While the first aims to establish an academic programme for talented athletes, the second seeks collaboration in the field of medical education and research.
Qatar Football Association (QFA), Aspire Zone, and Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) have partnered with QU to support and develop talented athletes and drive forward the spirit of innovation in sports in Qatar.
The second agreement with Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital (Aspetar) aims to establish an undergraduate Sports and Exercise Medicine curriculum for medical students.
The first agreement was signed Monday by QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, QFA president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, SC secretary general Hassan al-Thawadi and Aspire Zone CEO Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi.
The second MoU was signed on Sunday by QU vice president for medical and health education and College of Medicine dean Dr Egon Toft and Aspetar acting director general Dr Mohamed Ghaith al-Kuwari.
Speaking to Gulf Times on the sidelines of the ceremony, Dr al-Derham said the new academic programme aims to promote human capacity in Qatar.
"QU already has a bachelor of science programme in sports.However, we are going to launch another programme in bachelor of sports education after the approval from the board of trustees.”
“We will set up a steering committee, with all the four stakeholders who are part of the agreement, to look into the admission criteria, the number of students to be admitted, the delivery of the programme, the training facilities and so on. It will set the whole procedure and the programme will start from the fall semester this year,” he continued.
The terms of the agreement include collaboration to establish, implement and support an academic programme for talented athletes and football professionals in Qatar. This will contribute to building the future generation of football professionals and to modelling the coming stars in the run-up to the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar and beyond.
“This agreement is aligned with Qatar’s continuous efforts to organise and host world sport championships, and with QU’s commitment to build collaborations and strengthen links with local institutions to advance and support the sports sector and to provide the labour market with talented athletes,” Dr al-Derham added.
Sheikh Hamad stressed that QFA's partnership with QU will have a positive impact on the sport sector in Qatar. "This MoU will contribute to uplifting the talents of athletes while ensuring their stability on the academic and artistic levels, which will be for the benefit of their sporting club and national team. The new programme aligns with the one provided by Aspire Academy for high school students. It offers football players the opportunity to continue their education while in Qatar.”
Al-Thawadi was of the view that the new MoU will provide athletes with an unparalleled educational opportunity to develop and grow their managerial skills in the sports industry.
"In the spirit of the partnership, through Josoor Institute, we will provide the athletes the opportunity to attend executive education, professional development workshops and certificate and diploma programmes that are currently being offered by Josoor Institute.”
Al-Suwaidi stated that the MoU 'will contribute to upholding the academic learning of talented athletes, especially football players, in Qatar by investing all capacities and competencies to shape a sporting generation able to promote Qatar’s reputation in world sport championships.'
Aspire Zone's Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi, QFA's Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani, QU's Dr Hassan al-Derham and SC's Hassan al-Thawadi at the ceremony at QU.
Providing a major impetus to sport and medical education in the country, Qatar University (QU) has signed two agreements with leading stakeholders.
