- President, operate – which isn’t always a recognisable inclusive squad; we wanted to give everyone cover story Sports nation

a game.” QSports League hired an American of participants since its inception. Other coach for the three-game series, whilst Pan- projects include the construction of sports ton assisted with the team’s preparation to facilities and parks throughout Qatar, such some degree. They made it clear to the Qa- as the recent opening of the Al Wukair play- tari team that they would start with their ing fields, which include a number of facili- best team, but they would roll substitutes ties for various sports. through the games to be fair to everyone. There’s no doubt that Qatar is really put- They lost each of the three games (2-1, 4-0 ting in an effort to glamorise sport and take and 1-0) but the seeds for the development it to another level. Chief among its goals is of women’s football within the league had to get young Qataris developing a taste for fallen on fertile ground. sport and competition, and its SOP is the “We had fifty women the following sea- key driver towards this. son,” said Panton, “and we split them into The SOP hopes to “create a sports cul- four teams of 12, where each team would ture that calls for the practice of sports for have an even mix of highly technical players “SALEH AL KAABI AND GHANIM AL health and life in Qatari society, creating an and novices.” attractive environment for students of both Panton claimed it was the women’s bas- KUWARI HAVE WORKED TIRELESSLY genders to practise physical education ac- ketball league that brought the company to TO IMPROVE THEIR GAMES, tivities”. The programme has been running a whole new level in terms of exposure and AND NOW THEY HAVE EARNED THE for six years now between the months of sponsorship. October and April. “We tried to get more sponsors on board OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME TO Public schools (independent and non- to be able to afford better venues and in- REPRESENT THEIR COUNTRY IN A independent), private schools, community crease our exposure,” he said. “When we HOME TOURNAMENT. schools (boys and girls), kindergartens and moved into women’s sports we were con- special needs institutions participate in the tacted by the QOC; and the Qatar Women’s “PART OF THE MISSION OF THE competitions, games and festivals. Male Olympic Committee was interested in our QATAR GOLF ASSOCIATION IS TO students in all educational stages may par- basketball leagues in particular. Corporates PROVIDE QATARI GOLFERS WITH THE ticipate in one team event (football, basket- like McDonalds came on board on the back ball, or ) and one individ- of this, and we have just grown from there, ACCESS AND SUPPORT NEEDED TO ual event (, , , really.” ACHIEVE AT A WORLD-CLASS LEVEL. or athletics). Female students Evolution Soccer (Evo Soccer) noticed a WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE THESE in all educational stages may participate in large gap in the football segment in 2007. one team event (football, basketball, hand- It’s set its goal to create a soccer coaching TWO PLAYERS REPRESENTING US ball or volleyball) or one individual event resource for the burgeoning population of IN THE COMMERCIALBANK QATAR (table tennis, fencing, swimming, gymnas- Qatari and expat players and coaches. This MASTERS.” tics or athletics). happened long before Qatar’s bid for 2022 On the sidelines of this programme, En- was accepted, so the timing of FIFA’s deci- HASSAN AL NUAMI terprise Qatar (EQ) is working with these sion couldn’t have been better. PRESIDENT OF QATAR GOLF ASSOCIATION students through a series of workshops “All our coaches are trained to a high lev- entitled, “Innovation and Creativity Chal- el, usually in the UK,” said Tommy Westmo- lenges”, where students are grouped into reland, a coach at Evo Soccer. “Most groups teams and asked to develop certain busi- train twice a week, with midweek focused Public initiatives ness plans, such as how to promote Qatar on skills development and technique, while The QOC – which is in effect the Ministry as a tourist destination for the World Cup, the weekends are reserved for small-sided of Sport in Qatar – is in the midst of a five- how to increase the participation of women games. Our U/16s recently took part in the year sport strategy (2011-2016). The strat- in sport, and how to create a sports plan for QIAFL, an adult league in Qatar, and re- egy includes a number of key projects and the disabled. “The response has been fan- ceived huge plaudits for their technique outcomes. The “Sports Participation Sur- tastic!” exclaimed PR Professional Patrick and style of play.” vey Project” in collaboration with the Qatar Forbes. “The workshops were attended by How do parents react to their children’s Statistics Authority and the Qatar Supreme over 400 students, from a wide range of dream of playing in the 2022 World Cup? Council of Health is one example. The re- independent and government schools. The Do they see football as a viable career path sults of this survey will be announced dur- students engaged in the activities with a lot because of this huge opportunity in ten ing the National Sport Day activities. of passion, and the level of competition was years time? The five-year strategy hopes to increase high. This is the sixth year that the SOP has “I think education is priority for most participation, enhance and integrate plan- taken place so it isn’t the first step, but it is parents, but it can’t be denied that the de- ning for general and specialised sports fa- certainly a confirmation that there is seri- cision to host the 2022 World Cup has fu- cilities, and improve the process of building ous interest in sports among students, and eled great interest here and has opened up and managing sporting talents. The Schools contributes to the momentum. If we are people’s eyes to the potential opportunities Olympic Programme (SOP) is aimed at pre- successful in reaching people when they are for these kids. Evo soccer has already sent paring young athletes in a sporting context in their youth, they are more likely to adopt many Qatari kids onto club teams.” and has seen a 400% increase in the number healthy habits in their adult life.” february 2013 | Qatar Today 47 COP 18

CELEBRATION TIME BEN PAnTON CLAIMS THAT QSPORTS LEAGUE REALLY BEGAN TO GROW ONCE THE QATAR WOMEN’S OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AND MCDONALDS ROWED IN BEHIND ITS PROMOTION OF THE SPORT.

National Sports Federations tool that the QOC is using to prepare for Rio which is great. He’s the whole package.” While the QOC has adopted its five-year 2016 and other sporting events. The focus is Al-Kuwari, married with three children, strategy, various other National Sports on giving more attention to grassroots sport has been one of Qatar’s top golfers at nu- Federations (NSF) have their own strategic and talent development in order to secure merous points over the past decade. A spo- plans aimed at developing and supporting medals in athletics and shootings – which radic tournament player, balancing his love talented athletes. QOC and the NSFs work are seen as important sports for Qatar in of the game with life responsibilities, Al- together as partners for all sporting events. the Olympics. Nasser Al-Attiyah of course Kuwari has recently re-dedicated himself There are a number of big events that won bronze for Qatar in the men’s Skeet as a member of the Qatar national team and Qatar will be hosting in the future. These (clay-pigeon shooting) at the recent Lon- played some of the best golf of his life. El- include the 2014 FINA Swimming World don Olympic Games. liott highlights Al-Kuwari’s course manage- Cup, the 2015 World Handball Champion- The Qatar Golf Association (QGA) has ment and his putting as his top skills, calling ships and the 2016 UCI Road Cycling World sixty national members and two of its up- him one of Qatar’s most exceptional players Championships. Qatar currently hosts 30 and-coming members, 18-year-old student on the green. international sporting events, which will Saleh Al-Kaabi and 31-year-old business With golf being on the programme for increase to 50 by 2020. It recently had bids owner Ghanim Al-Kuwari competed with the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Elliott for the 2017 IAAF Athletics World Cham- the world’s best at the recent Commer- was disappointed that these men wouldn’t pionship and the 2020 Summer Olympic cialbank Qatar Masters. They realised this be allowed the chance to even qualify, such Games turned down. dream by finishing as the top two Qatari were the rule adjustments made by the In- Mutaz Barshim, Hamza Driouch and nationals at this year’s Qatar Open amateur ternational Olympic Committee (IOC). In- Ashraf Amgad Elseify are just a few shining event played prior to the Masters. stead of giving the likes of Al-Kaabi, who is examples of how the Qatar Athletics Fed- A graduate of Aspire Sports Academy and still a teenager, the chance to represent his eration has been supporting athletes. Their a first-year student at , Al- country in the Olympics as an amateur, the achievements include a bronze medal by Kaabi has only been playing tournaments IOC prefers to bring in the top profession- Mutaz in the recent 2012 Olympic Games for about three years, but Qatar’s national als we see week in, week out on our televi- in London, a gold medal by Hamza in the team coach, Mike Elliott, believes he has sion screens. 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships in the skillset to make it as a touring golfer. An area that is really taking off in Qatar Barcelona and a new world record by Ashraf “He hits the ball extremely long, well is motorsport. Hardly surprising when you Amgad Elseify in the hammer discipline over 300 yards regularly,” he said. “He’s up see the speeds these boys are able to get up at the 2012 Asian World Junior Athletics there in distance with anyone. “He’s also a to on the Al Shamal road. Championships in Sri Lanka. very calm and focused person on the course. “Motorsport is growing in Qatar and is Investment in these young athletes is one His temperament always remains the same, indeed a culture that has existed for many cover story Sports nation

“THE QATAR MOTOR AND MOTOR- CYCLE FEDERATION is organising more and more events every year on various types of ter- rain: desert, off-road areas and asphalt circuits. More than half of the entries in these events are Qatari drivers or riders.” NASSER KHALIFA AL ATTIYAH QATAR’S FUTURE PRESIDENT, QATAR MOTOR AND MOTOR- EVOLUTION SPORTS IS GIVING YOUNG KIDS THE CYCLE FEDERATION. COACHING NEEDED TO REACH THE TOP.

years already,” said Nasser Khalifa Al-Atti- Stakeholders tional sporting event is hosted by a country ya, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation This apparent boom in sporting interest it brings in a big influx of foreign currency, (QMMF) President. “QMMF is organising in the country has whetted the appetites tourists and additional spending on goods more and more events every year on vari- of the many sporting stakeholders based and services. ous types of terrain: desert, off-road areas here. There’s money to be made on sporting The sports industry crosses state lines and asphalt circuits. More than half of the infrastructure, equipment, gadgetry and and generates exposure for almost every entries in these events are Qatari drivers clothing. The recent Aspire4Sport Con- area of the economy. For us, as for other or riders.” gress brought many of these stakeholders SMEs in Qatar, this means that we can The QMMF now boasts almost 1,000 together, where they discussed three seg- successfully put down roots in cornering members who volunteer as marshalls for ments in particular: construction, science a niche with products and services serving events and also participate when they can. and medicine, and technology. this sector, and there is a way to carve out a It runs a Children’s Academy to instruct One of these stakeholders is TechnoQ, piece of the market,” he said. children and young people to develop their which has been involved in systems inte- TechnoQ’s initial foray into sports sector riding skills – instruction which always in- gration in Qatar since 1995, specialising in came in 2004. In preparation for the Asian cludes an education in safety awareness. audiovisual, building controls, fire and se- Games 2006, it was appointed to design The Federation runs fourteen different curity systems, lighting, information tech- and install the broadcast and audiovisual events every year. International events in- nology, broadcast and hospitality manage- systems for Khalifa Stadium. In the years clude the Moto GP World Championship, ment solutions. Over the years it has built that followed, it was awarded many other Motocross World Championship, Qatar a diverse client base spans a broad range of projects, such as systems installations at International Rally, Sealine Cross Country industries including the sporting sector. Aspire Zone, Al Shaqab Academy and the Rally, Endurance World Championship, The Managing Director of Techno Q, Zey- Equestrian Centre. Asia Road Racing Championship, Qatar ad Al-Jaidah, gave Qatar Today his thoughts “As a company, we have made many ef- International Enduro and Qatar Interna- on how important sport is for Qatar and forts to establish a strong hold in this field tional Road Racing Championship. how his company has put itself in a position by hiring highly-skilled technical staff and National events include the Qatar Na- to take advantage of the numerous projects investing in resources that enable us to ful- tional Rally, Qatar National Baja, National which sport will bring to Qatar over the ly understand our clients’ project require- Sprint, Qatar National Road Racing Cham- next decade. ments,” said Al-Jaidah. “We anticipate that pionship, Losail Asia Road Racing Champi- “The sports industry is a big business that approximately 20% of the new business will onship and Track Days. can contribute great amounts to building a come from projects that are in the pipeline The 2013 FIM Motocross World Champi- strong country brand and the economy,” he for 2022. The major factors influencing onship – will be staged for the first time in said. “The brand of a country has a direct project evaluation for us will depend on the Qatar. The event will be held at the Losail impact on its ability to compete and grow design and the technical specifications of Circuit on March 1 and 2. in the global arena. When a major interna- the new buildings and stadia”