By Sports Reporter/Doha
Doha GOALS announced that Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps will be one of several world-class athletes participating in the forum, which takes place July 25-27, 2015, in Los Angeles. It is the first time that the world’s leading platform focusing on sports as a driver of social change will be held outside Qatar.
“I am honoured to join several world-class athletes and global leaders at Doha GOALS Forum to discuss how sport can help drive social change,” said Phelps. “My dream has always been to change the sport of swimming and I have seen first-hand how sport can positively impact communities. I started the Michael Phelps Foundation because I wanted to create a programme that would incorporate the skills I utilised in my swimming career in a way that would be beneficial to a much larger audience. I am proud to say that we have reached more than 10,000 children and young adults through our signature programme in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Special Olympics International. I look forward to sharing my personal experiences and hearing inspiring stories from others as we talk about ways to continue to utilise the power of sport for the greater good.”
Joining Phelps at Doha GOALS will be professional basketball legend Yao Ming, three-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Nadia Comenici, former footballer and LA Galaxy president Chris Klein, nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis, two-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Bart Conner, former professional basketball All-Star Jamal Mashburn, former pro American football star-turned analyst Marcellus Wiley, nine-time Olympic champion swimmer Mark Spitz, Olympic silver medallist Elana Meyer, two-time Olympic gold medallist in track and field Sebastian Coe, Olympic gold medal-winning ice dancer Meryl Davis, Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater Yuna Kim and former professional basketball player Jason Collins.
“We are proud to have an elite list of global athletes participating in this year’s Doha GOALS Forum because we know this diversity greatly enhances our panel discussions,” said Doha GOALS executive director Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak al-Thani. “These world class athletes are both champions in their sport as well as leaders in the community and we appreciate their commitment toward achieving our mission of social impact via sport.”
Doha GOALS is a call to action for policymakers, NGOs, business leaders and athletes to present ideas for reform in sports, as well as ideas of how sports can be used to influence public policy.
This year’s Forum will debate topics such as:
* The Evolution of the Special Olympics into a Global Social Movement
* How Sports can lead in creating a more tolerant society
* Impact of athlete activism on the environment and social issues
* How can we leverage the Power of Sports in Tackling Obesity
This year, Doha GOALS Forum, produced by Richard Attias & Associates, will partner with Special Olympics for the three-day summit, which takes place during the week of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles.
To date, the Doha GOALS Forum has brought together more than 5,000 participants from 70 countries to discuss how sport can be used to solve some of the world’s greatest social and economic challenges.
“This year in particular, we are very excited to support the Special Olympics World Games, host over 400 university students from many of the top North American Sports Management Programs and proud to be associated with many grassroots community organizations in the Greater Los Angeles area. This is the true meaning of Sport,” said Sheikh Faisal.
Michael Phelps
