Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) welcomed Franck Gellet, the French ambassador to Qatar, yesterday giving him a tour of its world-class facilities.
During his visit, the French Ambassador received a brief on the services offered by AZF and its member organisations — Aspire Academy, Aspire Logistics, and Aspetar, the orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital.
At the beginning of the tour, the French diplomat took in the Academy’s efforts to develop future athletes.
He then visited Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar’s first completed 2022 FIFA World Cup host venue, where he admired the design of the stadium and its sustainable air-cooling technology.
At Aspetar, the French envoy met with AZF CEO and Aspetar director general Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi. The AZF CEO led the tour and explained the various services Aspetar offers athletes who are recovering to full fitness. Following the tour, al-Suwaidi and Gellet had a meeting where they discussed current and future co-operation opportunities with French organisations.
Gellet, said; “What I saw today is encouraging and shows Qatar’s desire to create a world-class sports ecosystem. That feeds into the facilities I see here and the country’s preparations for the World Cup in 2022.”
He added that AZF is becoming a familiar name in France, but that he didn’t imagine it to be as impressive as it turned out to be. He continued: “It is and should be a matter of great pride for Qatar. I have been particularly impressed by the long-term investment the country is making in sports.
AZF CEO and Aspetar director general Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi (left) with Franck Gellet, the French ambassador to Qatar, at Aspire Zone yesterday.
