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Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) His Excellency Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Secretary General Randhir Singh signed a Protocol of Co-operation on the sidelines of the OCA’s 33rd General Assembly in Incheon, South Korea, as the 14th Asian Games entered their second day on Saturday. |
The agreement stipulates that the distinguished Qatar Olympic Academy (QOA) will provide academic and technical training sessions for coaches, referees, specialists and technicians from across Asia. The signing ceremony was also attended by OCA President Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah and the Presidents of Asian National Olympic Committees as well as representatives of 45 Asian nations.
Founded in 2006, the QOA is a member of the International Olympic Academy and offers high-quality professional education programmes to develop and enrich national and regional sport leaders, managers and coaches and to help them lead in sports and the Olympic Movement. It is the first academy in the Mena region to offer such programmes. The QOA also includes a research centre and is one of many institutions helmed by the QOC with the aim of developing a solid sporting infrastructure.
The agreement also enables Asian athletes to train at the QOA and its affiliated world-class facilities. This is an already common occurrence in Doha, which regularly hosts training camps for regional and international athletes – the most recent of which was held in the world-class Aspire Academy for talented young Asian athletes from across the region.
Speaking after the ceremony, Sheikh Saoud said: “Through its meticulous planning and strategic growth, the Qatar Olympic Academy will become a beacon of sport education regionally and internationally. The academy offers unique courses and programmes to further advance sport professionals and will elevate educational standard in this field throughout the region. It is an honour to sign this agreement with the OCA and we look forward to continuing to further the development of sport regionally and internationally.”
The QOA has several notable alumni including Acting Secretary General of the UAE National Olympic Committee Mohamed al-Kamail and Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council Ahmed al-Sherif.
Regional leader in sports
Qatar continues to solidify its standing as a regional leader in sports with its renowned, world-class facilities reaping international acclaim. Also on Saturday, the Qatar Medical Committee and the Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital won the Sheikh Ahmed al-Fahad Hiroshima Asia Fund Science Award in Incheon.
Aspetar is one of the world’s leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospitals and the first in the Mena region. In 2009, Aspetar was officially accredited as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence while in 2013 Aspetar became the first GCC Sports Medicine Reference Centre in the Middle East. Last week, Aspetar’s laboratory was accredited by the College of American Pathologists.
Sheikh Saoud: “Aspetar is an invaluable resource to the region’s athletes and has continued to distinguish itself as world-class facility year after year. The Sheikh Ahmed Al Fahad Hiroshima Asia Fund Science Award is an honour for Qatar and illuminates its unwavering commitment to excelling in every aspect of sports. I give my sincerest congratulations to Dr Khalifa al-Kuwairi, head of Aspetar, for this fantastic achievement – one of many more to come.”
