(London, August 1 2012): Government leaders, Olympic legends and some of the world’s biggest sports sponsors gathered in London last night for the launch of Doha GOALS, a new initiative designed to develop the use of sport as a driver for social and economic change.
President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and Olympic and world champions - including Carl Lewis, Tegla Loroupe, Marie-José Pérec and Ian Thorpe - were among the guests at the event at Bayt Qatar, London, the official house of the Qatar Olympic Committee.
Doha GOALS – Gathering of All Leaders In Sport - was created under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar. The initiative, from the Aspire Zone Foundation and Richard Attias & Associates, will build a community of hundreds of key influencers from all spheres of life who believe sport is a crucial vehicle for social and economic development.
Speaking at the event, Lewis said: “Sport creates opportunities for communities: athletes from small countries and impoverished areas can compete on the global stage and shine a spotlight on their communities. This in turn creates economic opportunities at home, opens the outside world to seeing and understanding new cultures, and empowers athletes to use the public platform for good."
Agreeing was Pérec, who pointed to Lewis as a source of personal inspiration. She said: “When I was 20, and saw Carl win gold in the 1988 Olympics, I looked at the way he conducted himself as a champion. I said to myself, ‘I want to become a champion like that, four years from now.” Pérec won Olympic gold in the 400 metres in 1992.
Richard Attias, the former producer of the World Economic Forum in Davos, will produce Doha GOALS. He said: “Sport has the power to bring about great social integration, as well as bring communities together in a spirit of trust and friendship.
“Doha GOALS is a call to action that will bring together a community of policymakers and government officials, heads of business, influential athletes, NGOs and students to build a roadmap for how we can harness this power to improve societies around the world.”
The inaugural, annual Doha GOALS Forum, December 10 – 12, 2012, was announced at a press conference earlier in the day, with His Excellency Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, General Secretary of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Sheikh Faisal Al Thani, Executive Director of Doha GOALS, Lewis and Attias all speaking at the press conference.
Lewis is among the speakers at the December Forum later this year: he will be joined by Oscar Pistorius, who will become the first-ever Paralympian to compete at an Olympic Games, and multiple Olympic gold medallist, swimmer Mark Spitz.
The Forum structure will include plenary sessions, debates, and focused taskforces to facilitate constructive brainstorming and focused collaboration using pioneering technology.
The objectives of the Forum were dictated by a taskforce of more than 50 of the leading policymakers, innovators, sports scientists, physicians, federations heads, academics, athletes, corporate executives and competitors who gathered for a Pre-Forum event in January 2012. This group, which included top executives from FC Barcelona, IMG, Coca-Cola, as well as federation heads, and past and present athletes, debated economic development, the commercialisation of sports, the welfare of athletes, and sport as a vehicle for tourism growth.
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EDITORS’ NOTES
About Aspire Zone Foundation
Having been established in 2003 as a Sports City project, Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) today works to develop sports champions, promote healthy lifestyles, provide sports medicine services, and galvanise the sports economy of today and of the future. Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) is a pioneering international sport project, thanks to its member organisation which embraces Aspire Academy, Aspetar and Aspire logistics. All these corporate entities were unified by Emiri decree in 2008.
Located in Doha, Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) boasts international-standard services and hosts global sports events; all of which contribute to the vibrant sports economy of Qatar. Aspire Zone is home to some of the world’s finest sport amenities and services offering an impressive integration of sport, sports medicine and research, and sport education. It is a perfect setting to combine sport and leisure.
Moreover, AZF was voted the World’s Leading Sports Tourism Development Project for the World Travel Awards 2011; an award that is deserved indeed. In 2011 alone, Aspire Zone was honoured with the successful hosting of high profile events, such as the opening ceremony of the AFC Asian Cup 2011, some of the tournament games, and some competitions of the regionally-renowned Arab Games.
About Richard Attias & Associates
Richard Attias & Associates is a strategic communications firm that provides private consultancy and idea initiatives. Our mission is to help leaders, corporations and nations build their global influence, catalyze innovation and lead the global exchange of ideas. Using our strategic and operational expertise, we create interactive platforms, living laboratories of human capital, and historic cultural exchanges that help foster positive change for the global community.
Some of the work that RAA has created or produced in the last year includes: New York Forum® and New York Forum® AFRICA; APEC CEO Summit in Hawaii; The New York Times Schools for Tomorrow, Energy for Tomorrow and Opportunities for Tomorrow conferences; Global Food Security Forum in Morocco; Global Competitiveness Forum in Saudi Arabia; Qatar – US Business Forum in New York; Conference of Nobel Laureates; and African Securities Exchange Association Summit.
Richard Attias is a global influencer and was the exclusive producer of the World Economic Forum meetings, including the Davos Forum for 14 years and the co-founder of the Clinton Global Initiative. With offices in New York, Paris, Doha, Rabat and Beijing, the RAA mission is a "call to action" to all global leaders, by creating borderless communities, and facilitating business opportunities for growth recovery through the New York Forum Institute, a not-for-profit Foundation.
richardattiasassociates.com
Bayt Qatar, also known as the Qatar House, acts as a symbol of Qatar and brings a little bit of the Qatari spirit to the heart of London. Launched on the sideline of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games at the London’s prestigious Institution of Engineering and Tech by HE the Secretary General of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Saud bin Abdurrahman Al-Thani, Bayt Qatar will be open from the 26th of July until the 12th of August, to welcome high profile, dignitaries, QOC Members, CEO s and Chairmen, International Sporting Athletes as well as Local, Regional and the International Media.
