Berlin: The two-day Arab-German (AGS) Sports Summit concluded yesterday in Berlin, Germany with the participation of prominent political and sports figures in Germany, along with participants from several countries interested in sport, academia, and medicine.

The second and final day of the summit witnessed several seminars and discussion sessions, the main theme of which was the Qatari sport, its impact on the global level and the successes it achieved in terms of development, achievements and championships in Qatar, including the 2019 World Championships in Athletics, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 World Swimming Championships.

They also discussed the great role in sports medicine through the Aspetar hospital and Aspire Academy and its role in the preparation of athletes and other topics related to Qatar sport and achievements.

In the presence of President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the first session witnessed a number of keynote speakers giving their speeches.

Secretary-General of Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry Abdulaziz Al Mikhlafi praised the holding of the AGS summit, as well as the presence of H E Sheikh Joaan, which gives a lot of momentum and attention to this event, that will have many positive repercussions in the coming period.

In a speech at the first session, Ambassador of Qatar to Germany Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pointed to the importance of the AGS summit, adding, “The Germans hosted the World Cup in 2006 meanwhile the Arab world represented by the State of Qatar will host the World Cup in 2022. We all know what sport can do to a society, it is a vehicle for activities and development.”

For his part, Ambassador of Lebanon to Germany Dr. Mustapha Adib, Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps in Germany, thanked President of QOC H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani for attending this summit, noting the importance of Qatar’s role in sport and its role in society. He pointed out that the world is looking forward to a distinguished edition of the World Cup in 2022 Qatar.

QOC Secretary-General Jassim Al Buainain gave a special presentation on sports in Qatar during the session entitled “the Olympics and grand championships”.

The Secretary-General of QOC, Jassim Al Buainain, noted Qatar’s keenness to set international standards for the major sporting events it has organised since the great success of the 15th Asian Games in 2006, and the further successes in the major tournaments such as the 2011 Arab Games, the 2015 Handball World Cup and the 2018 World Gymnastics Championships, as well as many other sporting aspects such as the Schools Olympic Program, and other initiatives.

The Director General of the Anti-doping Lab Qatar, Dr. Mohammed Al Maadheed, said that sports medicine and its current status and future varies from country to another, depending on the proportion of practitioners of the sport. Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Director of Health and Safety Abdullah Al Bushri explained Qatar’s preparations for hosting the World Cup in a panel discussion entitled “football and the world cup 2022 in Qatar”.

Qatar will be the first country in the world to organise the World Cup and the distance between all the stadiums do not exceed 55km, and this will give players more rest and the fans will be able to watch more than one game per day, Al Bushri added.

Source: The Peninsula Qatar