Doha GOALS Forum, described as “a premier platform for world leaders to advance social and economic change through sport”, is back for a third successive year. The three-day forum, held under the patronage of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, opens at the Aspire Academy on November 3
Last year, the Doha GOALS Forum was attended by 1,500 participants from 70 countries, including 150 speakers and 30 sporting champions. Past years have included prominent speakers such as former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Gabon President o Ali Bongo, FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Olympic medallists like Lord Sebastian Coe, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Mark Spitz, Hicham El Guerrouj, Marie Jose Perez and Nadia Comaneci.
“This year will feature tennis legend Boris Becker along with star athletes Wilson Kipketer, Tegla Loroupe and Jonathan Edwards, to name a few,” a press release said yesterday.
Doha GOALS Forum executive director Sheikh Faisal bin Mubarak al-Thani said: “To watch initiatives go from ideas in discussion to concrete programmes implemented across the globe is a remarkable experience, one which fills us with pride. Doha GOALS Forum helps build the very foundations for youth development and provides means for support in the community.
“Sport is one of the most powerful tools to instil proper values and build character, through our initiatives we create opportunities unique which would otherwise not exist for many young athletes.”
Executive producer Richard Attias said: “Sport is a powerful game changer! Doha GOALS Forum is a real community of leaders who share this vision and at the 2014 edition we will go beyond this vision and implement impactful initiatives and actions with the support of the private and public sectors.”
Basketball legend Dikembe Mutumbo, in a statement, thanked Qatar for supporting athletes who have a strong commitment to making a difference in society.
Mutumbo said: “Sport promotes healthy society and individuals. We need a coalition between government, athletes, international institutions, and corporations to create positive opportunities and provide support for today’s youth. We also need to thank the organisers of
Doha GOALS and the country of Qatar for supporting athletes who have a strong commitment to making a difference in society.
“We need to keep this movement going and we need to continue coming here to Doha GOALS. Two days can change the world and secure the future of our children.”
Last year, the first ministers of sport summit yielded the Doha GOALS Accord while the forum itself produced three concrete social initiatives: the Doha GOALS Sport Fields Initiative, the Doha GOALS Prosthetics Programme and the Doha GOALS Sport Solidarity Fund.
“This year, the forum endeavours to take stock of those initiatives and determine how best to implement them at the national and community level as well as launch innovative initiatives and programmes,” the release said.
The forum invites 400 students from across the globe to engage with the forum as part of a student ambassadors programme.
It will also introduce the Global Watch initiative, an international effort to erase racism and discrimination from the field and playground, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Tokyo Sexwale Foundation.
